Abstract
A 65-year-old housewife was admitted to Juntendo Hospital with a complaint of right chest pain and she recieved consecutive chest examinations. In these examinations, pulmonary arteriogram showed an anomalous artery supplying a tumor mass. We diagnosed a benign lung tumor such as hamartoma or sclerosing haemangioma and tumor resection was performed. Pathologically this tumor was typical benign localized pleural mesothelioma.
132 cases including our case were reported in Japanese literature between 1903 and 1977 and they were classified as diffuse and localized mesothelioma. The ratio of diffuse type to localized type was 2:1. Diffuse type was seen mainly over the age of 40 and localized type cases were generally under 40. Clinical manifestations were chiefly chest pain and dyspnea, lacking sputum or hemosputum. Bloody pleural effusion was found in 60% of cases of diffuse type and tumor cells were found in half of these. In some cases treatment was ineffective for the diffuse type, but in localized type cases successfully resection was performed in 58 percent of cases. Metastasis was seen the lungs, lymph nodes and liver. Prognosis was poor in diffuse type and the one year survival rate was 22%.
