A case of peritoneal mesothelioma masquerading as a urachal mass

Our plain-English summary of A case of peritoneal mesothelioma masquerading as a urachal mass, by K. Huynh, J. Krantz, N. Ahmadi, et al (ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2014).

The study

• Authors: K. Huynh, J. Krantz, N. Ahmadi, B. Indrajit, M. Khadra
• Journal: ANZ Journal of Surgery
• Published: 2014;84(3):185-6
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This case report from Nepean Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia, described one patient. A 71-year-old man had four months of dull pain above the pubic bone, microscopic blood in the urine and a weight loss of 20 kg. A CT scan showed a large calcified mass beside the bladder wall. Doctors first thought it was a leftover urachal cyst (from a structure linking the bladder to the navel), then suspected urachal cancer. Cystoscopy found a normal bladder. At surgery, the mass was stuck to the right pelvic and femoral blood vessels. A 110 by 85 by 90 mm mass and part of the bladder were removed. Tissue examination showed a high-grade, poorly differentiated mesothelioma with tumour reaching the edge of the removed tissue. The patient was referred for palliative radiotherapy and to the Dust Diseases Board. The only asbestos exposure reported was home renovations about 30 years earlier, which the authors called a "glancing" history. No fiber type was named. The authors described this as the first reported case of peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a urachal mass.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (single patient), published in the 'Images for surgeons' section
• Who was studied: one 71-year-old man seen for urological assessment; authors based at Nepean Hospital, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; no dates given
• Exposure: a 'glancing' history of asbestos exposure from home renovations about 30 years earlier; no fiber type, product or dose given
• Main results:
  • The patient had a 4-month history of suprapubic pain with microscopic haematuria and weight loss of 20 kg.
  • CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed a large calcified mass next to the bladder wall. It was first thought to be a residual urachal cyst, then considered suspicious for urachal carcinoma because of the calcification.
  • Cystoscopy showed a normal bladder.
  • At laparotomy the mass was adherent to the right pelvic and femoral vessels. Tumour debulking removed a soft tissue mass 110 by 85 by 90 mm, together with partial cystectomy.
  • Histopathology showed a high-grade, poorly differentiated mesothelioma with spindle cell morphology and osteosarcoma-like bone formation. There was margin involvement and lymphovascular and perineural infiltration.
  • The patient recovered from surgery and was referred for palliative radiotherapy and to the Dust Diseases Board.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated this is the first reported case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a urachal mass. They called it significant because urachal cysts are generally managed conservatively, and a reminder that the disease may arise from any serosal surface.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma, Peritoneal mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Peritoneal mesothelioma masquerading as an inguinal hernia — S. Chakravartty, J.C. Singh, et al. (2011)
• Peritoneal mesothelioma masquerading as an inguinal hernia — S. Chakravartty, J.C. Singh, et al. (2012)
• Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as an adnexal mass — R.A. Komorowski, D.H. Bobert (1975)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a ghost abdominal mass — H. Jerraya, W. Ghariani, et al. (2016)
• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a splenic mass — M. Podberezin, M.J. Fitzpatrick, et al. (2020)
• Abdominal mass as a manifestation of mesothelioma — A.J. Martín-Jiménez, V. Aragón-Domínguez, et al. (2018)

Browse more research in ANZ Journal of Surgery, or return to medical research.