Pericardial Mesothelioma Review-Pericardial Mesothelioma – Cancer of the Heart Lining

MESOTHELIOMA: Deadly Cancer Caused by Exposure to Toxic Asbestos

Pericardial Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that affects the pericardium - the lining of tissue around the heart. It is the rarest form of mesothelioma, making up less than ten percent of mesothelioma cases. Like all forms of mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma has been linked to asbestos exposure.


Many people believe that mesothelioma is a cancer that only affects the lungs. In fact, mesothelioma is cancer of the serous membranes, which line the three organ cavities in the center of the body. Their function is to secrete fluids to cushion and lubricate the organs within those cavities.


The pleura encases the lungs in the chest cavity, and the lubrication provided by the pleural mesothelium also helps in breathing. The peritoneal cavity contains the stomach and other abdominal organs, and is lined by the peritoneum. The pericardial cavity contains the heart, and the serous membrane that protects and surrounds it is known as the pericardium.

What Is Pericardial Mesothelioma?

Cancer is generally defined by the organ or area of the body in which it originates. Thus cancer that originates in the pericardial mesothelium is called pericardial mesothelioma.

No one is quite certain why pericardial mesothelioma is the most rare of the three known types, but some doctors have suggested that it has to do with the way that asbestos fibers work their way into the body. 

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