Many books have been written about the pathology of the major organs of the body such as the lungs, heart, gastrointestinal tract etc. Included in these are descriptions - often with a minor emphasis - of pathological conditions which affect their serosal surfaces. In this book I have endeavoured to reverse the process and treat the mesothelium as an organ in its own right, rather than being the "no man's land" between various major structures. A number of pathological conditions are common to the coverings of the three major body cavities - the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum - while some abnormalities are exclusive to one or other sites. I hope that the contents of this book cover a broad enough spectrum of mesothelial diseases to be of help to service pathologists, who are ever increasingly being asked to make diagnoses, particularly on small biopsies of pleural and peritoneal tissues. It is also my hope that the various aspects of the subject have been dealt with in sufficient depth to be of use to pathol ogists engaged in teaching and research, and to those whose interests lie in the structure and function of the mesothelium. There is still much to be learned in understanding the way the mesothelium behaves in the realm of both inflammatory response and tumour formation. If this book provides a stimulus to furthering research in these fields I feel it will have achieved its objective.

Advances in Surgical Pathology: Mesothelioma, a volume in the Advances in Surgical Pathology series, features chapters on current and impending changes in the field with an emphasis on practical issues, recent developments, and emerging concepts. Created as a quick review, this volume delivers a concise, updated review of the pathological characteristics of mesothelioma—emphasizing the histologic correlation, clinical management, and treatment of the disease. Timely content features include recognition of precursor mesothelial lesions, the role of molecular biology in the diagnosis and prognosis of mesothelioma, the interface between the clinician and the surgical pathologist, and the legal implications of attributing disease origin to asbestos and other factors. The book provides a resource for the periodic updates in knowledge required for daily practice, for current credentialing, and for the self-assessment modules for recertification.

The mesothelium is composed by a single layer of mesothelial cells that vest the serosal cavities (pleural, peritoneal and pericardial) and internal organs of the body. The mesothelial cells have a mixed phenotype of epithelial cells and fibroblasts rendering them remarkable plasticity. Besides providing a slippery surface for the frictionless movement of internal organs, the mesothelium participates in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Some of its functions include lung development, trans-cellular and para-cellular transport of ions and water, secretion of glycoproteins (mainly hyaluronan), secretion of cytokines and growth factors, wound healing, response to inflammatory stimuli and induction of inflammation, mesothelial to mesenchymal transition and formation of tunneling nanotubes. Many of these functions are pivotal to physiological conditions such as respiratory development, maintenance of steady volume of serosal fluids and serosal permeability, cell-to-cell communication, re-mesotheliazation of serosal membranes after mechanical (e.g. by asbestos or nanoparticles) or inflammatory injury and participation in immune responses. Deviation from the physiological threshold of these functions results in the development of serosal effusions, induction of serosal and lung fibrosis, induction of mesothelial tumorigenesis, leading thus to devastating pathologies. Treatment of pathologies like mesothelioma, pleural and peritoneal fibrosis (in cases of patients under Peritoneal Dialysis) or lung fibrosis still pose a great challenge for researchers.

by W.J. Hunter In 1977 a report of a Working Group of experts prepared for the Commission of the European Communities was published entitled 'Public Health Risks of Exposure to Asbestos' (EUR 5653e )1. This report contained several conclusions and recommendations; one of the latter stated that 'a mesothelioma register should be set up in those countries of the EEC where none exist, in accordance with criteria and procedures agreed upon by a panel of pathologists'. Acting upon this recommendation, the Commission established a C.E.C. Mesothelioma Panel, which has as one of its basic objec tives the standardization of the pathological diagnosis of mesotheliomas, by exchange of information between members of National Panels. Since its establishment, several meetings have been held, and much useful information has been exchanged. This work has been underlined by the adoption by the Council of Ministers of a Direc tive on the protection of workers from the risks related to asbestos at 2 work which requires Member States to keep a register of recognized cases of mesothelioma. To assist Member States in the establishment of such registers, the Commission of the European Communities considered it would be useful for an illustrated book on mesotheliomas to be prepared. Three pathologists who are members of the C.E.C. Mesothelioma Panel have undertaken this task and this publication is the result.

This book comprehensively covers modern soft tissue pathology and includes both tumors and non-neoplastic entities. Soft tissues make up a large bulk of the human body, and they are susceptible to a wide range of diseases. Many soft-tissue tumors are biologically very aggressive, and the chance of them metastasizing to vital organs is quite high. In recent years, the outlook for soft-tissue cancers has brightened dramatically due to the increased accuracy of the pathologist's tools. All methods of diagnosis are covered here, with an emphasis on the newest immunoassays and other genetic, molecular, and immunologic diagnostic modalities. This book's systematic description of benign and malignant primary soft tissue tumors with didactic, comprehensive panels of illustrations allows the reader to formulate a complete understanding of the morphology of tumor entities at one glance. The book covers both the most common tumor entities and more unusual diseases using more than 1,500 color images, making it a resource for beginning and senior pathologists.

• Only up-to-date title in the market • Current topic with significant media coverage • Internationally relevant, the use of asbestos and its consequences is a global problem • This title aids in pathological diagnosis which is very difficult • Contributors are experts from France, UK, USA, Australia and Canada • Plentiful, colored illustrations complete the text • Target group exceeds pathologists: The diagnosis is evidence for medico-legal purposes, which makes the book invaluable to members of legal profession specializing in this disease

The pathologist who sees specimens from lesions of the serosal membranes (pleura, pericardium, peritoneum, and tunica vaginalis) is well aware that these cases, whether in the form of fluid cytologies, small biopsies, or major resections, pose differential diagnostic problems that are among the most difficult in anatomic pathology. The main problems involve the separation of malignant mesothelioma from benign mesothelial processes on the one hand and other malignant tumours (particularly primary and metastatic carcinomas) on the other. With these differential diagnoses in mind, the authors concentrate on the cytopathologic and histopathologic features of diffuse malignant mesothelioma, its many variants, and the other benign and malignant lesions to be distinguished from it. Histochemical, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and molecular features of potential use in this differentiation are discussed and illustrated. Common differential diagnostic problems and their solutions take precedence, but all of the known benign and malignant lesions of serosal membranes are covered, with copious illustrations and the latest available references. Epidemiologic, pathogenetic, clinical, radiographic and gross pathologic features are integrated with the discussions of these entities. This will be the most complete source available on this topic for years to come.

"This volume of the Advances in Surgical Pathology Series is a concise, updated review of the pathological characteristics of mesothelioma. It emphasizes the histologic correlation, clinical management, and treatment of mesothelioma. It features current and emerging concepts in the field, which includes recognition of precursor mesothelial lesions, the role of molecular biology in the diagnosis and prognosis of mesothelioma, the interface between the clinician and the surgical pathologist, and the legal implications in relation to disease attributibility to asbestos and other factors. The book provides a resource for the timely updates in knowledge that are necessary for daily practice, for current credentialing, and for the self-assessment modules for recertification (MOC)."--Provided by publisher.