Understanding the Mesothelial Cells that Cause Mesothelioma

Histology is the study of human cells and tissues. In order to examine the composition and structure of a cell, a biopsy is conducted, a process that involves the taking of cell tissue samples, which are then studied under a microscope. Mesothelioma histology involves an in-depth analysis of the different types of mesothelioma cells. Histology is one of the best ways to properly diagnose mesothelioma. Different types of mesothelioma cells require different treatments, thus determining the type of mesothelioma cells present in the patient allows the application of the proper treatment for that specific type of cancer cell. Furthermore, proper diagnosis is extremely important if you are pursuing a legal action for asbestos exposure compensation.

There are three different mesothelioma cell types, the epithelial mesothelial cell, the sarcomatoidmesothelial cell and the biphasic mesothelial cell.

Malignant Epithelial Mesothelioma

Malignant epithelial mesothelioma cells are the most commonly found mesothelioma cells. Epithelial cells combine to create one of the most common tissue types: the epithelium. The epithelium tissues can be found as the lining of most of the body’s organs and cavities. Epithelial cells are also located in the ears, eyes, taste buds and skin. Under a microscope healthy epithelial tissue will either be tall and column-esque, flat and thin, or cube shaped in nature. Once cancerous, these cells are either no longer uniform, or can transform into a cluster or tube-like pattern. Malignant epithelial tissue accounts for 50-70 percent of mesothelioma cases, and is typical found in those suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The SarcomatoidMesothelial Cell

The sarcomatoidmesothelial cell is the least commonly-discovered histological mesothelioma cell, accounting for between 7 to 20 percent of cases. It is also the most of aggressive of the three mesothelial cells. These cells typically are spindle-shaped and long, and when clumped together they a create fibrous pattern that is often wrongly mistaken for a histiocytoma tumor cell. Physicians have a difficult time diagnosing this cell because it looks similar to other malignant and benign tumors and cell tissues. This type of cell is the most aggressive of mesothelial cells and prognosis for survival is typically slim because not that many treatment options exist to treat and eliminate the sarcomatoid cancer cell. Diagnosis is also made more difficult because there are three variants of the sarcomatoidmesothelial cell: the transitional mesothelioma sarcomatoid cell, the lymphohistiocytoid mesothelioma sarcomatoid cell and the desmoplastic mesothelioma sarcomatoid cell.

Biphasic Mesothelial Cell

The malignant biphasic mesothelial cell accounts for between 20 to 35 percent of all malignant mesothelioma cases. This cell is typically referred to as a “mixed cell type” because its composition can include cells from both the sarcomatoid and epithelial cells. The fact that other cell types can be contained within an biphasic cell tissue sample causes complications with cell type diagnosis. As a result a substantial part of biphasic cell diagnosis involves ruling out other types of cancers cells in the tissue sample in order to determine if the cell is indeed biphasic in nature. The complication with using tissue samples for biopsy has resulted in alternative techniques such as surgery being used to determine whether biphasic cells are present.
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