Mesothelioma can occur in three major areas of the body and can eventually spread beyond those areas. But the cancer is diagnosed as one of three types of mesothelioma based on where the disease begins. Generally, the mesothelial cells in the lining of the lungs, abdominal cavity and heart are the areas where mesothelioma originally develops before spreading further in the body.
It is also possible, but rare, for mesothelioma to develop in the scrotum sac. Patients with this type of mesothelioma may form a hydrocele (an accumulation of serous fluid in a sac-like cavity, such as the scrotum) or have a hernia. The type of mesothelioma that people often know the most about is pleura mesothelioma.
Common Types of Mesothelioma
- Pleural mesothelioma, or mesothelium pleural, is the most
common type of mesothelioma. It accounts for 75% of all diagnosed cases and
affects a section of the mesothelium called the pleura. Lung cancer, which
can sometimes be confused with mesothelioma, affects the lung itself whereas
mesothelioma pleural affects the tissue lining the lungs. Mesothelioma plural
occurs when there is a malignant pleural effusion, or an increased amount of
fluid that is cancerous and makes it difficult to breathe. - Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second most common type
of malignant mesothelioma. 10-20% of all reported cases will fall into this
particular type. The section of the mesothelium affected by this type of cancer
is the lining of the abdomen. The reason that the abdominal lining is affected
is because inhaled asbestos fibers travel through the digestive tract and become
stuck causing a tumor to develop. - Pericardial mesothelioma is not very common at all and
only about 150 cases have been reported. This type of mesothelioma affects
the lining of the heart.
