A man with an occupational exposure to asbestos develops pleural thickening, weight loss and chest pain, and biopsy shows a malignancy. What is the most likely tumour?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Malignant mesothelioma
- Step 1: Asbestos exposure is the major cause of tumours of the pleura. Step 2. Mesothelioma arises from pleural mesothelial cells and typically presents decades after exposure. Answer: Malignant mesothelioma. Why not the others: Small cell lung cancer is linked to smoking and arises centrally. A hamartoma is benign. A tonsillar squamous carcinoma is related to smoking, alcohol and HPV.
Practise more Respiratory medicine.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test (MSRA-style single best answer) mock tests.
More Respiratory medicine questions
- A 70-year-old man is newly confused. His respiratory rate is 28, blood pressure 100/70 mmHg, urea 9 mmol/L and he has consolidation on chest…
- What is the first-line antibiotic for community-acquired pneumonia of low severity in an adult, according to NICE?
- Under NICE, BTS and SIGN asthma guidance, what is the preferred initial reliever approach in a newly diagnosed adult with asthma?
- A 66-year-old ex-smoker with COPD has breathlessness affecting daily activities and no asthmatic features. His inhaled SABA is not enough. W…
- A patient with severe COPD is given high-flow oxygen on the way to hospital and becomes drowsy. What oxygen saturation target is recommended…
- A tall, thin 19-year-old smoker has sudden right pleuritic chest pain and breathlessness. There is hyperresonance and reduced breath sounds…