Pleurectomy, intrapleural cisplatin and interferon followed by systemic carboplatin plus interferon in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma has a dismal prognosis and median survival rarely exceeds 12 months. Since multimodality therapy initially showed promising results, we tested the feasibility of a new approach consisting of pleurectomy, immediately followed by intrapleural chemotherapy with cisplatin (100 mg/m(2) day 1) and alpha-interferon (12x10(6) U/m(2) days 1 and 2), followed by 4 cycles of carboplatin, 350 mg/m(2), repeated every 3 weeks and associated to alpha-interferon (3x10(6) U/x3/week). Fourteen patients have been submitted to the protocol and are evaluable for side effects.

[Pleural fibroma: radiographic and CT findings].

Pleural fibroma is a rare and benign primary tumor, mainly asymptomatic and of big size due to its slow growth from visceral pleura. Six patients (5 males and 1 female) with this pathologic condition were studied; the tumors had diameters ranging 2.5-18 cm.

CT and MR imaging of melanocytic schwannomas; report of three cases.

Melanocytic Schwannomas are rare tumours which can arise in soft tissues, spinal nerve roots and in the central nervous system. The literature suggests that they have a malignant behaviour with local recurrence after surgery. We present three patients with this lesion, two in the thoracic spine and one in the head of the pancreas.

[CT-guided percutaneous biopsy of adrenal masses. Experience of the technic in 54 neoplasm patients].

Cross-sectional CT and US imaging have allowed the visualization of adrenal glands anatomy and abnormalities. In cancer patients a unilateral or bilateral adrenal enlargement may result from metastasis because the adrenal gland is one of the most common locations for metastasis in thoracic and abdominal tumors. We report our experience in 54 patients who underwent adrenal biopsy for unilateral (44 cases) or bilateral (10 cases) masses during CT examination mostly for lung cancer studies.