Mesotelioma maligno: Experiencia clínico-patológica de 247 casos

objective: this study describes the frequency, occupational, clinical, and pathological features in a large cohort of cases of malignant mesothelioma (mm) from the national institute of respiratory diseases (iner), in méxico. methods: a retrospective and transversal study was carried out in medical records of patients diagnosed with mm between the years 1991 to 2007. results: of the 247 patients, 184 were male and 63 were female with an average age of 51-60 years. dyspnea and chest pain were the presenting symptoms in most of the patients. exposure to asbestos was referred only in 34% of cases but direct exposition only was documented in five of them. clinical features of mm patients were similar in asbestos related and non-asbestos related malignant mesothelioma. conclusion: although a growing tendency is observed in, the number of cases with mm, in many of them was not possible to establish the source of asbestos exposure.