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Mesothelioma
Treatment
Articles
and Abstracts
Malignant
pleural mesothelioma presenting as
spontaneous pneumothorax: a case series
and review
Am
J Ind Med 2000 Aug;38(2):219-23
Alkhuja
S, Miller A, Mastellone AJ, Markowitz
S
Division
of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of
Medicine, Catholic Medical Center of
Brooklyn and Queens, Jamaica, NY, USA.
salkuja@aol.com
BACKGROUND:
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is
thought to arise from the mesothelial
cells that line the pleural cavities. Most
patients initially experience the
insidious onset of chest pain or shortness
of breath, and it rarely presents as
spontaneous pneumothorax. CASE REPORTS: We
report four patients who presented in this
manner. Three of the patients were exposed
to asbestos directly or indirectly at
shipyards during World War II; the fourth
was exposed as an insulator's wife. Two of
our cases were not recognized to have MPM
on histologic examination at first
thoracotomy and remained asymptomatic for
12 and 22 months, respectively. In none of
the patients described herein, was
spontaneous pneumothorax the cause of
death. CONCLUSIONS: Since many people were
exposed to asbestos during and after World
War II, spontaneous pneumothorax in a
patient with the possibility of such
exposure should raise the suspicion of
malignant pleural mesothelioma. Copyright
2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PMID:
10893511, UI: 20353678
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