Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

What is sarcoma?
Sarcoma is a form of cancer that originates in the supportive tissues of the body such as the cartilage, bone, muscle or fat.
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is a rarest type of cancer generated by exposure to abestos. Among all malignant mesothelioma cases, approximately about 10 to 15 percent are sarcomatoid mesothelioma. It is not easy to diagnose sarcomatoid mesothelioma and yet it has been resistant in responding to any type of therapy.
Mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Like all forms of malignant mesothelioma cancer, sarcomatoid mesothelioma is both aggressive and fatal. Death usually takes place within six months of diagnosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is one of the three main sub types of mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal and pericardial) that are categorized in accordance with the appearance of the cell under a microscope. The other two are epithelioid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma. These categories of mesothelioma cells are further able to be divided into other types of cancerous cells called:
Clear cell
Small cell
Acinar cell
Tubopapillary cell
Sarcomatoid cells are usually oval shaped, and more irregular. Besides, sarcomatoid cell nucleus is not as obviously visible if being seen under an electron microscope compared with the nuclei of epithelioid mesothelioma cancer cells. Since the irregular oval shape is usual among cancer cells, sarcomatoid mesothelioma frequently perplexed with sarcoma and with sarcomatoid carcinoma.
Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma versus Sarcomatoid Carcinoma
Due to the sarcomatoid appearance, including sarcomatoid carcinoma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma is easily perplexed with the wide variety of other forms of cancer . Although sarcomatoid cancer is located in other areas of the body, for instance the kidney part, it is reasonably rare in the lung area. Not more than 1.3 percent of lung carcinomas actually are of the sarcomatoid type.
Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma is the type which is most often perplexed with sarcomatoid mesothelioma. Like sarcomatoid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid carcinomas in the lung are much more frequent in men (about four times more frequent than in women). Moreover, there is a convincing association with the smoking habit. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma and pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma also reveal particular symptoms, for instance pain in the chest, pleural effusions and difficulty in breathing.
Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma versus Sarcoma
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma in addition, can be perplexed with high-grade sarcoma. While carcinoma influences the epithelium, sarcoma takes place in the supportive tissue (cartilage, bone, muscle or fat). Once the sarcoma metastize to the pleural surface, it will be hard to distinguish it from sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells and sarcoma cells can possess a comparable look under an electron microscope, and the staining of the tumor cells are able to provide parallel results. Insome cases like these, the pathologist needs to be cautious to contrast the staining of the cells and appearance, along with the whole look (localized versus diffuse pleural-based mass) and regularity of the tumor, when deducing a definitive diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma.
If your loved one or you are diagnosed with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma or high-grade sarcoma in the lungs and you experienced previous exposure to asbestos, it would be better to look for a second thorough evaluation from your current oncology specialist or a physician who has adequate experience in mesothelioma cases.