If mesothelioma spreads

Last medical review:

Cancer cells can spread from the mesothelium to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care.

Pleural mesothelioma

If pleural mesothelioma spreads, it can spread to the:

  • space in the chest between the lungs (mediastinum)
  • esophagus
  • thymus
  • windpipe (trachea)
  • muscles and ribs of the chest
  • heart
  • other lung
  • thin muscle below the lungs and heart (diaphragm)
  • lymph nodes in the chest
  • liver
  • spinal cord
  • bones, including the bones of the spine (vertebrae)

Peritoneal mesothelioma

Peritoneal mesothelioma rarely spreads outside the abdomen. In the abdomen, it can spread to:

  • the small intestine
  • the large intestine
  • the liver
  • the spleen
  • other organs in the abdomen

Expert review and references

  • John Cho, MD, PhD, FRCPC
  • American Cancer Society. Malignant Mesothelioma. 2018. https://www.cancer.org/.
  • Pass H, Carbone M, Tsao A, Rosenzweig Z. Benign and Malignant Mesothelioma. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg S. eds. DeVita Hellman and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2023: Kindle version, [chapter 76], https://read.amazon.ca/?asin=B0BG3DPT4Q&language=en-CA.
  • Nowak AK, Edwards JG, Creaney J. Mesothelioma. Raghavan D, Ahluwalia MS, Blanke CD, et al, eds.. Textbook of Uncommon Cancer. 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2017: Kindle version (chapter 16) https://read.amazon.ca/?asin=B06XKD44V3&_encoding=UTF8&ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_pbcb_rnvc00.

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