[A case of splenic hemorrhage in the course of malignant mesothelioma]

Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2004 Mar;42(3):253-6.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of mass lesions at the levels of the right upper and lower lung regions on a chest plain radiograph. Chest computed tomography showed tumors which projected from the pleura of the right upper and lower lung fields. One particular point of interest was the complete separation of the tumors from each other. Malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed by biopsy of the pleura via echogram. Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered because of brain metastasis and direct rib invasion. Under this combined therapy, sudden anemia and hypotension appeared due to splenic hemorrhage, which suggested splenic metastasis of the malignant mesothelioma. Multiple metastases in, for example, the spleen, brain, lung, liver, duodenum, small intestine, kidney, adrenal gland, vertebra, thyroid gland, and lymph nodes were confirmed by autopsy. Distant metastasis is rare for malignant mesothelioma, and we report here a case of splenic metastasis with splenic hemorrhage in malignant mesothelioma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Brain Neoplasms / secondary
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Hemorrhage / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Male
  • Mesothelioma / complications
  • Mesothelioma / pathology
  • Mesothelioma / secondary*
  • Middle Aged
  • Pleural Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Splenic Diseases / etiology*
  • Splenic Neoplasms / complications
  • Splenic Neoplasms / secondary*