Concurrent mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma of the lung in a patient with asbestosis.

Abstract

We report the apparently unique simultaneous development of a mesothelioma and an adenocarcinoma of the lung in a patient with asbestosis. Pathologists should be aware that very rarely these two malignancies may occur concurrently, an event with potential prognostic, therapeutic, and medical-legal implications for the patient and his family. Although occupational asbestos exposure is well recognized as a risk factor in the development of both mesothelioma and lung carcinoma, this case report emphasizes the rarity of the synchronous occurrence of these tumors in asbestos exposed individuals suggesting that the mechanism by which asbestos fibers induce lung carcinoma is different from that by which they induce mesothelioma.