Mesothelioma is typically not treated by a single doctor but rather by an interdisciplinary team of doctors that include oncologists, thoracic surgeons, and pulmonologists. Mesothelioma doctors work together to treat mesothelioma, a medical condition caused by asbestos exposure. Although it is often referred to as "asbestos lung cancer", it is not the same as lung cancer. Mesothelioma is cancer of the lining inside the lung, while lung cancer occurs inside the lung itself. Most of the people who have mesothelioma contracted the disease from working in environments where they breathed in asbestos. It takes very minute amounts of asbestos exposure to cause mesothelioma. Diagnosis of mesothelioma involves a combination of clinical assessment and radiological findings and tissue biopsy. Reviewing the patient's history for exposure to asbestos is also included in the diagnosis process. Mesothelioma doctors treat each patient with plans customized for them and their specific case. Each patient's treatment depends on what stage of progression the cancer was found, how far it has spread, the patient's age and their desires. Doctors present individuals with mesothelioma with options for treating the disease which include surgery to remove the cancer, chemotherapy to fight the cancer cells and radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells.