Malignant Mesothelioma of the Pleura - Epithelioid Cancer

Malignant Mesothelioma Cell Types

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Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, fatal cancer affecting the mesothelial cells lining three large body cavities. Mesothelial cells lining the lung cavity, abdominal cavity and heart sac constitute the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium.

Diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma requires a minor surgical procedure to remove a section of suspect tissue for microscopic examination by a histopathologist, someone who identifies diseases by their effects on body tissue. Malignant mesothelioma cells come in three distinct types: epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma.

Epithelioid Mesothelioma

Epithelioid cancer cells are most common, accounting for approximately 50% to 70% of all mesothelioma cancer cells. Epithelioid cancer cells are characterized by their unique, uniform shape with a tubular pattern. They have a distinct cell nucleus under high magnification, making it easier for a histopathologist to diagnose a case of epitheliod mesothelioma than the other types.

Epithelioid cancer cells can be mistaken for adenocarcinoma cells (which originate in glandular tissue), because they have a similar cellular appearance, and both are derived from epithelial tissue.

Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells are least common, accounting for approximately 10% to 15% of all mesothelioma cancer cells. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cancer cells are characterized by their irregular, oval shape. When viewed under a microscope, a sarcomatoid mesothelioma cell nucleus is not as clearly visible as an epithelioid cancer cell nucleus.

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells can be difficult to label, because their oval shape is a somewhat common irregularity for cancerous cells; pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma can often be confused with sarcomatoid mesothelioma for this very reason.

Biphasic Mesothelioma

Biphasic cancer cells account for approximately 20% to 40% of all mesothelioma cancer cells. Biphasic cells are composed of both epithelioid and sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells. Biphasic cancer cellular formations can be mixed together or separated into two unique groupings.

Successful diagnosis of mesothelioma cell type can help doctors estimate patient survival time. A study of 167 malignant mesothelioma patients of varying cellular types had the following mean survival times:

Treatments for Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma has a long average latency period of 30 to 40 years. Following diagnosis, malignant mesothelioma is typically advanced and virtually untreatable. Mesothelioma treatments have not yet proven successful in battling the disease despite numerous advancements in both traditional and new approaches.

Traditional mesothelioma treatments include:

Typically, doctors use two or more traditional mesothelioma treatments in conjunction with one another. For example, chemotherapy is often used to slow the spread of a tumor prior to surgery. This process might be followed by radiation therapy designed to kill any remaining tumor cells. Although traditional treatment methods have demonstrated success in the eradication of some cancers, they have not been successful in treating malignant mesothelioma.

New treatments for mesothelioma are being researched with the hope that they will have better success in battling the disease. Most new treatments for mesothelioma revolve around the development and testing of new chemotherapy drugs, such as Veglin, Alimta and Onconase. Such drugs look for ways to quell tumor growth and instigate programmed cellular death (apoptosis).

New treatments for mesothelioma include:

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