Pulmonary mesothelioma in bronchioalveolar lavage: a case report

Mesothelioma is a neoplasm arising from the mesothelial cells lining the body serosal surfaces. The frequent primary sites include the pleura followed by the peritoneum and rarely the pericardium. Pleural mesothelioma encases the lung and fills the pleural space, which limits the lungs' ability to expand. The initial diagnosis requires the presence of characteristic clinical, radiological, and pathological features. A thorough review of the English language literature found no reports where a diagnosis of mesothelioma was made on material originating from bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL). We report a case of lung parenchymal involvement by mesothelioma shedding cells in BAL specimen.