Mesothelioma Types
The language of mesothelioma
The language the medical profession uses to describe the types of mesothelioma can get confusing. The disease is characterized, and options for patient care are evaluated and determined by:
Below are short descriptions with links for more information about your options.
Location: mesothelioma by area affected
There are three types of mesothelioma identified by their location. They are listed here along with the percent of diagnosed mesothelioma cases they represent:
- Pleural—chest and lungs (70 to 75 percent)
- Peritoneal—abdomen, but can spread to other organs area such as spleen, kidneys and liver (15 to 20 percent)
- Pericardial—heart or testicular (5 percent)
Pleural Mesothelioma
Description
There are two types of pleural mesothelioma:
- Benign mesothelioma, which can often be removed surgically and are generally not life-threatening
- Diffuse malignant mesothelioma, a very serious form of cancer
Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells of the pleura, or lining around the outside of the lungs. The only known cause in the U.S. is asbestos exposure. It takes many years, even decades, for the disease to incubate, so exposure is likely to have happened twenty years or more before it appears.
Symptoms
Symptoms of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma may include:
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They do not happen in any order, and they can occur in any combination. And, as the list indicates, the symptoms are common to many illnesses. That is why mesothelioma is hard to diagnose early. It is also why seeing a doctor who has experience diagnosing mesothelioma is important if you have been exposed to asbestos any time in your life.
Diagnosis
The process the doctor will use to diagnose mesothelioma is likely to be as follows:
- If an examination shows accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, a chest x-ray will be ordered, and may be followed by a thoroscopy to view the area between the lungs and ribs.
- Confirmation of a diagnosis of mesothelioma generally requires a biopsy—done at a hospital, under anesthesia, with the tissue sample analyzed by a pathologist.
Treatments and prognosis
There is presently no cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Many factors influence the prognosis, such as size and stage of tumor, cell type and response to a variety of treatment options. While many who are diagnosed with mesothelioma live in good health for five to ten years, some victims die within months. Because this is a very aggressive form of cancer, the average survival time is about a year.
Peritoneal mesothelioma
Description
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumor of the membrane that covers many of the organs in the abdominal region of the body. Its only known cause in the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos, and it can be years, even decades, after exposure before the disease appears. Like pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma can be either benign or malignant.
Symptoms
Symptoms of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may include:
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Fluid often accumulates in the peritoneal space. Over time, the wasting symptoms can become more and more severe. As the cancerous tumor exerts pressure on abdominal organs it can cause bowel obstruction and distention, or even impair breathing by squeezing up on the diaphragm.
Diagnosis
As with pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is usually first screened via x-rays or CT scans, followed by biopsy for the actual diagnosis.
Treatments and prognosis
There is presently no cure for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The prognosis varies greatly depending on factors including tumor size and stage, cell type and response to treatment, the options for relief and treatment of this disease have improved, especially in cases of early detection. Some treatment centers are reporting an increase in treated cases living five or more years.
Pericardial mesothelioma
Heart
Description
Pericardial mesothelioma invades the pericardium, the sac that surrounds the heart. It is the rarest form of mesothelioma. It is brought on as a result of other asbestos related disease cells in the pericardium than the lump.
It is malignant and kills rather quickly by limiting the heart’s ability to deliver oxygen efficiently. Like the other forms of the disease, its only known cause in the U.S. is previous exposure to asbestos. It can be years, even decades, after exposure before the disease appears.
The same is the case when the cells invade the testicles.
Symptoms
Symptoms of malignant pericardial mesothelioma are similar to experiencing a heart attack, including chest pain, nausea and shortness of breath.
Diagnosis
As with the other forms of mesothelioma, diagnosis usually starts with x-rays, followed by other types of scans and biopsy for the actual diagnosis.
Treatments and prognosis
There is no present cure for pericardial mesothelioma. Life expectancy is a function of a series of things including: tumor size and stage, cell type and response to treatment. This means chemotherapy and radiation are used to manage the disease and provide pain relief, but surgery is usually not an option because of the tumor location by the heart.
Testicular (Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis)
Description
Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, but primary tumors of the spermatic cord and epididymis are also on record. Tumors arising from the peritoneal mesothelium of a hernia sac are excluded from this group. It is extremely rare with only 73 documented cases in the past 30 years. However, as with other forms of mesothelioma its only known cause ins exposure to asbestos.
Symptoms
Symptoms of malignant tunica vaginalis testis mesothelioma vary but start with the obvious, i.e., problems in that area of the body that are severe enough to cause doctors to want to take X-rays, and depending on what they find do further testing.
Diagnosis
Because of the rarity of this type of mesothelioma, more than 97 percent of these cases have been diagnosed as a result of tumors being found during surgery.
Treatments and prognosis
There is no present cure for tunica vaginalis testis mesothelioma. Again, as with all forms of mesothelioma, life expectancy is a function of a series of things including: tumor size and stage, cell type and response to treatment. However, because of the rarity, lack of predictive parameters, and likelihood of finding this type of cancer in its late stages, surgical resection has been the primary treatment along with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Tumor type by level of seriousness
All three types of mesothelioma can be malignant, i.e., are cancers. They have in common:
- They were caused by inhalation of asbestos
- Symptoms resemble those of many common diseases, making it difficult for doctors to diagnose
- Latency periods tend to be long
- Once symptoms are diagnosed, survival rates are relatively short
- Treatment is not often a cure, but is a means to provide pain relief and can extend life with comfort
Benign mesothelioma occurs less frequently and is generally thought to be unrelated to asbestos exposure.
Cell type
Pathologists classify the cells they see under the microscope by type that confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma:
- Epithelial—organized and structured cells, appearing in over 60 percent of cases
- Sarcomatoid—random and irregular cells, appearing in roughly 20 percent of cases
- Biphasic—a mix of epithelial and sarcomatoid cells, found in less than 10 percent of cases
- Demsoplastic—a form of the sarcomatoid cell, found in less than 5 percent of cases, that mimics healthy tissue and is hard to detect
Stages of the disease
Due to the prevalence of all forms of cancer in our society, we all are aware that cancer doctors (oncologists) assign a number/"stage" (ranging from Stage 1 to Stage 5, with 5 being the worst case) to describe how far the disease has spread. This is used with cell type to determine the treatability of a patient’s cancer.
Several staging systems are in use, and devising a precise staging system has been a challenge and is still evolving. The National Cancer Institute has detailed information on staging. The following are the basics that should answer most of your early questions about general cancer tumor stages and their relationship to treatments:
- Stage 1: The tumor is in one organ, is relatively small and will likely react well to surgical removal, chemotherapy and radiation.
- Stage 2: The tumor is growing and has spread to other tissue in area, but still can be treated with surgical procedures in combination with other treatments.
- Stage 3: The tumor has spread to adjacent organs or areas. Treatment is palliative, concentrating on relieving pain and improving quality of life and not on reversing disease progression or providing a cure.
- Stage 4: The tumor has "metastasized," spread to other parts of the body and is progressing, only palliative care is possible and life expectancies are short.
- Stage 5: Death will occur in matter of days.
Unfortunately, staging a mesothelioma diagnosis is extraordinarily difficult since most diagnoses are not made until the disease has reached an advanced stage. However, medical experts continue to refine new staging systems for malignant mesothelioma, but as yet none are very useful tool in predicting results of treatments.
Kazan Law helps patients and families diagnosed with any stage of mesothelioma cancer. We provide counsel on medical and support options, and also advocacy for compensation.
Serving mesothelioma victims and their families for more than three decades
From offices in Oakland, California, Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood & Harley, PLC (Kazan Law) has been serving victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases for more than 36 years. For a no-cost evaluation of your potential case with an experienced California mesothelioma attorney, contact us today by calling 1-866-804-2311 or online.
