| Types of Mesothelioma
There are 2 main types of mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma
The pleural type grows in the tissues covering the lungs. The peritoneal type grows in the tissue lining the inside of the abdomen (tummy). For more about these tissues, look at What is mesothelioma- Pleural mesothelioma is much more common than peritoneal mesothelioma. Between 8 and 9 out of 10 (80-90%) cases of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma and the rest are peritoneal.
Cell types
Mesothelioma is also grouped according to how the cells look under a microscope. When mesothelioma is grouped this way, there are 3 types
- Epitheloid
- Sarcomatoid or fibrous
- Mixed type (also called Biphasic type)
Between 5 and 7 out of 10 cases (50-70%) of mesothelioma diagnosed are the epitheloid type.
Between 7 and 20 out of every 100 cases (7 - 20%) of mesothelioma diagnosed are sarcomatoid type.
Between 20 and 35 out of every 100 cases (20 - 35%) of mesothelioma diagnosed are mixed and have both epitheloid and sarcomatoid cells.
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