Mesothelioma, which is sometimes called malignant mesothelioma, is a fast-growing and deadly form of cancer. There are mesothelioma treatments. But for many people with mesothelioma, there is no cure.

Your treatment for mesothelioma depends on your health and certain aspects of your cancer, such as its stage and where it is. Mesothelioma often spreads quickly. For most people, there is no cure. Healthcare professionals most often diagnose mesothelioma past the point where surgery can remove it.

Tsao AS, et al. Current and future management of malignant mesothelioma: A consensus report from the National Cancer Institute Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2018;13:1655.

Mayo Clinic doctors have the latest in medical technology to help them diagnose and treat mesothelioma. Advanced diagnostic tests help doctors diagnose and monitor mesothelioma. Advances in surgical techniques help surgeons remove as much cancer as possible to relieve mesothelioma symptoms.

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an innovative testing strategy for mesothelioma that could potentially increase the detection rate of cancer DNA in the blood. This approach focuses on shuffled or swapped sections of DNA in mesothelioma cancer cells, called chromosomal rearrangements.

The most common treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy, but a combination of different therapies can be used. Research investigating possible new treatment options is underway. The most significant risk factor for developing mesothelioma is asbestos exposure.

See a list of publications about mesothelioma by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Mayo Clinic experts use multidisciplinary medicine to provide cutting-edge care to people with the two main types of mesothelioma — pleural and peritoneal.

Now, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine researchers may have discovered a genomic signature to predict which people with mesothelioma could benefit from immunotherapy.

Tsao AS, et al. Current and future management of malignant mesothelioma: A consensus report from the National Cancer Institute Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2018;13:1655.