[Pleural mesothelioma in a Mexican population: clinical and radiological similarities among histopathologic patterns].
OBJECTIVE
To describe clinical and radiological features of patients with pleural mesothelioma, according to main histological types.


METHODS
Clinical records of inpatients admitted with diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma to the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias in the last 11 years, were reviewed.


RESULTS
We analyzed 85 cases confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The most frequent histological type was epithelial (84.7 %), followed by sarcomatous (12.9 %) and mixed (2.4 %) types. Comparison between epithelial and sarcomatous types showed no differences in age (53.7 +/- 13.1 vs. 55.9 +/- 11.0 years, respectively), male : female ratio (2.3 : 1 vs. 1.8 : 1), history of asbestos exposure (34.7 vs. 27.2 %), tobacco habit (54.2 vs 45.4 %), occupation, evolution time (4.8 +/- 3.3 vs. 4.4 +/- 3.7 months), pain, dyspnea and cough, right-side predominance (55.6 vs. 81.8 %), radiological image with pleural effusion (59.7 vs. 36.4 %) or pleural thickening (38.9 vs. 63.6 %), and diagnostic efficiency of closed pleural biopsy (58.3 vs. 27.2 %).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that clinical and radiological features of epithelial and sarcomatous histological types are very similar. Additionally, we found a high frequency of epithelial mesothelioma, which contrasts with findings from other countries, suggesting that the type of asbestos or other factors involved in the development of pleural mesothelioma differ from those existing in other regions of the world.
Pérez-Guzmán
Carlos
C
Instituto de Salud del Estado de Aguascalientes, Unidad Médica de Atención Ambulatoria, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Aguascalientes, México. perezg6@aol.com
Vargas
Mario H
MH
Torre-Bouscoulet
Luis
L
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography