​Prevalence of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Pleural Effusion Patients in Thanjavur Medical College Hospital: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Background: The incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has increased for some decades and was expected topeak between 2010 and 2020. The prevalence of MPM in India is unclear. No such study is available regarding MPM in India.Materials and Methods: After obtaining proper informed consent, patients presenting with pleural effusion were subject topleural biopsy, and the samples were then sent to histopathological confirmation of malignancy.Results: Histopathological evidence confirmed two cases of MPM of the 12 cases. Five of them were diagnosed with tuberculosispleuritis, while two cases had inflammatory pathology and two cases were confirmed to have been metastatic tumors.Conclusions: The present findings show that the prevalence of MPM is rather high at about 16%. A more comprehensivestudy is warranted based on our findings.