Four Cases of Mesothelioma

Two types of mesothelioma are recognized, i.e., the solitary and fibrous types which may be benign or malignant, and the diffuse and spreading types which are invariably malignant. Four cases with mesothelioma are reported as follows. Three cases are diffuse mesothelioma. One case is localized mesothelioma. Two cases with diffuse mesothelioma were diagnosed by autopsy and one case of them was diagnosed by thoracotomy. The localized mesothelioma was treated by complete surgical resection of the tumor and was histologically diagnosed. Main symptoms were chest pain, dyspnea and cough. Most of the patients with malignant disease had clinical and radiological evidences of the effusion with or without an intrathoracic mass. In some cases, treatment was ineffective for the diffuse type. The prognosis was poor in the diffuse type.