Malignant mesothelioma (malignant mesothelioma) is an aggressive and relatively rare malignancy originating from mesothelial cells of the lung, chest wall, abdomen, and testes.
Mesothelioma is not a lung cancer, and a cross-reference between the two is sorted out in the table below.
|
Mesothelioma |
Lung cancer |
|
|
Source |
Lung, chest wall, and abdominal mesothelial tissue |
The vast majority of lung cancers originate in the bronchi or alveoli |
|
Etiology |
Long-term inhalation of asbestos in the workplace is the leading cause of the disease |
Smoking is the primary risk factor. In addition, radon gas, asbestos, air pollution, family history, and chronic lung disease are also risk factors |
|
Symptoms |
Cough, shortness of breath, dull chest pain, pain under the ribs, unexplained weight loss, hard lumps in the abdomen, and in men, a scrotal mass |
Cough, shortness of breath, fever, coughing up blood, chest pain, enlarged lymph nodes, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and weight loss |
|
Diagnosis |
Chest x-ray, CT or PET-CT, biopsy, blood test |
Chest X-ray, CT, MRI, bone scan, PET-CT, bronchoscopy, mediastinoscopy, lung puncture biopsy, etc. |
|
Treatment options |
Conventional therapies include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Targeted therapies and immunotherapy can also be tried by participating in clinical trials. Early surgical resection can result in long-term survival, and patients with advanced disease are generally inoperable |
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are options. Early surgery may be curative, and patients with advanced disease are generally inoperable |