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Difficulty of treatment for pleural epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: a report of a case

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Abstract

We herein report the case of a 62-year-old man who underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for pleural epithelial hemangioendothelioma (EHE) diagnosed by a pleural biopsy. Pre-operative computed tomography revealed diffuse pleural thickening and pleural effusion in the right thoracic cavity, although metastasis to neither the lymph nodes nor distant organs was detected. We decided to perform EPP based on surgical findings that the tumor had invaded the lung parenchyma. A pathological examination revealed tumor invasion of the lung parenchyma, blood vessel, pericardium, diaphragm and bronchial wall. Despite aggressive treatment, tumor recurrence was detected about 1 month after surgery. Although we controlled the tumor progression using pazopanib, the patient ultimately died 3.5 months after the operation. Pleural EHE is a very rare disease that has a poor prognosis due to its high malignant potential. It is important to formulate strategies matched to individual cases based on disease progression and invasiveness of treatment.

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Abbreviations

EHE:

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

CT:

Computed tomography

MPM:

Malignant pleural mesothelioma

FDG-PET:

Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission tomography

SUV:

Standard uptake value

P/D:

Pleurectomy/decortication

EPP:

Extrapleural pneumonectomy

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, 807-8555, Japan

    Masaru Takenaka, Yoshinobu Ichiki, Yusuke Nabe, Taiji Kuwata, Yasuhiro Chikaishi, Ayako Hirai, Naoko Imanishi, Kazue Yoneda & Fumihiro Tanaka

  2. Department of Pathology and Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, 807-8555, Japan

    Yojiro Tsuda

Authors
  1. Masaru Takenaka
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  2. Yoshinobu Ichiki
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  3. Yusuke Nabe
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  4. Yojiro Tsuda
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  5. Taiji Kuwata
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  6. Yasuhiro Chikaishi
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  7. Ayako Hirai
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  8. Naoko Imanishi
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  9. Kazue Yoneda
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  10. Fumihiro Tanaka
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Correspondence to Masaru Takenaka.

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Takenaka, M., Ichiki, Y., Nabe, Y. et al. Difficulty of treatment for pleural epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: a report of a case. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 68, 190–193 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-019-01135-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-019-01135-1

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