Mesothelioma: Current Perspectives

Thirty patients with the diagnosis of mesothelioma were admitted to the Swedish Hospital Medical Center, Seattle, from 1975 to 1979. Of these, 26 had pleural and 4 had peritoneal mesothelioma. In 20 of the patients with pleural mesothelioma, the diagnosis had been made by open thoractomy and in only...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Western journal of medicine 1981-05, Vol.134 (5), p.379-383
Main Authors: Taylor, R A, Johnson, L P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asbestos - adverse effects
Female
Humans
Male
Mesothelioma - diagnosis
Mesothelioma - epidemiology
Mesothelioma - etiology
Middle Aged
Peritoneal Neoplasms - diagnosis
Peritoneal Neoplasms - epidemiology
Peritoneal Neoplasms - etiology
Pleural Neoplasms - diagnosis
Pleural Neoplasms - epidemiology
Pleural Neoplasms - etiology
Washington
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Summary:Thirty patients with the diagnosis of mesothelioma were admitted to the Swedish Hospital Medical Center, Seattle, from 1975 to 1979. Of these, 26 had pleural and 4 had peritoneal mesothelioma. In 20 of the patients with pleural mesothelioma, the diagnosis had been made by open thoractomy and in only one by needle biopsy of the pleura. The average survival of the patients with pleural tumors from time of diagnosis was 15 months, and two are alive at three and eight months, respectively, one of whom had an apparent solitary benign mesothelioma. The average survival of those with peritoneal mesothelioma was ten months, although one has survived six years. There were 17 patients with a known history of exposure to asbestos, 14 while working in shipyards. Because of the relatively high incidence of this previously rare tumor in the Puget Sound, Washington, area, and the generally dismal results of therapy, better methods of diagnosis including thoracoscopy and a more systematic approach to treatment are recommended. Images
ISSN:0093-0415
1476-2978