Abdominal mesothelioma, also known as peritoneal mesothelioma, is one form of a rare asbestos-linked cancer, mesothelioma. The abdominal mesothelioma, as the name suggests, is a cancer of the tissues in the abdominal cavity. Abdominal mesothelioma generally affects men ages 50-70, although women make up about one-fifth of all abdominal mesothelioma cases. Abdominal pains, abdominal weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal swelling are all abdominal mesothelioma symptoms.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is found in the abdomen in a thin membrane called the peritoneum. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rapidly fatal primary peritoneal malignancy with an average survival time of less than 1 year, mainly because there is no truly curative treatment currently available. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumor of this peritoneal membrane. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal swelling, loss of appetite, and weakness. Sometimes, however, a patient can have a relatively advanced case of this disease and experience no symptoms whatsoever. The only known cause to this disease is exposure to asbestos.

The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute (at the University of South Florida) has made a lasting commitment to the prevention and cure of cancer, working tirelessly in the areas of patient care, research and education to advance one step further in fighting this disease.

Lombardi is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Washington, DC area. On our Web site you can find information related to our tri-fold mission: clinical care, research and education.

The mission of the Center for Health and the Environment is to initiate and foster interdisciplinary research programs in the areas of environmental health and toxicology that cross the traditional boundaries of medicine, engineering, agriculture and the sciences.

The primary mission of the Wayne State University Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to conduct research on the short- and long-term effects of environmental agents on human health.

Center's mission is to understand the human health consequences of global environmental change, and to promote a wider understanding of these consequences among physicians, scientists, policy-makers, the media, and the general public.

The Environmental Cyber Schoolhouse is an interactive, web-based curriculum for grades 9 through 12 that teaches students about the role of biomedical research in environmental toxicology on our well-being.

Interdisciplinary research and educational alliance focused on discovering which ordinary interactions between humans and environmental chemicals, biologicals, or radiation, are in fact harmful to health.

Environmental health educational materials. I have developed these unique materials primarily with environmental health students in mind, but they should also be of use to environmental health departments looking for internal training resources. Medical students are increasingly being taught environmental health issues as part of their curriculum, so I have included information about this subject as a separate page for them.