Thanks for the helpful post. It is also my opinion that mesothelioma has an particularly long latency period of time, which means that indication of the disease may not emerge right until 30 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos.  Pleural mesothelioma, and that is the most common variety and affects the area around the lungs, might result in shortness of breath, torso pains, including a persistent cough, which may cause coughing up blood.