Abstract
Intrapleural catheters are useful in the palliative treatment of malignant effusions. Complications are infrequent and of little importance. We report a case of subcutaneous implantation metastasis along the course of intrapleural catheter, which had been placed under sonographic guidance in a patient with pleural mesothelioma. After drainage of the effusion, cisplatin plus cytarabine was administered via the chest tube, achieving complete remission of the pleural effusion. Subcutaneous metastasis became evident 3 months later and was the only sign of disease progression for 2 months. The seeding of cancer cells was probably caused by a small leakage of fluid around the chest tube that occurred during the placement procedure as a result of the increased intrapleural pressure caused by the large quantity of fluid that had accumulated in the pleural space.
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Sartori, S., Nielsen, I., Trevisani, L. et al. Subcutaneous seeding after ultrasound-guided placement of intrapleural catheter. An unusual complication of the intracavitary palliative treatment of pleural mesothelioma. Support Care Cancer 7, 362–364 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s005200050276
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s005200050276