When you hear about Pleural Mesothelioma, pleura mesothelioma, or malignant pleural mesothelioma, it is mesothelioma cancer in the lining of the lungs. Cancer of the pleura is different from lung cancer, which refers to any type of malignant cancer tumor that originates in the lungs.

In the lungs, pleura is the tissues that line or cover the area that surrounds the lungs and there are normally two pleura. They can also be called pleural membranes. The area or gap that is between them is called the pleural space and the pleura are fibrous sheets which help to protect the lungs. The pleura produce a lubricating fluid that fills the space between the two pleura and this fluid is there to help the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when they move, inflating and deflating as we breathe in and out.

Most people don't know that pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma and that it is accounting for 80-90% of all mesothelioma cases that are diagnosed.

For the most part clinical presentation of pleural mesothelioma cancer may include the following:

• Coughing
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Difficulty in sleeping
• Pains in the chest and abdominal areas, which are generally unresponsive to analgesics
• Progressive loss of appetite and body weight
• Pleural effusions (fluid collectng in the chest cavity)

The management of pleural mesothelioma depends very much on the staging of the tumor. Often early diagnosis and surgical intervention may lengthen the life expectancy of the patient. But depending on the age and physical condition of the patient, lung surgery may not be a good choice. Along with surgical options cancer radiation treatment and chemotherapy may help in the overall therapeutic program in treating pleural mesothelioma. Pain management and home care are typical alternatives in the later stages of pleural mesothelioma.