This page tells you about pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. 

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).   Pleural mesothelioma is much more common than peritoneal mesothelioma. 

Between 7 and 8 out of 10 (70-80%) cases of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma.  Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common, making up between 1 and 2 out of every 10 cases (10 - 20%).

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.

These types of mesothelioma cells can furtehr divide into other types of cancerous cells called

Clear cell  
Small cell  
Acinar cell  
Tubopapillary cell

With so many different types of cells capable of developing into mesothelioma, it makes it very difficult to diagnose this disease.