Benign cystic mesothelioma in a boy: An uncommon case mimicking a lymphangioma

Our plain-English summary of Benign cystic mesothelioma in a boy: An uncommon case mimicking a lymphangioma, by P. Fernandez Eire, M.X. Lemos Bouzas, J.A. Ortiz Rey, et al (Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2015).

The study

• Authors: P. Fernandez Eire, M.X. Lemos Bouzas, J.A. Ortiz Rey, M. Herreros Villaraviz, M. Prada Arias
• Journal: Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
• Published: 2015;51(8):841-2
• Type of article: Case report, Letter
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This letter to the editor, from doctors at Complejo Hospitalario de Vigo in Spain, described a single case of benign cystic mesothelioma. The authors described this as a rare condition of the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen) that usually occurs in adult females. The patient was an 11-year-old boy who had 18 months of abdominal pain, intermittent constipation and a 4-kg weight loss. Blood tests, including tumour markers, were normal. MRI showed a 12.8 × 8 × 11 cm cystic mass with many internal walls. At surgery, numerous thin-walled cysts were found on the peritoneal surfaces, and the first clinical impression was a lymphangioma (a growth of lymph vessels). The whole omentum was removed along with the mass. Laboratory staining showed that the cells lining the cysts carried markers of mesothelial cells and lacked markers usually seen in lymphangioma, which established the diagnosis. After 5 years of follow-up the boy had no symptoms and his imaging showed no changes. The authors said his prognosis was uncertain because experience with this condition in children is scarce, and they planned long-term follow-up. The letter does not mention asbestos.

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 of a single patient, published as a letter to the editor
• Who was studied: one 11-year-old boy with no significant medical history, treated at Complejo Hospitalario de Vigo, Spain; dates not given
• Main results:
  • The boy had an 18-month history of abdominal pain, intermittent constipation and a 4-kg weight loss.
  • MRI showed a 12.8 × 8 × 11 cm multiseptated cystic mass extending from the liver level to the aortic bifurcation.
  • At surgery, numerous thin-walled cysts arising from the parietal and visceral peritoneal surfaces were found, and a total omentectomy was performed including the complete mass.
  • The cells lining the cysts were positive for cytokeratin AE1AE3, epithelial membrane antigen, CK5 and calretinin, and negative for CD31, CD34 and D2-40, markers usually positive in lymphangioma. The authors said these tests were key to the final diagnosis.
  • After a 5-year follow-up the boy was asymptomatic and imaging studies showed no alterations.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, after imaging, complete surgical excision of the peritoneal cystic masses is required where possible, and that tissue samples should be fully evaluated by immunohistochemistry to make a definitive diagnosis. They planned long-term follow-up with physical examinations and abdominal ultrasound for their patient.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that because paediatric experience with this condition is so scarce, the patient's prognosis is uncertain.

Topics

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

Related studies

• Pediatric Benign Cystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — J. Durell, H. Dagash, et al. (2016)
• Cystic lymphangioma: an uncommon type of scrotal swelling — G. Ferguson (1954)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a male child — Z. Stojsic, R. Jankovic, et al. (2012)
• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a child-case report and review of the literature — V.C. Shakya, C.S. Agrawal, et al. (2011)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma: a diagnostic dilemma — T.S. Usha Kiran, A. Agboola, et al. (2002)

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