Mesothelioma Publication - Polish cases

This is an abstract of an article about a Polish study of mesothelioma cases first published at PubMed by the NIH.

Fijalkowski M, Jochymski C.
Wojewodzki Specjalistyczny Zespol Opieki Zdrowotnej, Centrum Leczenia Chorob Pluc w Lodzi, Oddzial Chorob Pluc i Alergii Ukladu Oddechowego.
Pol Merkuriusz Lek. 2004 Nov;17(101):479-82.

Etiology of the pleural exudate is not always easy to establish with the routine diagnostic procedures. We report the history of a 55-year-old man, driver--without evident occupational exposure to asbestos dust. Patient was treated in hospital because of recurrent bilateral sanguineous pleural fluid. Repeated basic laboratory examinations of pleural exudate did not contribute to establishing etiology of the disease. At the beginning of hospital stay antituberculosis therapy was applied but was unsuccessful. Rapid accumulation of the fluid, deterioration of general condition of the patient, presence of dysplasia in the cells of the sediment of the exudate indicated possibility of diagnosis of neoplasm of the pleura. Intravenous injections of cisplatin and intrapleural application of bleomycin did not influence, however, the course of the disease. Final diagnosis was possible only after pleural biopsy (with Abrams needle) was performed. Histopathologic examination of the specimen disclosed: malignant mesothelioma biphasic type. Patient died after 3 months of observations and attempt at treatment.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.