Mesotelioma inatteso in donna centenaria: un riscontro autoptico

Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma, notoriously associated with asbestos exposure, mostly arises in male subjects, and generally shows an extremely long latency period (25-45 years). A centenarian woman was hospitalized with bronchopneumonia, chronic atrial fibrillation, dehydration, malnutrition and immobilization syndrome. X-ray examination showed a left pleural-pulmonary thickening. The autopsy revealed a diffuse, atypical pleural thickening in the left lung, multiple hyaline plaques in the bilateral parietal pleuras and diffuse adhesions between pleura and diaphragm; on the right side the pleura was discontinuously thickened with areas of fibromyxoid dystrophy. Histologically the pleura was extensively substituted by malignant cells of a biphasic malignant mesothelioma. The tumour was immunohistochemically positive for antibodies against cytokeratins, calretinin and vimentin. Accurate histological evaluation of lung specimens did not shown the presence of asbestos bodies.