Myxoid variant of sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma

Abstract

Pleural mesothelioma is a malignant, aggressively growing tumor that occurs during the transformation of mesothelial cells. The incidence of pleural mesothelioma varies significantly from 8 cases per 100,000 population in England to 3.1 — in Australia, 1 — in the USA, Spain, and Poland. PM frequency has been increasing in recent years in Russia, Western Europe, China, and India. Diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma includes history taking, physical examination, computed tomography or MRI (diagnosis of PM cannot be made on conventional radiographs), then thoracoscopy with biopsy is desirable. Differential diagnosis is made between metastases in the pleura of different primary tumors (lung, colon, ovary, breast, etc., as well as synovial sarcoma). The diagnosis of PM can be considered 100 % proven only after immunohistochemistry (IHC). When establishing the operable stage, the question of surgical treatment is decided. If it is impossible to perform surgery, chemotherapy is used.