The easiest way to understand the difference between lung cancer and mesothelioma is that lung cancer is in the lung tissue, while pleural mesothelioma occurs in the layer of tissue that covers the outside of the lung.
Smoking is considered the primary cause of lung cancer and asbestos as the primary cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer. Smoking does not cause mesothelioma. People who have been exposed to asbestos and also smoke have up to 90 times more likely to be affected with lung cancer than those who do not smoke.
Some of the symptoms of lung cancer are similar to the symptoms of mesothelioma. Lung cancer cell carcinoma and small cell cancer can cause symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, bloody sputum, chest pain and wheezing. Adenocarcinomas are most common on the outside of the lung and can cause pain in the chest when breathing, coughing and breathing problems. Sometimes there are patients who have no symptoms when the disease is first detected through a chest x-ray.
Tags: Lung cancer, mesothelioma, the primary cause of lung cancer, the primary cause of mesothelioma, the symptoms of lung cancer, the symptoms of mesothelioma, lung cancer, terminal cancer mesothelioma