Malignant Mesothelioma Of Pleura Research Articles

HBME-1 and antithrombomodulin in the differential diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of pleura.

AIMS: To determine the usefulness of antibodies HBME-1 and antithrombomodulin in the differential diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of the pleura. METHODS: Using microwave antigen retrieval and streptavidin-biotin complex horseradish peroxidase...

TRANSTHORACIC FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY IN DIAGNOSING NON-RESOLVING PNEUMONIAS – A STUDY OF 170 CASES

Role of transthoracic fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing 170 patients of non-resolving pneumonias was studied. There were 117 males and 35 females in the age range of 3 to 72 years. The neoplastic lesions diagnosed by FNAC included 51 primary lung cancers, 6 metastatic deposits, 1 malignant mesothelioma of pleura, 1 Hodgkin's disease and 4 thymomas. Benign lesions included 56 pneumonias and abscesses of bacterial and chemical origin, 35 pulmonary tuberculosis, 2 fungal granulomas and 1 sarcoid granuloma. Aspiration cytology was inconclusive in 13 cases. The sensitivity of FNAC was 95.5 per cent in diagnosing malignant lesions accurately while the accuracy of cytological characterization was 95.3 per cent There were no false positive reports. FNAC also helped in diagnosing sputum-negative pulmonary tuberculosis. Minor complications like syncopal attacks and haemoptysis of less than 5 mL occurred in 8.2 per cent of patient.

Could development of malignant mesothelioma be induced by Yersinia enterocolitica infection?

Two out of 458 hospitalized patients with Yersinia enterocolitica infection developed malignant mesothelioma of pleura viz. pericard; both died after a few months. Malignant mesothelioma of the pleura is commonly related to asbestos exposure, whereas pericardiac mesothelioma is an extremely uncommon neoplasm. The possible promotion of malignant mesothelioma by the Yersinia enterocolitica infection should not be disregarded, as the infection may launch chronic immunological reactions resembling those observed among asbestos workers.

A Case of Malignant Mesothelioma of Pleura Associated with Hypoglycemia

A Case of Malignant Mesothelioma of Pleura Associated with Hypoglycemia

Phase-II study with the combination of cisplatin and doxorubicin in advanced malignant mesothelioma of the pleura.

The effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cisplatin was studied in patients with advanced malignant pleuramesothelioma. 19 patients were treated intravenously with cisplatin 60 mg/m2/day on days 1 and 2, and with adriamycin 40 mg/m2 on day 3 every 4 weeks. 8/19 patients (46%) responded to chemotherapy; 2 achieved complete remissions (CR), and 6 went into partial remissions (PR). Median duration of response was 222 days. Median survival time of all patients was 370 days compared to a median survival of 273 days in a historical control group consisting of 30 patients treated by surgery only. Substantial toxicity was observed, mainly gastrointestinal. We conclude that the combination of cisplatin and adriamycin is effective in malignant pleuramesothelioma. However, the duration of treatment is limited by gastrointestinal toxicity.

Epidemiological and quantitative relationships between mesothelioma and asbestos on Tyneside.

Thirty-five necropsied cases of diffuse malignant mesothelioma of pleura and six cases of mesothelioma of peritoneum are reported. Occupational histories from 40 cases showed that 32 cases (80%) were definitely exposed to asbestos; six cases (15%) were probably exposed and two (5%) had no known exposure. The mean latent interval was 34 years. Occupational histories of 56 control patients matched in pairs for age and sex with 28 of the mesothelioma cases revealed definite exposure to asbestos in 12 controls (21%), probable exposure in 11 (20%), and no evidence of exposure in 33 (59%). The difference in incidence of exposure between mesotheliomas and controls is statistically highly significant. Six-micron histological sections of lung, available in 39 mesothelioma cases, contained coated asbestos fibres in 36 cases (92%). Sixteen cases of mesothelioma showing fibres were free of asbestosis; asbestosis was slight in 14 cases, moderately severe in five cases, and severe in one case. The incidence of asbestos bodies in sections from mesothelioma cases was significantly higher than in a previously reported series of routine necropsies examined by lung smear. Counts of coated and uncoated asbestos fibres were performed on samples of lung tissue from 33 mesothelioma cases. No fibres were identified in one case and only occasional coated fibres in a second case. The remainder gave counts ranging from 154 thousand to 684 million fibres per gram dry weight. Uncoated fibres were invariably present and usually comprised 50 to 80% of the count. No relationship was found between total fibre count and the latent period of the mesothelioma. Fibre counts were also performed on lung samples from 18 smear-positive and 30 smear-negative routine necropsies. Cases with numerous coated fibres in the smear gave total fibre counts similar to those of mesothelioma cases without asbestosis. Routine cases with only one fibre in the smear usually yielded only occasional fibres on analysis. Coated and uncoated fibres were found in 13 out of 30 smear-negative cases, indicating a true incidence of 56% of exposure to asbestos in the whole necropsy series. When compared with the mesothelioma series the difference in incidence of fibres remains statistically significant. The data suggest that, on Tyneside, exposure to asbestos sufficient to cause an appreciable risk of developing mesothelioma has usually occurred through occupational exposure rather than by general environmental pollution by asbestos.