title: Mesothelioma with non-pleural malignancy: a red herring or just an uncommon pairing?
abstract: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive cancer of the pleura with a well-established male predominance and causative link with asbestos exposure. We report four cases of female patients with MPM referred for palliation of symptoms thought to be due to previous non-pleural malignancy.With emerging novel treatments for MPM, this article discusses four unusual cases of MPM occurring in the setting of other malignancy, highlights the importance of considering a primary diagnosis of MPM even in patients with other malignancy, and reinforces the benefits of video-assisted surgical biopsy which allows simultaneous diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Papworth Hospital, Papworth Everard, Cambridge CB3 8RE, UK. andrewdrain@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Drain
authors.forename: Kourosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saeb-Parsy
authors.forename: Amit K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rassl
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ritchie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology