In biological terms, malignant mesothelioma is divided into four types: epithelial, sarcomatoid, biphasic and desmoplastic (a variant of sarcomatoid mesothelioma). These classifications pertain to the shape and structure of the cancer cells.
Between 50 to 70 percent of malignant mesothelioma cases are epithelial, approximately 20 to 35 percent are biphasic, and7 to 20 percent are sarcomatoid . Epithelial cells are marked by their well-defined and uniform shape and can closely resemble cells of another form of cancer known as adenocarcinoma. Sarcomatoid cells display an elongated spindle shape, which tend to be irregular rather than uniform in shape, and the cells often overlap one another. Cells of the biphasic variety contain both epithelial and sarcomatoid cells, which form in groups of like cells rather than displaying a uniform mixture.
Diagnosing what type of malignant mesothelioma a patient has can be challenging. One contributing factor is that it can be difficult to differentiate mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma, a cancer originating in glandular tissue, on small tissue specimens.
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Sources:
- Dodson, R. and Hammar, S. Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects. Taylor & Francis: Boca Raton. 2006.
- Webster, P. White Dust Black Death. Trafford: Canada. 2005.
- Galateau-Salle, Francoise. Pathology of Malignant Mesothelioma. Springer-Verlag London Limited: London. 2006.
- Pass, I., Vogelzang, N., Carbone, M. Malignant Mesothelioma: Advances in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Transitional Therapies. Springer: New York. 2005.
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mesothelioma/DS00779
- http://www.cancer.org
- http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/malignantmesothelioma
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