Localized malignant pleural mesothelioma treated by a curative intent lobectomy: a case report

Localized malignant mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of presentation of malignant mesotheliomas. The definitive therapeutic modality of the disease is yet to be identified. A 50-year-old male, a former smoker without occupational and/or environmental exposure to asbestos, presented complaining of an intractable cough. The chest radiography showed a left upper lobe mass. The computed tomography showed a 3.5 cm left apical mass. The biopsy showed epithelial malignant cells. The patient underwent a lobectomy. The evaluation of the specimen disclosed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he has been doing well for almost 1 year. A resection of the tumor has shown to increase survival in previous reports, though the role of oncologically justifiable resection, such as a lobectomy, and the biological behavior of such tumors are still difficult to predict.