title: Successful palliation for an aged patient with primary pericardial mesothelioma.
abstract: An 85-year-old Japanese man with a complaint of exertional dyspnea was admitted to our hospital. Sixty-three years prior to admission at our hospital, he handled asbestos for 2 years in a factory. His chest computed tomography showed a massive pericardial effusion leading to cardiac tamponade and right pleural plaque. After a pericardiocentesis was performed, he recovered from cardiac failure caused by the cardiac tamponade. Pathological examination of the pericardial effusion revealed malignant mesothelial cells. Therefore, he was diagnosed with primary pericardial mesothelioma (PPM) related to asbestos exposure. Although his disease slowly progressed over 18 months, he remained active without any adjuvant treatments such as chemotherapy. Long-term palliation in an aged patient with PPM is rarely obtained using supportive care alone because the prognosis of PPM has been consistently reported to be very poor and almost fatal within a year. Clinical oncologists and thoracic surgeons should be aware of this disease because the accumulation of knowledge on PPM may lead to successful treatment even in aged patients.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Education and Training Center, Kawasaki Hospital, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryutaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Isoda
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 4, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan. hiromichi.ya@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 3, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nezuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology 1, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasumasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Monobe
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 4, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ochi
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 4, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 3, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 3, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine 3, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horio
authors.affiliation: Clinical Education and Training Center, Kawasaki Hospital, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.|Department of General Internal Medicine 4, Kawasaki Medical School, 2-1-80 Nakasange, Okayama, 700-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Nagio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takigawa
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D010166:Palliative Care; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D001194:Asbestos