Mesothelioma: Trends Based on Mesothelioma Type

The three primary types of mesothelioma are pleural (cancer of the covering of the lung), peritoneal (cancer of the abdomen), and pericardial (cancer of lining/surrounding the heart). Pleural mesothelioma makes up between 67 and 75 percent of mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma makes up between 25 and 33 percent of all mesothelioma cases, and pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form making up less than 10 percent of all mesothelioma cases. According to CDC statistical data, the number of deaths from pleural mesothelioma was 1,572 and the number of deaths from peritoneal mesothelioma was 659 during the period of 1999 through 2005. There were over 2,000 deaths from all other types of mesothelioma at other anatomical sites during the same period.