60. Mesothelioma

Organ: Lung

Description:

We can see that the lung parenchyme is surrounded by a thick whitish capsule. This capsule also invades into the lung parenchyme at one point.

Diagnosis: Mesothelioma

Causes:

Asbestos exposure

Theory:

Mesothelioma is a rare disease nowadays, due to less exposure to asbestos. It’s highly lethal with a poor prognosis, mainly because it infiltrates nearby structures. Also, the only curative treatment is removal of the affected lung, which is often a problem because people who are exposed to asbestos are usually smokers, meaning that their lungs are possibly affected by COPD as well. This means that they can’t survive with just one lung.

Mesothelioma may have the same macroscopic morphology as pleural callus (pleural thickening due to fibrosis). However, pleural callus would never invade into the parenchyme, as seen in this preparation.