Primary pericardial mesothelioma in an asbestos-exposed patient with previous heart surgery.
We present a case of primary pericardial mesothelioma occurring in an asbestos-exposed 67-year-old man who underwent four aortocoronary bypass grafting seven years prior to the onset of the mesothelioma. Primary pericardial mesothelioma is a rare tumor whose association with asbestos is more infrequent than that of the much more common pleural form. Factors other than asbestos that may play a role include genetic predisposition, immune impairment, infections, radiation, dietary factors, and recurrent serosal inflammation. We consider that, in the presented case, inflammation and healing resulting from pericardiotomy might have had a synergistic effect with asbestos in the pathogenesis of the tumor. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of primary pericardial mesothelioma arising in a patient exposed to asbestos who previously underwent cardiac surgery.
Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Ospedale di Cattinara, Strada di Fiume, Trieste, Italy.
Clara
C
Rizzardi
Elena
E
Barresi
Alessandro
A
Brollo
Paolo
P
Cassetti
Manuela
M
Schneider
Mauro
M
Melato
D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003043:Cocarcinogenesis; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000209:etiology*; D010492:Pericardiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*
D001194:Asbestos