A mesothelioma is a primary malignant neoplasm
of pleura.
Etiology
- It
occurs in patients with prior exposure to asbestos.
- It
has no correlation with cigarette smoking.
Pathology
- The
neoplasm grows to encase the lung and chest wall and spreads locally.
- Microscopically, the neoplastic cells may
resemble mesenchymal stroma (sarcoma) or appear like epithelial cells.
Clinical Features
- Patients
present with SOB, cough, weight loss and chest pain.
- Pleural
effusion is a common mode of presentation.
- Chest
CT reveals pleural effusion and characteristic encasing of lung with tumor
mass.
- CXR
- CT
- Diagnosis
is difficult with pleural fluid cytology and pleural biopsy.
- Special
stains and an experienced Pathologist are often required for diagnosis.
- The
tumor tends to grow along needle tracks. This is one reason to avoid
repeated thoracentesis.
Therapy
- No
therapy has a proven benefit in prolonging life.
- Patients
usually expire within 1-2 years.
- Extrapleural
pneumonectomy is recommended by some centers.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comments