Cerebral metastases in pleural mesothelioma: case report and review of the literature.

A case of malignant mesothelioma metastatic to the brain is described. A 52-year old woman, with no known exposure to asbestos, presented with a biphasic mesothelioma of the left parietal pleura. Following resection, the thorax was irradiated with 4000 cGy, and all symptoms subsided. Three months later, a left temporal lobe tumor was diagnosed and subsequently resected. Despite neurological improvement, she died 10 days post-operatively from constrictive pericardial disease. The authors have reviewed the 54 reported cases of brain metastases from mesothelioma and have noted that the histologic appearance of brain metastases from mesothelioma may be similar to glioblastoma multiforme. Because brain metastasis from mesothelioma is rare, procedures to clarify the nature of the tumor should be performed.