Malignant mesothelioma: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre experience

ABSTRACT

Ten cases of malignant mesothelioma were diagnosed and treated at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre over a ten year period from 1977 to 1987. Seven of these cases were referred from the Southern Province and were clustered in the Al-Baha and Najran districts. In only one case [a plumber from Taif] was there the likelihood of occupation exposure. None of the patients had interstitial changes or pleura plaques on chest x-ray. Epidemiological studies are warranted to establish the etiology of mesothelioma in the Southern region of Saudi Arabia