Richardson Law

Mesothelioma Solicitors in Leeds - Industrial Disease

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer.  It is a cancer of the mesothelial cells.  These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium.  So this is where this type of cancer gets its name.  Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the lungs, heart of the abdomen.

Mesothelioma in the chest

The tissues lining (or covering) the lungs are called the pleura.  There are two pleura.  These can be called pleural membranes.  The gap between them is called the pleural space.  The pleura are fibrous sheets that help to protect the lungs.  They produce lubricating fluid that fills the gap between the pleura.  This helps the lungs to move slowly in the chest when they are inflating and deflating breathing.

Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura.  This is known as pleural mesothelioma.  Because it is so close, pleural mesothelioma can also affect the sheet of tissue covering the heart - the pericardium. Doctors call the pericardium the lining, although it is on the outside of the heart.  It protects the heart and allows it to move smoothly within the sac that surrounds it.  So it does much the same job for the heart as the pleura do for the lungs.

Mesothelioma in the abdomen

The tissue lining of the abdomen is called the peritoneum.  It helps to protect the contents of the abdomen.  It also produces a lubricating fluid that helps the organs move smoothly inside the abdomen during movement.

Mesothelioma of the tissues lining the abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma and is much less common than pleural mesothelioma.