title: Mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall.
abstract: Mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall is an unusual lesion remarkable for its occurrence in early infancy and alarming clinical presentation, which often suggests malignancy. Despite its aggressive appearance and propensity to attain massive size, the lesion behaves biologically in a benign fashion, and may be treated conservatively, provided that there is no respiratory compromise secondary to mass effect. The case of an incompletely resected mesenchymal hamartoma that has behaved in a benign fashion after more than 4 years of follow-up is discussed here. We present this case to provide insight and raise clinicians' awareness of the behavior of an extremely rare tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 324 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA. pawelb@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: Bruce R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Pawel
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Crombleholme
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008637:Mesenchymoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D035583:Rare Diseases; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed