Despite an outsized reputation fueled by late-night commercials from personal injury lawyers, mesothelioma is a rare disease. There are approximately 3000 new diagnoses every year in the United States.1
Malignant mesothelioma is a highly malignant disease that most often occurs in the pleura of the thoracic cavity. The disease also affects the peritoneum, pericardium, or tinea vaginalis testis. Although mesothelioma is often mistaken for lung disease, it affects the serous membranes lining the lungs rather than the organs themselves.2
“Malignant pleural mesothelioma is notable to be distinct from lung cancer although it does many times affect lung function as it can encase the lungs,” said Roger Y. Kim, MD, a clinical fellow with the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.
The American Cancer Society reported that incidence grew from the 1970s through the 1990s but has declined slightly since investigators identified asbestos exposure as the primary cause of mesothelioma. The last United States asbestos mine closed in 2002. However, the United States Geological Survey reported in its 2020 Minerals Yearbook that the United States imported 305 metric tons of asbestos that year, up from 172 metric tons in 2019.3
The prognosis is poor for these patients. The 5-year relative survival for those diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease, from 2010 to 2016 was just 10% overall.4
“For most patients with pleural...
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