If mesothelioma spreads

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
  • opposite lung
  • thin muscle below the lungs and heart (diaphragm)
  • lymph nodes of the chest
  • liver
  • kidneys and adrenal glands
  • bones

Peritoneal mesothelioma

If peritoneal mesothelioma spreads, it can spread to:

  • the tissue covering the small intestine and colon
  • the space between the lungs and the walls of the chest
  • the liver
  • the spleen
  • other organs in the abdomen

Peritoneal mesothelioma rarely spreads outside of the abdomen.

Expert review and references

  • American Cancer Society. Malignant mesothelioma. 2016.
  • Deraco M, Elias DM, Glehen O, Helm CW, Sugarbaker PH, Verwaal VJ . Peritoneal metastases and peritoneal mesothelioma. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, & Rosenberg SA. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015: 115: 1761-1769.
  • Giaccone G, Thomas A, Rajan A . Mesotheliomas. Raghavan D, Blanke CD, Honson DH, et al (eds.). Textbook of Uncommon Cancer. 4th ed. Wiley Blackwell; 2012: 22: 319-334.
  • Pass HI, Carbone M, King LM, Rosenzweig KE . Benign and malignant mesothelioma. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, & Rosenberg SA. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015: 114: 1738-1760.
  • Stahel RA, Weder W, Lievens Y, Felip E . Malignant pleural mesothelioma: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology. 2010.