Localized pleural mesothelioma. The clinical spectrum.

Localized pleural mesotheliomas are rare tumors that have a variety of clinical presentations, from an asymptomatic solitary nodule to a massive, highly symptomatic neoplasm filling most of the pleural cavity. Two cases are reported which show the clinical spectrum of the more common benign variant. The clinical differentiation between the benign tumor as well as the less frequent malignant neoplasms of localized mesotheliomas has been disappointing. Complete surgical resection is the preferred treatment for both types and is usually curative with the benign mesothelioma.