Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma cancer develops in the lining of the lungs (pleura) 10-50 years after exposure to asbestos. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and a cough. Pleural mesothelioma patients live for 12-21 months on average, but with the right treatments, you may become a long-term survivor. See if Lung Cancer Group can help you find and afford pleural mesothelioma treatment.

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Written and Fact-Checked by: Lung Cancer Group

Last updated: March 18, 2025

Top Topics:

Symptoms
Prognosis
Treatment
Compensation Options

What Is Pleural Mesothelioma?

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that forms in the lung lining after exposure to asbestos fibers.

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of this cancer. Over 75% of patients have this type of mesothelioma, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Quick Facts About Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

This cancer develops when asbestos fibers get trapped in the lung lining.
There are four stages of this cancer — stage 1 is the easiest to treat while stage 4 is the hardest.
The average lifespan for is 12-21 months, but some patients may live for many years with treatment.
Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.
Pleural mesothelioma attorneys can potentially secure $1 million+ for you or a loved one.

Life after a pleural mesothelioma diagnosis can be uncertain and scary, but Lung Cancer Group is here to help. Work with our on-staff mesothelioma nurses to explore top doctors, treatments, and financial compensation.

Pleural Mesothelioma vs. Lung Cancer

Pleural mesothelioma is sometimes mistaken for a type of lung cancer, but they aren’t the same disease.

Differences between mesothelioma and lung cancer include:

Where they form: Lung cancer forms within the lung, but pleural mesothelioma starts in the lining around the lungs.
Number of cases: Pleural mesothelioma is a very rare cancer, with only a few thousand cases per year. In contrast, the American Cancer Society (ACS) projected over 226,000 lung cancer cases for 2025 alone.
Causes: Mesothelioma is only caused by asbestos. Lung cancer is commonly caused by smoking, but asbestos and other toxins may also be to blame.
Treatments: Both mesothelioma and lung cancer require unique treatment plans. You can’t both the same way.

Call (877) 446-5767 to see if we can help you explore compensation and treatments for mesothelioma and lung cancer. Our team is standing by right now.

Pleural Mesothelioma Causes

The only known cause of pleural mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a highly durable, fiber-like carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) that was once used to make thousands of different products.

You could still be at risk of pleural mesothelioma today if you were exposed to asbestos long ago as it takes decades for this cancer to develop.

Here’s how asbestos causes pleural mesothelioma:

You are exposed to asbestos-containing products and breathe in stray fibers.
The asbestos fibers get trapped in the lining of your lungs.
The fibers cause damage, and after 10-50 years, mesothelioma tumors form.

“If there’s no asbestos, there’s no mesothelioma, it’s that simple. If you have mesothelioma, and you say, ‘Well, I’ve never been exposed to asbestos,’ you were exposed to it. You just don’t know where and you don’t know when.”

— Dr. Raja Flores, Mount Sinai Medical Center

Risk Factors for Pleural Mesothelioma

Anyone with a history of asbestos exposure could develop malignant pleural mesothelioma later in life. However, there are a couple of factors that increase your chances.

One of the most notable factors is working with asbestos products in high-risk occupations like construction, military service, and shipbuilding. You or a loved one may have been exposed regularly as a result.

“We knew asbestos was in things, but we didn’t know it was dangerous.”

— Dennis, Automotive Worker With Mesothelioma

Other risk factors for pleural mesothelioma include:

Age: 72 is the average age for a diagnosis of mesothelioma
Gender: Mesothelioma is more common in men
Race: Most people who develop pleural mesothelioma are white

Family members could also be at risk due to secondhand exposure, which could have occurred when those who worked with asbestos brought stray fibers into the home on their clothing, skin, or hair.

Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms

Patients with pleural mesothelioma may suffer from chest and lung-related symptoms that worsen as the cancer spreads. One of the most notable symptoms of mesothelioma is pleural effusion, fluid buildup in the lung lining.

Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include:

Chest pain
Difficulty swallowing
Fatigue
Fever
Hoarseness
New and unusual lumps under the skin
Night sweats
Painful and persistent coughing
Pleural plaques (chalky protein buildup in lung lining)
Pleural thickening (scarring of lung lining)
Shortness of breath
Unexplained weight loss

“If you feel like you’re not getting better and the symptoms are something new for you, it’s certainly best to encourage your doctor to proceed with more testing.”

— Amy Fair, Mesothelioma Nurse

Connect with our skilled nurses and patient advocates now if you have any symptoms listed above and are worried about pleural mesothelioma. We may be able to assist you.

How Is Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosed?

To diagnose pleural mesothelioma, doctors typically start with a physical exam and a review of your health history. Tell your doctor if you or a loved one was ever exposed to asbestos during this review.

Doctors may then order different tests to see if you have mesothelioma, like:

Blood tests to detect biomarkers, which are substances in the blood indicating that you might have cancer.
Imaging tests such as chest X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to detect signs of cancer, including pleural effusions and possibly cancerous tumors.
Biopsies, which involve taking fluid or tissue samples and testing them for cancer tumors.

While imaging tests can show signs of cancer, a biopsy is the only way to confirm that a person has pleural mesothelioma.

Stages of Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

There are four stages of pleural mesothelioma. Which stage you are diagnosed with will have a big impact on the treatments you receive and your life expectancy. Learn about pleural mesothelioma stages below.

Stage 1 Pleural Mesothelioma

In stage 1 pleural mesothelioma, the cancer is in the lung lining but has not spread past it. Patients are often treated with surgery and can live 21 months on average, according to a Frontiers in Oncology report.

Stage 2 Pleural Mesothelioma

In stage 2 pleural mesothelioma, the cancer has started to spread into a lung or the diaphragm (muscle that helps with breathing). Many treatments are still available, and the life expectancy is around 19 months with surgery.

Stage 3 Pleural Mesothelioma

The cancer has spread through the chest and possibly into lymph nodes, which could allow it to reach parts of the body that are further away. Surgery may or may not be an option for stage 3 pleural mesothelioma. If it is, the average life expectancy is 16 months.

Stage 4 Pleural Mesothelioma

This is the final stage and metastasis (spread to distant parts of the body) has occurred. The cancer could reach the liver, both lungs, bones, or brain. The life expectancy is 12 months due to limited treatments, but some stage 4 mesothelioma patients could become long-term survivors.

Get in touch with a mesothelioma nurse now for help finding top treatments for any stage of this cancer.

Pleural Mesothelioma Cell Types

Mesothelioma tumors can be made up of different types of cells. Which mesothelioma cell type you have can greatly impact your overall prognosis, as some are easier to treat than others.

The three mesothelioma cell types are:

Epithelioid (or epithelial) is the most common cell type. These rectangle-shaped cells don’t spread as quickly as the other types of mesothelioma cells, so they’re easier to treat.
Sarcomatoid is the rarest mesothelioma cell type. These spindle-shaped cells can easily spread to other parts of the body, so they don’t respond as well to treatments. Patients with this type have the worst health outlook.
Biphasic describes when a mesothelioma tumor has both epithelioid and sarcomatoid cells. It’s the second most common cell type. Patients typically live longer if there are more epithelial cells present.

Doctors can determine which cell type is present at the time of diagnosis, ensuring you get the most appropriate treatments.

“Our pathology department is very, very good and very, very experienced. And so what we see with them is a very consistent set of reporting, really looking for the histology (cell type) and the grade of the histology, which will give us a lot of information about operability, but also prognosis.”

— Dr. James Pingpank, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Doctors can use different pleural mesothelioma treatments in order to help you live longer and improve your quality of life. Many specialists often take a multimodal approach in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, using several therapies together.

Learn about the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma below.

Pleural Mesothelioma Surgery

Doctors typically recommend one of two main surgeries if you or a loved one has early-stage pleural mesothelioma cancer.

These pleural mesothelioma surgeries are:

Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP): Doctors remove all cancer tumors they can see, along with the lung nearest to the cancer and the lung lining. It’s an intense surgery, but patients who get an EPP and other treatments live for 35.6 months on average.
Pleurectomy with decortication (P/D): Doctors take out the cancer tumors and the lung lining, but both lungs are spared. This allows the patient to recover with fewer complications compared to an EPP. Patients typically live for 34 months after a P/D.

“Historically, the mesothelioma patients who have had the longest survivals are those who have been able to undergo chemotherapy and surgery.”

— Dr. Taylor Ripley, Baylor College of Medicine

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (cancer-killing medication) can be used by itself or with other treatments to help pleural mesothelioma patients live longer. Patients lived for nearly 16 months with just chemotherapy in a Translational Lung Cancer Research report.

The most commonly used chemotherapy drugs for pleural mesothelioma are pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin.

Radiation Therapy

Through mesothelioma radiation therapy, doctors use beams of high-powered X-rays to damage cancer cells so they can’t spread.

Pleural mesothelioma patients treated with radiotherapy lived for 12.2 months on average, according to a 2022 review of the National Cancer Database.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy boosts the immune system to fight cancer. Pleural mesothelioma patients treated with immunotherapy typically live for over 18 months based on an OncLive report.

Types of immunotherapy techniques include checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, CAR T-Cell therapy, cancer vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies.

TTFields

Tumor treating fields (TTFields) use electric pads that stick to the chest to stop cancer cells from spreading. The electricity doesn’t hurt the patient.

Pleural mesothelioma patients treated with TTFields and chemotherapy lived for more than 18 months in a study published by the Annals of Oncology. Patients treated with TTFields must also receive chemotherapy.

Clinical Trials

You may be able to receive new and possibly more effective malignant pleural mesothelioma treatments by joining a clinical trial. These trials safely study upcoming therapies that could help you live longer.

New mesothelioma treatments being tested in trials include:

Cryotherapy: Using extreme cold to freeze cancer tumors and destroy cells
Photodynamic therapy: Using light-activated medication to kill cancer
Targeted therapy: Using medications that target specific molecules in cancer cells to kill them

Connect with one of our mesothelioma nurses for help finding top cancer treatments and joining a clinical trial.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is pain-relieving treatment and may include medications, minor surgeries, and more.

Palliative treatment can be administered by a hospital or in a hospice care setting. It may be used to supplement aggressive treatments or as the main type of therapy if the cancer is advanced.

Pleural Mesothelioma Prognosis

A prognosis is the expected health outlook after a diagnosis. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer and the average prognosis isn’t favorable, but you may be able to live for many years.

Factors that affect a pleural mesothelioma prognosis include:

How far the cancer has spread (cancer stage) before starting treatment
The type of cell(s) that make up your cancer tumors
Which treatments you receive and how your cancer responds
Your age and overall health

“A misconception that I see routinely is patients assume when they have the disease, they can’t survive — even though many of our patients are walking around living relatively normal lives.”

— Dr. Taylor Ripley, Baylor College of Medicine

Doctors measure mesothelioma prognosis with two main statistics: life expectancy and survival rate. Learn more about each below.

Pleural Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Life expectancy measures how long patients live after diagnosis. The average pleural mesothelioma life expectancy is 12-21 months, but some patients have lived for 20 years or more after being diagnosed.

Treatments like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery allow doctors to destroy mesothelioma tumors, giving you a better chance of living longer.

Pleural Mesothelioma Survival Rate

Survival rate measures the number of patients still alive after a certain amount of time has passed.

According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year malignant pleural mesothelioma survival rate is 12%. But, you may be able to live longer depending on your diagnosis and the treatments you receive.

Top Hospitals Treating Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

As you seek out medical care, make sure to find a hospital that has doctors on staff who specifically treat pleural mesothelioma. Fortunately, there are hospitals across the country that can help you and other patients.

Top pleural mesothelioma treatment centers include:

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX: This hospital has been nationally recognized by the National Cancer Institute. Its Mesothelioma Treatment Center is led by some of the top mesothelioma experts in the nation.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA: This facility runs the International Mesothelioma Program, which has been treating this cancer since 2002 and helps hundreds of patients every year.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA: Home to the Mesothelioma Specialty Care Program, this hospital offers standard treatment options and clinical trials.

These are just a few of many cancer centers that offer expert care for pleural mesothelioma cancer.

Pleural Mesothelioma Doctors

Pleural mesothelioma doctors across the country specialize in different treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery that can help you or a loved one live longer.

Top pleural mesothelioma doctors include:

Dr. Raphael Bueno is a thoracic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience, and he leads the mesothelioma treatment team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Raja Flores is a highly sought-after mesothelioma and thoracic oncology expert with over 25 years of experience. He is the Chairman for the Department of Thoracic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center based in New York.
Dr. Taylor Ripley is a mesothelioma specialist who leads the Mesothelioma Treatment Center at Baylor College of Medicine. He has treated pleural mesothelioma for over 15 years.
Dr. Anne Tsao is a surgeon leading the Mesothelioma Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. She has decades of experience treating pleural mesothelioma.

Speak with a nurse now for help finding top pleural mesothelioma doctors near you.

Pleural Mesothelioma Survivor Stories

Though pleural mesothelioma is aggressive, long-term survival may be possible with the right medical care. Hear about pleural mesothelioma survivors who have gone on to live for many years or even decades after being diagnosed.

John Panza, Diagnosed 2012

John Panza was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma when he was just 38 years old. After multiple treatments, John achieved remission (where cancer signs and symptoms disappear).

When the cancer came back in 2019, John was successfully treated with chemotherapy. He’s currently nearing 15 years of survivorship.

“I was sad. Then I was pissed. Then I was resolved to beat it. Then I realized that nobody ever really beats it, but that I’d fight it.”

- John Panza

John Stahl, Diagnosed 2019

John Stahl was diagnosed with stage 4 pleural mesothelioma in 2019 after working with asbestos products for decades as a construction worker.

While his prognosis was grim, John underwent chemotherapy to help him live longer. Today, he is still alive and has resumed an active lifestyle.

“It’s going to end my life eventually, but I’m going to live it as well as I can.”

- John Stahl

Sissy Hoffman, Diagnosed 1996

Sissy was given just 6 months to live when she was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma cancer. However, after undergoing an EPP, Sissy achieved long-term survival.

She passed away in January 2025, nearly 30 years after her initial diagnosis.

“I feel as though I have to tell my story – people need to know that there is help available and that they can get through this.”

- Sissy Hoffman

Compensation Options for Pleural Mesothelioma Patients

A pleural mesothelioma diagnosis can be very expensive, even if you have insurance. However, you and your loved ones may be able to seek financial compensation after a diagnosis to help cover costs.

Compensation options for pleural mesothelioma include:

Mesothelioma lawsuits, which are filed against manufacturers of asbestos-containing products. The average payout from these lawsuits is around $1 million, with some awarding much more.
Asbestos trust fund claims allow victims to seek compensation through trusts that have been set up by bankrupt asbestos companies. The trusts contain more than $30 billion collectively, allowing you to file a claim without going to court.
VA benefits award U.S. veterans with mesothelioma monthly disability payments worth over $4,000 a month in many cases. Veterans can also get free or discounted medical care through VA health care benefits.

Our partner asbestos lawyers can help you or a loved one pursue different types of pleural mesothelioma compensation if eligible. They’ll do all the work for you, allowing you to focus on recovering and spending time with family.

Call (877) 446-5767 now to find out if you’re eligible for pleural mesothelioma compensation.

Find Help for Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

The entire team at Lung Cancer Group understands how a pleural mesothelioma diagnosis can change your life and the lives of your loved ones.

To that end, we will walk with you as you fight pleural mesothelioma and provide top resources to ease stress.

Our mesothelioma nurses can help you:

Connect with top cancer doctors and hospitals
Find the most effective treatments for your case
Join clinical trials, if eligible
Understand your financial compensation options

Contact our mesothelioma nurses today to get help exploring all of the medical and financial options that are available after a diagnosis. There are no upfront costs to talk with us.

We’re committed to helping those with pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases in any way we can.

Pleural Mesothelioma FAQs

What is the life expectancy of a person with pleural mesothelioma?

The average life expectancy for pleural mesothelioma cancer is 12-21 months, but you might be able to live for many years with aggressive treatments.

For example, John Panza has survived for nearly 15 years with pleural mesothelioma thanks to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Who is the longest survivor of pleural mesothelioma?

Sissy Hoffman is considered one of the longest-living pleural mesothelioma survivors. Diagnosed in 1996 and given just 6 months or less to live, she survived for nearly 30 years until her death in January 2025.

Paul Kraus is another long-living mesothelioma survivor. He was diagnosed with advanced peritoneal mesothelioma in 1997 and is still alive today.

What is the difference between pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma?

Pleural mesothelioma forms in the lining of the lungs (pleura) and makes up more than 75% of all mesothelioma cases. Peritoneal mesothelioma is less common, accounting for 10-15% of diagnoses. It develops in the abdominal lining (peritoneum).

Surgery and heated chemotherapy allow peritoneal mesothelioma patients to live for over 4 years on average. With surgery, chemotherapy, and other treatments, pleural mesothelioma patients typically live for 12-21 months.

Call (877) 446-5767 to get help exploring medical and financial options for pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma right now.

What is the survival rate for pleural mesothelioma?

The overall 5-year survival rate of pleural mesothelioma cancer is 12%. This means that 12% of patients are still living 5 years after a diagnosis.

You may be among those who live 5 years or more if you get treatment. Some pleural mesothelioma patients have lived over 20 years depending on how their cancers respond to treatments like surgery.

Is pleural mesothelioma curable?

There is no cure for pleural mesothelioma cancer yet, but treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and more may help you live longer.

“Now we know for lung cancer, if you catch it early, it’s curable,” Dr. Raja Flores of Mount Sinai Hospital said in a recent interview. “Now for mesothelioma, I’m not going to say the word curable, but if you catch it early, you can spare more lung and you can have patients that are living 10-15 years later.”

Contact us now for help finding top mesothelioma doctors who can administer treatments to potentially improve your survival time.

What is the end stage of pleural mesothelioma?

Stage 4 is considered to be the end stage of pleural mesothelioma since the cancer has spread out of the lung lining and into the bones, brain, or other body parts.

With that said, you could live for many years with stage 4 pleural mesothelioma if you get treated. John Stahl is still living an active life after being diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma in 2019.

Are pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer the same?

Pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer are two different types of cancer.

Symptoms may be similar, like shortness of breath and a persistent cough. However, the cancers form and spread in different ways, and as a result, both are treated differently.

Call (877) 446-5767 for help pursuing compensation for lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma.