What Is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma cancer is found in less than 10 percent of mesothelioma patients. While pleural mesothelioma is fairly well understood (inhaled asbestos fibers become imbedded in the lining of the lung and lead to cancerous tumors),….. pericardial mesothelioma is not. Pleural mesothelioma develops because the inhaled asbestos fibers are very durable and cannot be eliminated through the body’s processes. Over time, these fibers cause chronic inflammation that eventually leads to growth of cancerous tumors or, in some cases, asbestos. In contrast, researchers and doctors are unsure how the asbestos fibers become lodged in the heart’s serous lining, or pericardium. One theory holds that asbestos fibers are broken into smaller pieces in the lungs and then carried into the blood stream. From there, proponents of this theory hypothesize, the fibers are pumped through the heart, become lodged in the heart lining, and cause the chronic inflammation that leads to cancerous growths (as with pleural mesothelioma).

For pericardial mesothelioma, it is not clearly understood how the asbestos fibers become lodged in the heart serous lining or pericardium. It is possible that asbestos fibers, after being broken into smaller pieces in the lungs, are carried from the lungs into the blood stream. As the fibers are pumped through the heart, they 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.