Outlook for Different Types of Mesothelioma

Some types are more deadly than others

There are three main types of mesothelioma differentiated by the area of the body involved:

• Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the chest cavity.
• Peritoneal mesothelioma involves the lining of the abdomen.
• Pericardial mesothelioma affects the sac around the heart.

Unfortunately, the areas of the body that malignant mesothelioma affects and restricts are vital for survival.  A diagnosis of any type of mesothelioma means that the patient has a terminal illness.

Mesothelioma histology

Mesothelioma is also classified based on the way the cancerous cells look when viewed under a microscope (histology).  There are three types of cells:  epithelial, sarcomatoid, and biphasic.

These histological types can be present in all three mesothelioma cancer types.  Although each type of mesothelioma is treated in the same ways, there are marked differences in how each type of cancer cell responds to treatment.  All types of mesothelioma are deadly, but the type of cell that makes up a particular case can have an effect on the patient’s length of survival.

• Epithelial mesothelioma cells. Epithelial cells are seen in most mesothelioma cases.  These cells are the most responsive to mesothelioma treatments.  So, mesothelioma patients whose cancers are of the epithelial type have longer survival times than those who have other forms. Treatment for epithelial cells is usually less aggressive than for other mesothelioma cell types. However, epithelial mesothelioma cells are difficult to distinguish from those found in adenocarcinoma, a type of lung tumor.  This sometimes results in misdiagnosis and delays in treatment, making the prognosis more negative.

• Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells are seen in only about ten percent of cases.  The cells are highly aggressive and resistant to currently available treatments.  Because patients with this type of cells have a shorter life expectancy, they may opt for more aggressive or experimental treatment with the hope of extending survival time.

• Biphasic mesothelioma cells. Biphasic cells are a mixture of epithelial and sarcomatoid cells.  Because each type exists in clumps, a biphasic diagnosis is sometimes missed when tissue samples are taken from only a small number of areas.  The average life expectancy for patients with biphasic mesothelioma cells falls somewhere between those with epithelial and sarcomatoid cells.