Diffuse Mesotheliomas

Our plain-English summary of Diffuse Mesotheliomas, by H.C. Hinshaw, L.H. Garland (1956).

The study

• Authors: H.C. Hinshaw, L.H. Garland
• Published: Diseases Of The Chest, Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, P. 551 (1956)
• Type of article: Book excerpt
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library, J-M no. 001844.

In plain English

This is a short section titled "Diffuse Mesotheliomas" from the medical textbook Diseases of the Chest; the citation gives its publication year as 1956. It is not a research study. It reports no patients, no counts and no statistics, and the page supplied does not mention asbestos or any other cause. They wrote that some pathologists regard many tumors reported as pleural as actually coming from the lung, and that many "pleural endotheliomas" are now thought to be bronchogenic. Under the microscope, they wrote, true pleural mesotheliomas can show whorls of cells like a meningioma. The authors described fluid around the lung (effusion) as the main clinical sign. They wrote that diagnosis on clinical and X-ray grounds is rarely, if ever, possible, and that thoracotomy with biopsy is the procedure of choice. They recommended removal if possible and otherwise radiotherapy. The authors wrote that these tumors are rarely recognized at a curable stage, and suggested this might change if pleural effusions were explored more often.

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: Textbook chapter section (clinical description, not an original study)
• Main results:
  • The authors wrote that many tumors in the pleural space reported as pleural in origin are regarded by some pathologists as being of lung origin, and that many "pleural endotheliomas" are now thought to be bronchogenic.
  • The authors described the characteristic microscopic feature of true pleural mesotheliomas as whorls of cells resembling a meningioma.
  • The authors described effusion as the principal clinical sign of pleural tumors.
  • The authors wrote that diagnosis of primary pleural tumors is rarely, if ever, possible from clinical and X-ray findings, and that thoracotomy with biopsy is the procedure of choice.
  • The authors described treatment as removal if possible and otherwise radiotherapy.
  • The authors wrote that localized mesotheliomas may be predecessors of the diffuse type.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors wrote that pleural tumors are rarely recognized at a curable stage, suggested this might not be so if pleural effusions were explored more frequently, and stated that some pleural tumors are resectable.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Bronchogenic Carcinoma, Pleural Mesothelioma, Thoracotomy, Biopsy, Pleural Effusion.

Browse return to medical research.