[Pleural mesotheliomas. Current knowledge].

Pleural mesotheliomas are rare primary tumors of the pleura. Three groups are classified under the term mesothelioma: 1) benign pleural mesothelioma for which complete surgical treatment is curative with a good prognosis; 2) localized malignant mesothelioma which is a fibrosarcoma, best treated by wide en-bloc resection; 3) diffuse malignant mesothelioma which is mainly of epithelial type. The prognosis is poor in spite of all therapeutic approaches using irradiation, chemotherapy and surgery, alone or in combination, and long-term survivals are uncommon. Two surgical approaches are currently available for patients with diffuse mesothelioma: radical extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication. Rigorous combinations of multimodality therapy are needed to improve local control and survival.