Metachronous malignant mesothelioma and pulmonary adenocarcinoma

Our plain-English summary of Metachronous malignant mesothelioma and pulmonary adenocarcinoma, by İ.H. Özbudak, Ö. Özbudak, G. Arslan, et al (Türk Patoloji Dergisi, 2013).

The study

• Authors: İ.H. Özbudak, Ö. Özbudak, G. Arslan, A. Erdoğan, G. Özbılım
• Journal: Türk Patoloji Dergisi
• Published: 2013;29(1):83-6
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The prevalence of multiple primary malignant neoplasms in a single patient is reported in a wide variation. The co-existence of malignant mesothelioma and pulmonary carcinoma is a rare entity. Herein, we reported a 60-year-old man who was a retired employee and heavy smoker. He had a suspicious history of asbestos exposure. He complained of chest pain and computerized tomography revealed a mass in the lower lobe of left lung. The patient underwent a left lower lobectomy and was diagnosed as pulmonary adenocarcinoma. During follow-up two years after surgery, the patient complained of dyspnea and chest computerized tomography scan revealed right pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening. For the differential diagnosis, the patient underwent wedge biopsy from the right lower lobe and was diagnosed as epithelial diffuse malignant mesothelioma. The development of malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung carcinoma could be associated with asbestos exposure. However, a history of asbestos exposure is not required for the diagnosis. The influence of effective anticancer therapies that improve the survival rates and increase the population ages could be related to the occurrence of a second malignancy.

In plain English

This case report from Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey, described a 60-year-old man, a retired employee and heavy smoker (40 pack years), who developed two separate primary cancers at different times. His history of asbestos exposure was described as suspicious because of the house he lived in during his childhood. No fiber type or exposure amount was given. A mass in the lower lobe of his left lung was removed by lobectomy and diagnosed as lung adenocarcinoma, and he was treated with cisplatin and vinorelbine for six months. Two years after surgery, a CT scan showed right-sided pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening. A wedge biopsy from the right lower lobe was diagnosed as epithelial diffuse malignant mesothelioma. The authors found no asbestos bodies in the lung tissue by light microscopy and no pleural plaques in his surgical specimens. The authors concluded that malignant pleural mesothelioma together with lung carcinoma has been reported infrequently and could be associated with asbestos exposure, but that a history of asbestos exposure is not required for the diagnosis.

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 report (one patient)
• Who was studied: One 60-year-old man, a retired employee and heavy smoker (40 pack years), seen at Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey, with chest pain, dry cough, dyspnea and malaise for two months
• Exposure: Suspected asbestos exposure from the house he lived in during childhood (no fiber type or dose given). He was also a heavy smoker (40 pack years).
• Main results:
  • A firm 5.5 x 4.5 cm tumor in the lower lobe of the left lung was removed by left lower lobectomy and diagnosed as lung adenocarcinoma.
  • The patient was treated with cisplatin and vinorelbine for six months after the lung adenocarcinoma.
  • Two years after surgery, the patient had dyspnea, and CT showed right pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening.
  • A wedge biopsy from the right lower lobe was diagnosed as epithelial diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Tumor cells were positive for calretinin and cytokeratin 5/6 and negative for TTF-1 and CEA.
  • Applying the Warren and Gates criteria, the authors considered the patient to have two different primary malignant neoplasms.
  • No asbestos bodies were found by light microscopy in the lung tissue, and no pleural plaque was found in the surgical specimens.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that malignant pleural mesothelioma together with lung carcinoma has been reported infrequently in the literature and could be associated with asbestos exposure, but that a history of asbestos exposure is not required for the diagnosis.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, Adenocarcinoma, Neoplasm, Carcinoma, Asbestos Exposure, Dyspnea, Pleural Effusion, Diffuse Pleural Thickening.

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