Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma affects the lining of the heart, or pericardium, and is the least common form of mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer of the serous membranes. These membranes enclose a number of organs throughout the midsection of the body, including the heart. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the serous membranes of the lungs.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Cancer
Pericardial mesothelioma cancer is found in less than 10% of mesothelioma patients. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. For pericardial mesothelioma, it is not clearly understood how asbestos fibers become lodged in the heart serous lining or pericardium. It is possible that asbestos fibers are carried from the lungs into the blood stream, after being broken into smaller pieces in the lungs. As the fibers are pumped through the heart, they can become lodged in the heart lining. Once lodged in the pericardium, the chronic inflammation process leading to cancerous growths is similar to that occurring in pleural mesothelioma.
Because pericardial mesothelioma is so rare, there is little specific research on this type of mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, and fewer than 200 of them are pericardial mesothelioma.
Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms
As in the lungs, the rapid growth of the cancerous tumors can cause expansion of the tissue and accumulation of fluid. The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart, causing chest pain and an irregular heartbeat. Patients are typically diagnosed when they complain of chest pain or other heart-related symptoms after only limited exertion. Shortness of breath and cough are less common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma cancer. Unlike the lungs, it is less common for other cancers to metastasize to the heart.
Pericardial mesothelioma patients can exhibit all three kinds of mesothelioma cancer cells: epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma, and the prognosis depends on the type of cancer cells. It is thought that patients with the biphasic kind of mesothelioma cancer cells have a shorter life expectancy.
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