Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma. There has been very little research into this particular form of the disease. If detected, early stage tumors may be removed with surgery, but most patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are diagnosed in the late stages. There is no consensus on a best method for treating late stage pericardial mesothelioma. Doctors are able to provide patients with some relief using palliative methods of treating the disease. Like with all forms of mesothelioma, a fluid builds up in the affected mesothelium membrane. When fluid builds up in the pericardium membrane that surrounds the heart, a needle is inserted in the pericardium membrane to drain the pericardial fluid and also to assist in relieving the patient of circulatory problems. A tumor may form under the skin in the area of the incision. This type of tumor is likely to be diagnosed in the early stages and this early stage tumor may be removed with surgery.  Mesothelioma is a relatively new and underreported form of cancer. In the past it has been misdiagnosed and confused with other types of cancer. Pericardial mesothelioma has been confused as a form of lung cancer. Pericardial mesothelioma may spread like any other form of cancer. This particular cancer may spread to the lungs. When pericardial cancer spreads to the lungs it is described as a secondary lung cancer, but not lung cancer since it does not originate at the lungs. Pericardial mesothelioma is found in less than 10% of all cases of mesothelioma. Of the approximately 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma reported each year, less than 200 are diagnosed as pericardial mesothelioma. Medical science is not sure of how asbestos fibers become lodged in the pericardium membrane that surrounds the heart to initiate the disease. One possibility is that the fibers are carried from the lungs into the blood stream and as the fibers are pumped through the heart, they are lodged in the pericardium membrane. More research is needed to confirm or dismiss this possibility. Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma may include chest pain and an irregular heart beat. Less common symptoms include shortness of breath and cough. Patients are typically diagnosed after complaining of chest pain or other problems that are typical of heart conditions.   It wasn’t until the late 1990s that the US government began to recognize mesothelioma as a separate form of cancer. The various forms of mesothelioma had been equally underrepresented. In the latest report, 1999-2002, on incidences of cancer by the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), the only type of mesothelioma to be classified as a separate form of cancer is pleural mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma was not included as a classification of cancer. The NPCR is a collection of data provided by state cancer registries across the US.