Malignant mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is generally divided into three histological categories, or types of cells: epithelioid, sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma. Within each of these mesothelioma cancer cell types, subtypes exist. Many mesothelioma patients display more than one cell type.

The diagnosis of mesothelioma cannot be specifically by lung x-rays or other types of imaging, because many different types of cancer can be present in the lungs. The images may show that a tumor is present, but do not provide an indication of whether the tumor is mesothelioma. A biopsy must be performed where the mesothelioma cancer cell types are used to distinguish mesothelioma from other types of cancer, such as lung cancer.