Meso Facts

What types of Mesothelioma are there?

malignant mesothelioma
malignant mesothelioma

And what makes them different?

There are four types of Mesothelioma which include:

Mesothelioma cancer generally affects the mesothelial tissue lining of the body’s main three largest cavities: 1) the lung cavity (the pleura), 2) the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) , and 3) the heart sac (pericardium).   So, the type of malignant mesothelioma is named after the section of the mesothelium that it affects.

The most common mesothelioma is found in the chest lung cavity (Pleural mesothelioma) and the second most frequently found occurs in the abdomen cavity (Peritoneal mesothelioma). There are rare cases of mesothelioma found around the heart and even less frequently in the genital area.

From 75% to 90% of all mesothelioma cases are cancer of the lung lining with Pleural mesothelioma.  The three primary forms of mesothelioma have similar behavior in how they effect the internal organs.  When seen under a microscope mesothelioma cell types can be distinguished with about 60% being epithelioid, 20% being sarcomatoid, and the remainder being a mixed combination of these.  The epithelioid cells have the best chance of treatment.