Localized malignant mesothelioma: a case report

Localized malignant mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of presentation of malignant mesotheliomas. Only six cases have been reported. A 66-year-old male, former smoker, with occupational exposure to asbestos for 35 years, presented complaining of increasing fatigability, low-grade fever and anorexia for 4 weeks. The chest radiography showed a left lung mass. The computed tomography showed a 5-cm left posterior mass. The biopsy showed malignant cells. The patient underwent a surgical en bloc resection of the tumor. Pathology revealed a localized, poorly differentiated mesothelioma. Immunohistochemistry was positive for cytokeratin and vimentin while negative for carcinoembryonic antigen and Leu-M1. The final diagnosis was localized malignant mesothelioma. Aggressive resection of the tumor has shown to increase survival in previous reports, although the biological behavior of such tumors is still difficult to predict.