What is the rarest form of mesothelioma?
What is the rarest form of mesothelioma?
Testicular Mesothelioma This form of mesothelioma is the rarest. Less than 100 cases are reported in the medical literature, making up less than 1% of all mesothelioma cases.
How common is benign mesothelioma?
Benign mesothelioma is very rare, and makes up less than 10% of all mesothelioma cases in the United States. Unlike malignant mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by asbestos exposure, the causes of benign mesothelioma are unknown, and there are no known methods for preventing the benign tumors.
What causes mesothelioma other than asbestos?
Although asbestos is the major risk factor for developing mesothelioma, asbestos exposure alone does not account for every affected individual. Causes of non-asbestos related mesothelioma have been suggested. A volcanic mineral, known as erionite, can also cause mesothelioma.
What causes benign mesothelioma?
Benign mesothelioma mostly affects women, whereas malignant mesothelioma primarily affects men. Malignant mesothelioma is linked to asbestos, but the cause of benign mesothelioma is unknown. There is not an established relationship between benign mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos.
Is mesothelioma always malignant?
Unlike asbestos-related cancers, including malignant mesothelioma, the benign form is not cancerous and not the result of asbestos exposure. Whereas the malignant type tends to surface 20-50 years after asbestos exposure, benign mesothelioma can occur at any age.
How is podoplanin expressed in malignant mesothelioma cells?
Malignant mesothelioma cells show high expressions of podoplanin. In contrast, podoplanin is not expressed at all in adenocarcinomas of the lung and breast. This makes the protein an important marker in preventing mesothelioma misdiagnosis.
What is podoplanin and what is it used for?
The exact function of podoplanin is unknown in most of these tissues. Research shows podoplanin plays a role in forming connections between the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems.
What does a pathologist test for in mesothelioma?
Pathologists typically test for several proteins that occur in mesothelioma cells. They also apply other antibodies to check for proteins that are positive markers for other types of cancer, but not mesothelioma.
