Around 2,500 people every year are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the UK, an incurable cancer that affects the mesothelium, the membrane that lines the inner surface of the chest wall (pleura), the abdomen (peritoneum) or testicles. The primary cause is contact with asbestos and symptoms don’t usually appear until 20–50 years after exposure. Men are 4.6 times more likely to develop mesothelioma and with a latency period of approximately 30–40 years, the vast majority of people diagnosed with the condition are over 70 years old.
