Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a child-case report and review of the literature

Our plain-English summary of Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a child-case report and review of the literature, by V.C. Shakya, C.S. Agrawal, S. Karki, et al (Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2011).

The study

• Authors: V.C. Shakya, C.S. Agrawal, S. Karki, P.L. Sah, P. Poudel, S. Adhikary
• Journal: Journal of Pediatric Surgery
• Published: 2011;46(4):e23-e26
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A 4-year old female child presented with clinical features of ascites that, on computed tomography, showed a huge thin-walled cystic lesion in the peritoneum. Laparotomy confirmed a unilocular cyst in the peritoneum adhered to the parietal wall and bowel but not originating from any internal organs. Histopathologic examination of the cyst wall was consistent with the diagnosis of benign mesothelioma. Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum has rarely been reported in children.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This article was a case report with a brief literature review by doctors in Dharan, Nepal. A 4-year-old girl had a 3-month history of a steadily swelling abdomen that looked like ascites (fluid in the belly). A CT scan instead showed a huge thin-walled cyst, 35 × 32 cm, filling most of the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity. At surgery, a single-chambered cyst holding watery fluid was found stuck to the bowel. It did not arise from the bowel, mesentery or ovary, and it was removed completely. Tissue examination was consistent with benign mesothelioma, a non-cancerous tumor of the lining cells. The child was free of symptoms 6 months after the operation and was being monitored for recurrence. The authors' literature search found only 7 earlier cases of this tumor in children. In their discussion, the authors wrote that asbestos exposure does not appear to play a role in this tumor, and that this case was likely caused by inflammation. They concluded that recurrence is common, so these children need lifelong follow-up.

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 with a brief review of the literature
• Who was studied: One 4-year-old girl, treated by doctors at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal (article received November 2010)
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was studied or reported for this child. In the discussion, the authors stated that asbestos exposure does not appear to play a role in causing benign cystic mesothelioma.
• Main results:
  • The child's abdomen was massively swollen, with examination findings that looked like ascites
  • CT showed a thin-walled cyst measuring 35 × 32 cm that took up most of the peritoneal cavity
  • At surgery, the cyst was removed completely. It did not originate from the bowel, mesentery or ovary.
  • The mesothelial cells in the cyst wall stained positive for cytokeratin, and the findings were consistent with benign mesothelioma
  • The child was free of symptoms 6 months after the operation
  • The authors' literature search found only 7 previously reported cases of benign cystic mesothelioma in children
  • The authors stated that this would be the largest mesothelial cyst reported in a child
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum is rare, especially in children. In their view malignant transformation is rare but recurrence is common, so these children need lifelong follow-up.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that outcomes in children are unclear because there are few reports and follow-up has been short

Topics

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

Related studies

• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a male child — Z. Stojsic, R. Jankovic, et al. (2012)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis: a case report and review of literature — D. Murro, A. Harbhajanka, et al. (2014)
• Incidental benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum: A case report — M.M. Ianieri, D.I. Buca, et al. (2016)
• van Ruth S, Bronkhorst MWGA, van Coeverden F, Zoetmulder FAN. Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of literature. Eur J Surg Oncol 2002; 28(2): 192-5 — K. Sethna, F. Mohamed, et al. (2002)
• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)

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