Synonyms
Desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma; Lymphohistiocytoid malignant mesothelioma
Definition
Malignant mesothelioma is a malignancy that arises from the mesothelial cells lining the pleura, pericardium, peritoneum, and tunica vaginalis. The pleura represents the most common site for MM, and there are three major categories of MM based on histologic growth patterns – epithelioid, sarcomatous, and tumors with combined morphology designated as biphasic. These are aggressive neoplasms associated with high mortality and treatment resistance.
Pleural malignant mesothelioma is in many cases associated with exposure to asbestos, and sarcomatous MM is strongly associated with a history of exposure, most often occupational. Amphibole asbestos exposure is the fiber type most frequently implicated. In one series, 77% of patients had reported a history of asbestos exposure, corroborated in a subset of cases with measurements of pulmonary fiber load. While fiber loads vary from case to case,...
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Sugarbaker, D. J., Wolf, A. S., Chirieac, L. R., et al. (2011). Clinical and pathological features of three-year survivors of malignant pleural mesothelioma following extrapleural pneumonectomy. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery: Official Journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery, 40, 298–303.
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Borczuk, A.C. (2018). Sarcomatous Diffuse Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleural. In: Allen, T.C., Suster, S. (eds) Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_387
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_387
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