Nodular pleural thickening

Nodular pleural thickening is a form of pleural thickening.

Pathology

Causes

Essentially all 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

Thoracic splenosis is a rare benign cause of pleural nodularity.

See also

• malignant pleural disease
• diffuse pleural thickening