The Arizona Cancer Center is dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through excellence in patient care, research and education. The center is one of a small, prestigious network of comprehensive cancer centers as designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

City of Hope, an innovative biomedical research, treatment and educational institution, is dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening diseases, guided by a compassionate patient-centered philosophy, and supported by a national foundation of humanitarian philanthropy.

The Division of Thoracic Surgery is dedicated to the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of (non-cardiac) diseases of the chest. We provide service to a broad range of thoracic issues at both the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, including: lung cancer, benign diseases and tumors of the lung, lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema, esophageal cancer, benign esophageal diseases (including achalasia, benign tumors and strictures), esophageal reconstruction, gastroesophageal reflux, mediastinal tumors and diseases (including the surgical treatment of myasthenia gravis), mesothelioma, pleural diseases (including pneumothorax, infections and pleural effusions), chest wall tumors, sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis, plication for diaphragm paralysis, tracheal resection or stent insertion for airway narrowing, lung transplantation for end-stage diseases of the lung.

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.

Chrysotile mesothelioma is a form of peritoneal mesothelioma. It is a specific cancer of the abdomen and is caused by exposure to asbestos. When small chrysotile fibers are inhaled and become lodged in the lung, they can cause a mesothelioma that manifests itself in the peritoneum, particularly the lining that surrounds the stomach. The tumors that develop on the lining that surrounds the stomach limit the space available for the stomach to expand and move.

The most common type of mesothelioma is the Pleural Mesothelioma. The pleura is a thin membrane found between the lungs and the chest cavity. Another form of mesothelioma is the Peritoneal Mesothelioma. The peritoneum is the membrane that encloses the organs of the abdomen. While peritoneal mesotheliomas are less common than pleural mesotheliomas, they tend to be more invasive, and thus result in a shorter life expectancy for the patient.