Malignant pleural mesothelioma following chemotherapy for breast cancer

Abstract

Although the induction of malignant mesothelioma by radiotherapy, used alone or in combination with chemotherapy, has been previously reported in the literature, the number of documented cases is extremely small. We report a case of malignant pleural mesothelioma arising four years after chemotherapy for breast cancer in a 42-year-old woman without a history of exposure to asbestos. To our knowledge, this is the f rst reported case of malignant pleural mesothelioma following treatment with chemotherapy alone. It is of interest not only for the patient's young age and the absence of exposure to asbestos, but also for the very short latency period, if compared with asbestos-related mesothelioma.