Mesothelioma affects the linings of our internal organs. This includes the pleura (the lining which covers the thoracal cavity), the peritoneum (the lining covering the abdominal cavity), the pericardium (heart sac), among others. However, the more common cases of mesothelioma are those which attacks the pleura or the lining of the lungs.

Pleural mesothelioma can either be benign or malignant, with the malignant type being the more common. In abdominal mesothelioma, however, the disease seems to occur only as an aggressive type of cancer, malignant at that and very, very rarely benign peritoneal mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma, or abdominal mesothelioma is a very rare kind of mesothelioma, accounting to only 100 to 500 cases in a year. It is a type of cancer which attacks the peritoneum or the mesothelium surrounding the abdominal cavity. Abdominal mesothelium is more common among men than women. Symptoms affecting the abdominal area include loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal swelling, abdominal pains, abdominal weakness, among others.

As with all cases of mesothelioma, treatment of abdominal mesothelioma can be difficult as symptoms only manifest late in the development of the disease. Because of lack of speedy treatment and attention, the volume of peritoneal fluid had already accumulate to an alarming level usually spreading throughout the abdomen and the pelvis, causing a collapse of the stomach in rare cases.