Malignant mesothelioma is the most significant pleural tumour and it can be
divided into three types: epithelial, sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma.
The most significant clinical manifestation of this tumour is pleural
effusion. This paper was aimed at determining the role of cytological
evaluation of pleural fluid in the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. This
retrospective study included 33 medical records of patients with pleural
malignant mesothelioma referred to the Institute for Lung Diseases of
Vojvodina, in Sremska Kamenica in the period from 2004 to 2009. In 24 out of
33 patients, x-rays confirmed pleural effusion, thoracentesis was performed
and specimens of effusion were cytologically examined at the Department of
Pathology of the Institute for Lung Diseases of Vojvodina. Forty-nine
cytological examinations were done. Only 2 of the first specimens were
positive for malignant cells and 6 were suspicious. In repeated cytological
examinations, 5 out of 6 initially suspicious specimens were positive for
malignant cells, and the remaining 1 was negative. To sum up, 7 of 49
cytological examinations were positive and the sensitivity of our cytological
study for the diagnosis of malignancy was 29%. Due to the low sensitivity of
the cytological examinations, it has been recommended to perform biopsy of
the pleura for definitive diagnosis in every patient with clinical symptoms
and suspicious radiography.
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