Mesothelioma – A change in the natural history?

Summary 

Mesothelioma is a rare tumour arising from the serosal surfaces of the pleura, peritoneum and other body cavity linings. Distant cutaneous metastases of mesothelioma are rarely noted but have been previously reported. This case demonstrates both cutaneous and soft tissue metastases to the kidney, lung, thyroid, lymph nodes and tongue from a pleural malignant mesothelioma. These metastases were demonstrated during the lifetime of the patient, most are noted post-mortem. To the best of our knowledge, this distribution of both cutaneous and soft tissue metastases has not previously been reported. We propose that as the incidence of mesothelioma increases and life expectancy is altered by treatment, metastases may be a more common occurrence.

Keywords: Mesothelioma, metastases, chemotherapy