Medical Oncology

Our medical research library holds 16 studies published in Medical Oncology (2002–2025). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 14 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it. For 2 studies PubMed has no abstract for, we give the abstract printed in the article or, where there is none, a summary we wrote from it, each labeled as such.

About the journal

• Publisher: Springer
• Published: 1994 to the present, United States
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1357-0560 (print), 1559-131X (electronic)
• Continues: Medical Oncology and Tumor Pharmacotherapy
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Diagnosis and treatment of cardiac tumors. T. Imai, T. Shimoi, A. Kawai, et al. 2025;42(4):110. Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Cardiac tumors, though rare, present significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their diverse nature and potential severity. These tumors, which can be primary or metastatic, are often detected incidentally through imaging modalities such as echocardiography or CT scans. Differentiating between benign and malignant forms is crucial for guiding appropriate management strategies. This review synthesizes current diagnostic approaches and treatment modalities for cardiac tumors, with a focus on the role of imaging techniques like UCG, CT, MRI, and PET in tumor characterization. Multidisciplinary treatment plans are necessary, including surgical resection for benign tumors, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for malignant tumors, and novel targeted therapies such as MDM2 inhibitors for selected cases. While primary malignant tumors like sarcomas and mesotheliomas exhibit rapid progression and poor prognosis, recent advances in multimodal therapy offer potential improvements in survival. The incidence of primary cardiac tumors is low, with an autopsy-reported occurrence rate of 0.02%. Benign cardiac tumors, such as myxomas and fibromas, generally have favorable outcomes with surgical resection. In contrast, primary malignant tumors like sarcomas and mesotheliomas exhibit rapid progression and poor prognosis, necessitating aggressive treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Metastatic cardiac tumors occur in approximately 10% of cancer patients at autopsy and are managed according to the treatment plan for the primary malignancy. The management of cardiac tumors requires a multidisciplinary approach tailored to tumor type, location, and systemic effects. While benign tumors often respond well to surgical management, malignant and metastatic tumors demand more complex strategies to optimize patient outcomes.

  © 2025. The Author(s).

• Exploration of the anticancer properties of Caffeic Acid in malignant mesothelioma cells. D. Muratoglu, G. Turhal, B. Demirkan, et al. 2025;42(7):249. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is the most prevalent type of Mesothelioma and currently has no effective treatment options. This underscores the urgent need to explore new therapeutic agents and innovative strategies. Phenolic acids are significant natural compounds recognised for their effectiveness in treating various diseases, including cancer. This study evaluates the anti-carcinogenic properties of Cinnamic acid (CINN) and its derivative Caffeic acid (CA) in both MPM and non-cancerous mesothelial cells. Results show that CA exhibited greater efficiency than CINN in reducing cancer cell survival. This enhanced efficacy is primarily attributed to CA's higher selectivity index and its ability to inhibit proliferation at lower concentrations. Consequently, further analysis was conducted using CA. The subsequent findings revealed that CA suppressed proliferative markers, Ki67 and PCNA, inhibited colony formation and wound healing in MM cells. Experiments also exposed that it suppresses the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT proteins in a concentration-dependent manner, while the phosphorylation of STAT3 remains unaffected. The pattern of protein phosphorylation and expression suppression by CA in 3D cells resembles that in 2D cells, although it occurred at higher concentrations. Additionally, CA significantly enhanced the expression of p53-regulated proteins p21 and p27, resulting in G2/M arrest in both SPC111 and SPC212 cell lines. Moreover, elevated concentrations of CA were associated with an increased number of dead cells, as demonstrated by DAPI/PI and AO/EtBr fluorescence staining. The increased Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio, and BH3-only proteins (Bik and PUMA) and the cleavage of caspase-3 indicated that CA induces mitochondrial apoptosis. Our research with MM cells and three-dimensional micro-tumours suggests that CA may be a promising alternative for future MM therapies. However, it is vital to conduct high-throughput in vivo studies to elucidate further the potential importance of CA in treating this devastating disease.

  © 2025. The Author(s).

• Structure-based multitargeted docking screening, pharmacokinetics, DFT, and dynamics simulation studies reveal mitoglitazone as a potent inhibitor of cellular survival and stress response proteins of lung cancer. A.S. Binshaya, O.S. Alkahtani, F.M. Aldakheel, et al. 2024;41(5):101. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Lung cancer is a disease in which lung cells grow abnormally and uncontrollably, and the cause of it is direct smoking, secondhand smoke, radon, asbestos, and certain chemicals. The worldwide leading cause of death is lung cancer, which is responsible for more than 1.8 million deaths yearly and is expected to rise to 2.2 million by 2030. The most common type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for about 80% and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is more aggressive than NSCLC and is often diagnosed later and accounts for 20% of cases. The global concern for lung cancer demands efficient drugs with the slightest chance of developing resistance, and the idea of multitargeted drug designing came up with the solution. In this study, we have performed multitargeted molecular docking studies of Drug Bank compounds with HTVS, SP and XP algorithms followed by MM\GBSA against the four proteins of lung cancer cellular survival and stress responses, which revealed Mitoglitazone as a multitargeted inhibitor with a docking and MM\GBSA score ranging from - 5.784 to - 7.739 kcal/mol and - 25.81 to - 47.65kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, we performed pharmacokinetics studies and QM-based DFT analysis, showing suitable candidate and interaction pattern analysis revealed the most count of interacting residues was 4GLY, 5PHE, 6ASP, 6GLU, 6LYS, and 6THR. Further, the results were validated with SPC water model-based MD simulation for 100ns in neutralised condition, showing the cumulative deviation and fluctuation < 2Å with many intermolecular interactions. The whole analysis has suggested that Mitoglitazone can be used as a multitargeted inhibitor against lung cancer-however, experimental studies are needed before human use.

  © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

2010s

• Is there a role for immunotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma?. A. Tartarone, R. Lerose, M. Aieta. 2018;35(7):98. Review PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a very aggressive malignancy, mainly caused by asbestos exposure. Patients with MPM have a poor prognosis that remained substantially unchanged in the last few years and limited effective therapeutic options with no recognized second or further-line therapy. In this context, also in view of the positive results observed in other tumor types, immunotherapy could play a relevant role. This review focuses on the most promising immunotherapies being investigated in MPM.

• Third-line chemotherapy with carboplatin, gemcitabine and liposomised doxorubicin for malignant pleural mesothelioma. V.A. de Lima, J.B. Sørensen. 2015;32(2):458. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  There is no well-defined standard third-line chemotherapy for advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, combination of carboplatin, liposomised doxorubicin (Caelyx) and gemcitabine (CCG regimen) has revealed noteworthy activity when used as first-line treatment. The aim of this study is to assess efficacy and toxicity profile for patients with MPM receiving CCG regimen as a third-line treatment. Carboplatin (AUC 5), Caelyx (30 mg/m(2)) and Gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2)) day 1, together with Gemcitabine (800 mg/m(2)) day 8, were given in up to six cycles. Patients were unresectable, PS 0-2, and had previously received a first-line platinum-based regimen and either vinorelbine or pemetrexed as second line. Response to treatment was assessed by CT scan using Modified RECIST criteria for mesothelioma. Forty-three patients were treated between 2010 and 2014. Median age was 67 years (47-82), 72 % males, and 79 % had previous asbestos exposure. Ninety per cent had PS 0-1, 58 % had epitheloid subtype and 63 % IMIG stage IV. First-line treatment was platinum and pemetrexed in 42 cases. Second-line treatment was vinorelbine in 42 cases and pemetrexed in one patient. Median lead time from cessation of second-line treatment to start of third CCG was 1 month. Twenty-eight per cent of the patients received six cycles, while treatment was postponed due to toxicities, mainly haematological, in 56 % of cases. No toxicity-related deaths occurred. Partial response (PR) occurred in 14 %, and disease control rate (DCR) was 60 %. Medians of overall survival (OS) from diagnosis and from start of CCG treatment were 25.2 months (18.4-31.5 months) and 6.8 months (5.4-8.4 months), respectively. Progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.1 months (1.7-4.5 months). Third-line CCG revealed a noteworthy efficacy with a DCR of 60.4 %. It was, however, associated with considerable haematological toxicity. Less toxic and more active treatment options are clearly needed.

• Second-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy regimens improve overall 3-year survival rate in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: a multicenter retrospective study. H. Mutlu, S. Gündüz, H. Karaca, et al. 2014;31(8):74. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of second-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy regimens on overall survival (OS) in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients receiving first-line pemetrexed-based regimens. A total of 73 patients with MPM from Akdeniz University, Acibadem Kayseri Hospital, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, and Erciyes University were analyzed and evaluated retrospectively as two groups: second-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy and no second-line chemotherapy. The median OS of patients who received second-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy was 11.3 (5.1-17.5) months, while it was 9.9 (2.1-17.7) months in the patients who did not receive chemotherapy in the second-line setting (p = 0.056). When we evaluated the survival rate at the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, and 36th month, the OS rate of the 36th month was significantly higher in patients who received gemcitabine-based second-line chemotherapy (p = 0.041). When evaluating the OS from diagnosis to death, the median OS values were 20.8 (17.5-24.1) months for first-line pemetrexed-based regimens then second-line gemcitabine alone and 13.1 (9.0-17.1) months supportive care after first-line pemetrexed-based regimens (p = 0.005). According to our results, we may consider gemcitabine-based regimens as second-line chemotherapy after treatment with pemetrexed plus platinum in patients with MPM.

• The clinicopathological characteristics with long-term outcomes in malignant mesothelioma. M. Dogan, G. Utkan, C. Hocazade, et al. 2014;31(10):232. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a neoplasm which originates from serous membranes. It is relatively more common in Turkey. Ninety-nine patients between 2002-2009 were evaluated for survival and patient characteristics with chest pain, dyspnea, weight loss, loss of appetite, anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) elevation, retrospectively. Male/female ratio was 1.41(58/41). Median age was 53(27-88). Asbestosis exposure rate was 78.5%. Most of the patients had better ECOG-PS (88.7% for 1-2). Chest pain (47.7%), dyspnea (44.8%), weight loss (49%), loss of appetite (50%), anemia (38%), leukocytosis (37.2%), thrombocytosis (26.6%) and LDH elevation (10.1%) were found with median values such as 11.8 g/dL (5-17.1) for hemoglobin, 8,800/mm3 for WBC (2,600-38,300), 382,000/mm(3) for platelets (28,000-1,504,000) and 253 IU/L for LDH (85-1,877), respectively. The most common site was pleura (62.3%). Half of the patients were unclassified, while epitheloid histopathology (39.4%) was most common in classified ones. RT rate was 42.1% in operated patients and all had pleural MM. Median OS was 22.9 months. Eighty percent of the patients had first-line CT with a clinical benefit rate of 63.3%. Second-line CT rate was 29% with a clinical benefit rate of 44%. Most preferred CT regimen was cisplatinum and pemetrexed. Most of the patients were male in their 50 s with pleural MM. They had chest pain, dyspnea, weight loss and loss of appetite as the most common symptoms at diagnosis. Only half of the patients could be subtyped with a predominance of epitheloid histology.

• Upregulation of microRNA-31 associates with a poor prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma with sarcomatoid component. S. Matsumoto, K. Nabeshima, M. Hamasaki, et al. 2014;31(12):303. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a neoplastic disease with a poor prognosis. The complete resection of tumor with extra-pleural pneumonectomy is effective only for early stage epithelioid-type MPM. An accurate pathological diagnosis including the histological subtype and also clinical staging are crucial to decide on the therapeutic approach. However, the pathological diagnosis is difficult when the amount of biopsy sample is small. We performed a comparative analysis of the miR-31 expression in MPM and reactive mesothelial proliferations (RMPs), by RT-qPCR of formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, and compared the expression levels of miR-31 with the results of a survival analysis for the diagnosis and prognosis of MPM. The expression of miR-31 was found to be significantly reduced in MPMs compared with RMPs (P < 0.01). The pathological subtype of four among five cases with upregulated miR-31 levels was MPM with a sarcomatoid component. (i.e., biphasic or sarcomatoid type). Furthermore, these four cases were significantly associated with a worse prognosis compared with the five cases of biphasic or sarcomatoid MPM without upregulated miR-31 expression (P = 0.0027). In conclusion, the analysis of miR-31 expression levels may be a good biomarker for diagnosis of MPM histological typing and predicting the prognosis.

• Clinical value of mesothelin in pleural effusions versus histology by medical thoracoscopy: brief report. P.A. Canessa, P. Ferro, C. Manta, et al. 2013;30(3):649. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  The aim of this study based on the third phase of the architecture of diagnostic research was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) in pleural exudative effusions (PE) compared to the histology obtained by medical thoracoscopy as the diagnostic gold standard examination. We assessed 104 consecutive thoracoscopies. SMRP concentrations were obtained using an ELISA test. We had 34 mesotheliomas (25 epithelioid and 9 sarcomatoid), 35 pleural metastases, and 35 benign diseases. PE-SMRP were significantly higher in patients with epitheliomorphic mesothelioma (mean ± SD 46.55 ± 44.29 nM) than in patients with sarcomatoid mesothelioma (16.11 ± 25.02 nM; p = 0.061), pleural metastasis (7.52 ± 10.77 nM; p < 0.0001), or benign diseases (5.82 ± 8.86 nM; p < 0.0001). Using ROC curve analysis, PE-SMRP offered an AUC of 0.767 in its ability to differentiate between patients with mesothelioma and all other diagnoses. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PE-SMRP for distinguishing mesothelioma from all other causes of pleural effusion, at a cut-off value of 19.6 nM, were 58.8 and 97.1 %, respectively. PE-SMRP higher than the assumed cut-off of 19.6 nM were observed in 18/25 (72.0%) epitheliomorphic mesotheliomas, 2/9 (22.2%) sarcomatoid mesotheliomas, 5/35 (14.3%) pleural metastases, and 1/35 (2.9%) benign diseases. We conclude that PE-SMRP adds some clinical information in the work-up of patients with a PE of unknown origin: (1) thoracoscopy should always be done in patients with a positive mesothelin; (2) a negative mesothelin does not exclude a malignant disease.

• Diagnostic value of mesothelin in pleural fluids: comparison with CYFRA 21-1 and CEA. R. Filiberti, S. Parodi, R. Libener, et al. 2013;30(2):543. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  CYFRA 21-1 and CEA have been applied for the differential diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) has been proposed as a specific marker for distinguishing MPM from benign diseases and other malignancies in pleural effusions (PEs). In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of SMRP in PEs in the detection of mesotheliomas by comparing it with that of CYFRA 21-1, CEA, and with cytological examination. One hundred and seventy-seven consecutive patients (57 MPM, 64 metastatic tumors, and 56 benign diseases) were evaluated using commercial tests. The performance of the markers was analyzed by standard ROC analysis methods, using the area under a ROC curve (AUC) as a measure of accuracy. CYFRA 21-1 better differentiated malignant from benign effusions. The corresponding area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.87, while it was 0.74 for SMRP and 0.64 for CEA (p < 0.001). Conversely, SMRP differentiated MPM from all other PEs better than both CYFRA 21-1 and CEA (AUC = 0.84, 0.76, and 0.32, respectively, p = 0.003). Low levels of CEA were associated with a MPM diagnosis. The AUC for differentiating MPM from metastases was 0.81 for SMRP, 0.61 for CYFRA 21-1, and 0.20 for CEA (p < 0.001). In cases with negative or suspicious cytology, SMRP and CYFRA 21-1 identified 36/71 and 46/66 malignant PEs (29 and 31 MPM, respectively). Only 1 MPM showed a high CEA concentration. No single marker showed the best performance in any comparison. Results suggest that SMRP could improve CYFRA 21-1 and CEA accuracy in the differential diagnosis of MPM.

• Individual predictors of increased serum mesothelin in asbestos-exposed workers. R. Filiberti, P. Marroni, M. Mencoboni, et al. 2013;30(1):422. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  The soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP), a candidate marker for screening of subjects with asbestos exposure, is influenced by some individual and clinical factors. The aim of this study was to quantify the role of age, smoking, weight, presence of diseases and exposure to asbestos on serum SMRP levels in a large series of subjects exposed to asbestos, possible candidates for mesothelioma screening. One thousand seven hundred and four participants underwent clinical examination and were interviewed on medical anamnesis, occupation, smoking and weight. SMRP was measured by an ELISA assay. Overall, median SMRP was 0.4 (IQR 25-75: 0.3-0.7) nmol/l. It was higher in current smokers and in subjects with a cumulative asbestos exposure >50 ff/cc/years than in all the other subjects (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). SMRP was positively correlated with age (ρ = 0.11, p < 0.001) and, inversely, with BMI (ρ = -0.15, p < 0.001). SMRP was lower in healthy subjects (n = 1,217: median 0.4 nmol/l) than in subjects with malignant tumors (n = 118: 0.5 nmol/l; p = 0.01), asbestos-related pleural lesions (plaques or thickenings, n = 152: 0.6 nmol/l; p < 0.001) and other benign diseases (n = 182: 0.5 nmol/l; p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis revealed significant predictors of increased SMRP: age >57 years, current smoking, a positive anamnesis for cancer and for asbestos-related pleural lesions, and BMI < 25. Some clinical and demographic variables are associated with serum SMRP levels. The degree of these associations is low, nevertheless they should be accounted for in the interpretation of SMPR as a candidate marker predictive of mesothelioma. The potential predictive value of serum SMRP in screening/surveillance programs must be validated in prospective studies.

• Desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma originating from the peritoneum. H. Takamaru, Y. Arimura, Y. Shinomura. 2012;29(5):3155-6. Case report · Letter PubMed · Publisher

  Summary

  This letter to the editor described a case of desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma arising from the peritoneum, which the authors called an extremely rare disease entity. The authors were from Sapporo Medical University, Japan. A 74-year-old man presented in February 2008 with progressive abdominal distension due to an enlarging abdominal mass. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor was slightly elevated (452 U/mL), and the other tumor markers examined were normal. CT and MRI showed a lipid-rich, ill-defined, non-enhancing tumor that appeared to originate from the small bowel mesentery. Exploratory laparotomy found disseminated small white nodules in the mesentery. Histology showed spindle-like tumor cells with collagenous fibers in a storiform pattern, leading to a diagnosis of desmoplastic mesothelioma. The tumor cells were positive for vimentin, smooth muscle actin and D2-40, and negative for calretinin, WT-1, desmin, CD34 and S-100. FISH analysis excluded a p16 deletion. Combination chemotherapy with irinotecan or gemcitabine plus cisplatin was ineffective. Intraperitoneal cisplatin was then given for 15 courses until the disease progressed. The patient received supportive care and survived 49 months after diagnosis. The authors stated that this was the first report of the disease since the WHO defined it in 2004, and that they had found only one earlier report, from 1982. They concluded that earlier intervention may contribute to longer survival, and that clinicians should consider malignant mesothelioma despite its rarity.

  PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

• Multicentric study on malignant pleural mesothelioma in Turkey: clinicopathologic and survival characteristics of 282 patients. E.T. Elkiran, M.A. Kaplan, A. Sevinc, et al. 2012;29(5):3147-54. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a relatively rare, but aggressive tumor that causes high mortality. The major risk factor involved in the etiology is environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos. The optimal modality of therapy is controversial. The present study retrospectively evaluated the data pertinent to 282 patients who were examined and treated in 11 different medical oncology centers in Turkey. There were 161 males (57.1 %) and 121 females (42.9 %), with a mean age of 56.38 ± 12.07 years. Surgery was used in 74 patients, 21 patients (28.4 %) received only chemotherapy and 28 patients (37.8 %) received chemoradiotherapy after surgery. The median survival in patients who were administered adjuvant therapy after surgery was 24 months, while the median survival in patients who had only surgery was 6 months (p = 0.029). 106 patients were administered pemetrexed-platinum combination and 35 patients were administered gemcitabine-platinum combination as front-line chemotherapy. Median survival, 1- and 2-year survival rates in patients who received platinum analogues and pemetrexed or gemcitabine combinations were found statistically similar (p = 0.15). The median survival for all patients with MPM in our study was 18 months. The main factors influencing the overall survival were stage of the disease (p = 0.020), performance status (p < 0.001), asbestos exposure (p = 0.030) and mesothelioma histological subtypes (p < 0.001). Results of our study suggest that multi-modality treatment regimens consisting of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy prolong overall survival. Survival rates in patients who received combining platinum analogues with pemetrexed or gemcitabine as front-line chemotherapy were found similar.

• Primary sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma of the pericardium. T. Terada. 2012;29(2):1345-6. Case report · Letter PubMed · Publisher

  Summary

  This letter to the editor described a case of primary sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma of the pericardium, a very rare tumour. The author noted that pericardial mesothelioma accounts for 0.7% of all malignant mesotheliomas and that about 150 cases had been reported. A 64-year-old Japanese man came to the author's hospital with shortness of breath. Imaging, including ultrasound and CT, showed pericardial effusion and diffuse thickening of the pericardium. He had no history of asbestos exposure. Open pericardial biopsy showed a wall 1.2 cm thick, with proliferation of atypical spindle cells invading fat tissue, scattered mitotic figures and no epithelioid element. On immunohistochemistry the tumour cells were positive for pancytokeratin (KL-1), calretinin, cytokeratin 5/6 and vimentin. They were negative for EMA, CEA, MOC31, Ber-EP4, Leu M1, HBME1, CD34, S100 protein, desmin, B72.3 and other markers. WT-1 was not examined. Imaging showed no other tumours in the body, and sarcomatoid mesothelioma of the pericardium was diagnosed. The author discussed differential diagnoses, including solitary fibrous tumour, germ cell neoplasm, metastatic tumours and synovial sarcoma, and considered the diagnosis correct. The patient was treated with chemoradiation but died of cardiac failure 9 months after first presentation. The author stated that the prognosis of primary pericardial mesothelioma is very poor and that most patients die within 1 year.

  PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

• Primary small cell carcinoma of the pleura: a case report with immunohistochemical and molecular genetic analyses of KIT and PDGFRA genes. T. Terada. 2010;27(4):1119-22. Case report PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  An extremely rare case of primary small cell carcinoma of the pleura with an emphasis on KIT and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRA) genes is reported here. A 67-year-old man underwent left testicular orchiectomy because of a testicular tumor. The tumor was immunohistochemically shown to be diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient was treated with chemotherapy and radiation and followed up in our hospital. Eight years after the orchiectomy, the patient (75 years old) developed left pleural tumor and pleural effusion, and a biopsy was performed. The biopsy revealed a medullary malignant tumor consisting of small round and spindle cells. The following three possibilities were considered: recurrent lymphoma, mesothelioma, and small cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin, synaptophysin, CD56, KIT, and PDGFRA, but negative for CEA, cytokeratin 5/6, neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin, CD45, CD3, CD20, CD45RO, CD15, CD30, calretinin, WT-1, B72.3, D2-40, and TTF-1. Therefore, a diagnosis of pleural small cell carcinoma was made. A molecular genetic analysis using PCR-direct sequencing identified no mutations of KIT (exons 9, 11, 13, and 17) and PDGFRA (exons 12 and 18) genes. The patient was treated with chemotherapy (cisplatin) and radiation (50 Gray). The present case is the first reported case of primary small cell carcinoma of the pleura with an examination of KIT and PDGFRA expressions and KIT and PDGFRA gene mutations.

2000s

• Leptomeningeal infiltration of malignant mesothelioma. B. Oksüzoğlu, S. Yalçin, M. Erman, et al. 2002;19(3):167-9. Case report PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Mesothelioma is a disease mostly involving the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium. Hematogenously disseminated metastases involving the liver, adrenal glands, kidneys, and contralateral lung have been documented in some patients, but central nervous system (CNS) involvement, especially as leptomeningeal infiltration, is very rare. A 44-yr-old mesothelioma patient admitted to hospital with convulsions and diffuse leptomeningeal infiltration was shown with magnetic resonance imaging. She had a positive history for environmental asbestos exposure. Pleural and axillary lymph node biopsies were consistent with mesothelioma. Diffuse leptomeningeal infiltration is the only constant radiological finding reported as a diagnostic criteria for CNS involvement and histopathological confirmation is usually possible only at autopsy, so clinical and radiological diagnosis is essential after exclusion of other possible causes.

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