Key result
Desmoplastic malignant pericardial mesothelioma presents as rapidly progressive heart failure mimicking pericarditis.
Why the study?
Desmoplastic malignant pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare subtype that is difficult to distinguish from inflammatory fibrous lesions.
Case Report (n=1)
Desmoplastic malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a rare entity that can mimic inflammatory pericardial disease and should be considered in patients with subacute progressive heart failure of unclear cause accompanied by bloody pericardial effusion or thickening.
Alerts clinicians to rare mesothelioma mimics in progressive HF with effusion; leaves open antemortem diagnostic validation.
Desmoplastic malignant pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare subtype of malignant pericardial mesothelioma that is difficult to distinguish from inflammatory fibrous lesions. A 71-year-old man was admitted with a three-month history of progressive exertional dyspnea and chest tightness. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died on hospital day 3. Autopsy revealed bloody pericardial effusion and small epicardial nodules without distinct mass lesions. A histological examination revealed fibrous thickening containing scattered spindle-shaped and stellate atypical cells. The histological and immunohistochemical findings supported this diagnosis. In patients with subacute progressive heart failure of unclear cause, bloody pericardial effusion, or pericardial thickening, this disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
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Ohnishi et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Desmoplastic Malignant Mesothelioma of the Pericardium (n=1). Autopsy of a 71-year-old man with rapidly progressive heart failure revealed desmoplastic malignant pericardial mesothelioma, an extremely rare tumor mimicking inflammatory pericardial disease.
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