Case history
Case history
A 72-year-old man presents to his primary care physician with a history of increasing shortness of breath over a period of several months. Before his retirement he was a construction worker. Physical exam reveals decreased breath sounds in the right lung base associated with dullness to percussion.
Other presentations
Although the most common presentation of malignant pleural mesothelioma is shortness of breath associated with a pleural effusion, patients can also present with a cough, chest pain, and progressive fatigue. Some patients may be asymptomatic with an incidental finding of a pleural effusion noted on physical exam or chest x-ray. Abdominal pain and/or distention, with partial small bowel obstruction, is a common presentation of peritoneal mesothelioma.
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