Most of the people affected by mesothelioma are caused by the work on the job in inhaled asbestos particles, or perhaps also because they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also be at risk for mesothelioma fell ill. Unlike lung cancer, and there is no relationship between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits it is important in discussing mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural fluid (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and also because of excess body weight. Diagnosis can be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (eg, network) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. Allows introduction of things such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lungs.

Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery, which carry the disease prognosis. Research about screening tests for early detection of mesothelioma is continuously.