CONCURRENT MESOTHELIOMA AND ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE LUNG IN A PATIENT WITH ASBESTOSIS

We report the apparently unique simultaneous development of a mesothel ioma and an adenocarcinoma of the lung in a patient with asbestosis. P athologists should be aware that very rarely these two malignancies ma y occur concurrently, an event with potential prognostic, therapeutic, and medical-legal implications for the patient and his family. Althou gh 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 tu mors in asbestos exposed individuals suggesting that the mechanism by which asbestos fibers induce lung carcinoma is different from that by which they induce mesothelioma.