Laparoscopy and mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a well-recognized long-term sequela of chronic as bestos exposure, Asbestos use in the United States began in the 1950s and w as widespread until the mid-1970s, Although currently only 2.2 cases per mi llion population per year are diagnosed, disease incidence is increasing be cause of the long latency of this neoplasm, A latency of 15-50 years means that a higher incidence of this neoplasm can be anticipated in the future. The authors report a patient with peritoneal mesothelioma and no known prio r exposure to asbestos. The diagnosis was confirmed by exploratory laparosc opy, which entailed biopsies of the diaphragm and of the peritoneal and abd ominal walls, and by cytologic evaluation of 700 mi ascitis fluid. At prese nt, exploratory laparoscopy offers the quickest, safest, and least invasive way to confirm the clinical diagnosis of peritoneal malignant mesothelioma .