Metachronous benign solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura (localized "mesotheliomas"): a case report.

Solitary fibrous tumours are uncommon pleural tumours that are not related to mesotheliomas. They are typically benign and pedunculated and may grow to massive sizes. Surgical resection is usually curative. Tumour recurrence and metachronous development of multiple tumours are unusual. In this report a patient was treated for 3 benign solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura over 23 years. The authors hypothesize that this represents multifocal tumorigenesis as opposed to local tumour recurrence. The importance of complete surgical excision and lifelong radiographic follow-up are stressed.