Nodular pleural thickening

Nodular pleural thickening is a form of pleural thickening.

Pathology

Etiology

Most common causes of nodular pleural thickening are malignant and include:

• metastatic pleural disease, particularly from adenocarcinomas, e.g.
  • bronchogenic adenocarcinoma
  • breast cancer
  • ovarian cancer
  • prostate cancer
  • gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma
  • renal cell carcinoma
• mesothelioma
• lymphoma
• invasive thymoma
• rare primary pleural malignancies ³
  • epithelioid angiosarcoma
  • epithelioid hemangioendothelioma
  • synovial sarcoma
  • pleuropulmonary blastoma
  • desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the pleura

Occasionally nodular pleural thickening may arise from benign causes such as:

• thoracic splenosis is rare
• occasionally occurs secondary to a fibrothorax

See also

• malignant pleural disease
• diffuse pleural thickening