Peritoneal Mesothelioma is the second most common form of Mesothelioma. This type focuses on the gastrointestinal tract instead of the upper chest area.
There is a general misconception about asbestos. Most seem to believe that you must breathe it in before it can do you any harm. This is nonsense. The probative problem with asbestos is the nature of the fibers. They embed themselves into any organic material they can and are very hard to remove. As a result, they are very dangerous regardless of how exactly they get into your body. One needs only consider Peritoneal Mesothelioma to recognize this.
The peritoneum is a thin layer of mesothelium that protects the organs involved in the digestion of food. This includes the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and so on. The peritoneum provides some cushion, but is primarily a lubricating mechanism. To digest food, the parts of the digest system must move. With the movement, they simply will not work.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma occurs not when asbestos is inhaled into the lungs, but when it is ingested into the stomach. This can occur when a person eats something in an area where there is asbestos dust in the air or, if really unlucky, when they simply inhale the fibers and they go down "the wrong pipe."
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is treated very aggressively with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, only the lucky few survive for long after being diagnosed. The problem is the cancerous growths on the peritoneum are extremely hard to diagnose until the very late stages. Instead, many are diagnosed as having general digestive problems such as diverticulitis, ulcers and so on. Of the various forms of Mesothelioma, this is considered the deadliest by far.
Nobody wants to get Mesothelioma. That being said, if it does happen, pray that you or a loved one is not diagnosed with Peritoneal Mesothelioma. The 5 year survival rates are abysmal.
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