US EPA

3645814 

Journal Article 

Review 

PRIMARY MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA OF THE PERICARDIUM - CASE-REPORT AND LITERATURE-REVIEW 

Thomason, R; Schlegel, W; Lucca, M; Cummings, S; Lee, S 

1994 

1 

Texas Heart Institute Journal
ISSN: 0730-2347 

21 

2 

170-174 

English 

8061543 

WOS:A1994NT95600010 

Pericardial mesothelioma is a highly lethal and fortunately rare cardiac neoplasm. We present the clinical and pathologic features of a primary sarcomatoid mesothelioma. To better understand the clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of this entity, we reviewed 27 cases described in the English literature from 1972 through 1992, which, together with our case, provided a total of 28 cases. Findings of the review include a male-female ratio of 2:1, a wide age range (12 to 77 years; mean, 47 years), and documented asbestos exposure in 4 of 28 (14%) patients. Commonly used imaging studies do not appear to offer great sensitivity, for a mass was detected by echocardiography in only 2 of 16 (12%) patients and by computed tomography in 4 of 9 (44%). Pathologic findings revealed a diffuse growth pattern in most cases (18 of 25, or 72%), together with an equal distribution between the biphasic, epithelioid, and sarcomatoid variants. Effusion cytology revealed malignant cells in only 2 of 10 (20%) cases. With or without therapy, prognosis was uniformly poor, since 24 of 27 patients were dead of the disease at the time the reports were published. 

ASBESTOS; CARDIAC TAMPONADE; HEART NEOPLASMS; HEART SURGERY; IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY; MESOTHELIOMA PATHOLOGY; MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION; PERICARDIAL EFFUSION; PERICARDIUM