Primary pericardial mesothelioma in an asbestos-exposed patient with previous heart surgery.

We present a case of primary pericardial mesothelioma occurring in an asbestos-exposed 67-year-old man who underwent four aortocoronary bypass grafting seven years prior to the onset of the mesothelioma. Primary pericardial mesothelioma is a rare tumor whose association with asbestos is more infrequent than that of the much more common pleural form. Factors other than asbestos that may play a role include genetic predisposition, immune impairment, infections, radiation, dietary factors, and recurrent serosal inflammation. We consider that, in the presented case, inflammation and healing resulting from pericardiotomy might have had a synergistic effect with asbestos in the pathogenesis of the tumor. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of primary pericardial mesothelioma arising in a patient exposed to asbestos who previously underwent cardiac surgery. Primary pericardial mesothelioma is a rare tumor whose association with asbestos is more uncommon than that of the much more frequent pleural form. Factors other than asbestos that may play a role include genetic predisposition, immune impairment, infections, radiation, dietary factors, and recurrent serosal inflammation. We present a case of primary pericardial mesothelioma occurring in an asbestos- exposed patient following cardiac surgery, in which inflammation and repair subsequent to pericardiotomy might have had a synergistic effect with asbestos in the pathogenesis of the tumor. Case Report