Benign localized mesothelioma of the pleura

Our plain-English summary of Benign localized mesothelioma of the pleura, by J.P. Janssen, S.S. Wagenaar, J.M. van den Bosch, et al (Histopathology, 1985).

The study

• Authors: J.P. Janssen, S.S. Wagenaar, J.M. van den Bosch, R.G. Vanderschueren, H.T. Planteydt
• Journal: Histopathology
• Published: 1985;9(3):309-13
• Cited by: 9 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Eleven cases of benign localized mesotheliomas of the pleura are described. Ten patients were asymptomatic and discovered by routine X-rays. In eight cases the tumour was localized in the visceral pleura and all tumours showed only a benign mesenchymal component. Non-neoplastic epithelial structures can become entrapped within the tumour. A benign clinical behaviour and an excellent prognosis could be expected after surgical resection.

In plain English

This article was a case series of 11 patients with localized tumours of the pleura (the lining of the chest), which the authors called benign localized mesothelioma. The cases were collected at St Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, from 1957 to 1983. There were five women and six men, aged 23 to 69. All tumours were found by chance on chest X-rays. The results section says nine patients had no symptoms, while the abstract says ten. Eight tumours grew from the lining covering the lung, two from the lining of the chest wall, and one from an unknown site. They measured 1.5 to 15 cm. Under the microscope there were no dividing cells and no tissue death, and no tumour component made of epithelial cells was found. Ten patients had the tumour removed and one had a lung lobe removed. Follow-up lasted 7 to 26 years for the women and 2 to 17 years for the men, and no tumour came back. The study did not examine asbestos exposure. The authors concluded these tumours behave benignly and have an excellent prognosis after surgery.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Case series (11 surgically treated cases collected at one hospital, with pathology review)
• Who was studied: 11 patients (five females, six males) aged 23 to 69 years (mean 51.4), with localized primary pleural tumours, collected at St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, from 1957 to 1983
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure was not studied, and no exposure histories were reported for the patients. As general background, the discussion states that diffuse mesothelioma is an occupational disease associated with asbestos exposure, in contrast to the localized primary pleural tumour.
• Main results:
  • All 11 tumours were discovered incidentally on chest X-rays.
  • Nine of the 11 patients were asymptomatic. One had chronic cough and dyspnoea, probably not related to the tumour. One, with the largest tumour, had chest pain, hypertrophic pulmonary arthropathy and digital clubbing.
  • Eight tumours arose from the visceral pleura, two from the parietal pleura, and one from an unknown location. Tumour size ranged from 1.5 to 15 cm.
  • On microscopy, mitotic figures were absent and there was no necrosis or haemorrhage.
  • Trapped alveolar lining cells were commonly seen close to the lung tissue, but no neoplastic epithelial component was demonstrated.
  • Ten patients had complete local excision and one had lobectomy. Follow-up ranged from 7 to 26 years (average 16) for the five females and from 2 to 17 years (average 10) for the six males. No recurrences were found.
  • In the one patient with pulmonary arthropathy and digital clubbing, these symptoms disappeared after the tumour was removed.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, in their experience, these tumours have no tendency to recur and did not metastasize, although they may be locally invasive. They concluded that the tumours have a benign clinical behaviour and an excellent prognosis after surgical resection, for which a wedge resection will often suffice.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Localized Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleura, Visceral Pleura, Prognosis, Surgical Resection.

Related studies

• Localized benign mesothelioma of the pleura: case report and review of the literature — H. Seggewiss, K. Minami, et al. (1986)
• Benign localized fibrous tumor of the pleura: report of 25 new cases — S. Enon, D. Kilic, et al. (2012)
• A case of giant benign localized fibrous tumor of the pleura — M. Biçer, S. Yaldiz, et al. (1998)
• Biochemical characterization of hyaluronic acid from a case of benign, localized, pleural mesothelioma — M. Motomiya, M. Endo, et al. (1975)
• Translocation (2;3)(p21;p26) as the sole anomaly in a benign localized fibrous mesothelioma — F. Mertens, R. Willén, et al. (1996)
• Localized benign pleural mesothelioma arising in a radiation field — J.K. Hill, R.F. Heitmiller, et al. (1997)

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