title: Pleural epidermoid carcinoma from displaced skin following extrapleural pneumothorax in a patient exposed to asbestos.
abstract: This report illustrates a rare case of primary epidermoid carcinoma of the pleura in a patient previously treated by artificial extrapleural pneumothorax for active tuberculosis. The patient had also been occupationally exposed to asbestos. Light microscopic examination showed two different lesions: laminar pleural fragments were covered by normal squamous epithelium that was similar in all respects to epidermis, whereas nodular fragments were composed of well-differentiated infiltrating carcinoma. These findings support the hypothesis that the carcinoma arose from normal epidermis seeded in the pleural cavity during multiple air refills to maintain the pneumothorax. A possible interaction between asbestos fibres and chronic inflammation might have potentiated tumour development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Oncology, University of Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sapino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Donna
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bussolati
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009366:Neoplasm Seeding; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011031:Pneumothorax, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D001194:Asbestos