Benign multicystic mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Benign multicystic mesothelioma, by P. Hollington (ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2010).

The study

• Author: P. Hollington
• Journal: ANZ Journal of Surgery
• Published: 2010;80(3):186-7
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This article was a case report describing one 37-year-old woman with benign multicystic mesothelioma, a rare cystic tumour arising from the cells that line the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen). She had several months of bloating, increasing constipation, a growing abdomen and discomfort after eating. An MRI scan showed a 27-cm cyst with two smaller attached cysts, plus a separate 7-cm cyst. Surgeons removed the cysts intact. They also removed two small cysts (7 and 10 mm) in the omentum, a fatty fold inside the abdomen, which had not been seen on imaging. Laboratory examination of the tissue confirmed the diagnosis. After 18 months of follow-up there was no evidence that the disease had returned. The article did not report whether this patient had any asbestos exposure. In its background discussion, citing earlier work, it stated that unlike pleural mesothelioma, asbestos exposure does not appear to be a causal factor for this condition. The author concluded that because the disease often recurs and patients are often young, regular imaging-based monitoring after surgery is indicated. The author added that the best method and schedule have not been defined.

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)
• Who was studied: One 37-year-old woman with a large abdominal cystic tumour causing semi-obstructive symptoms, referred to a Colorectal Unit; the author is from Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, South Australia
• Exposure: No exposure was studied, and the patient's asbestos exposure history was not reported. In background discussion citing earlier work, the article stated that, in contrast to pleural mesotheliomas, asbestos exposure does not appear to be an aetiological factor in benign multicystic mesothelioma.
• Main results:
  • MRI in this patient showed a 27-cm cyst with two smaller adherent cysts separated by septa, and a separate 7-cm cyst
  • The cysts were removed intact at laparotomy, together with two small omental cysts (7 and 10 mm) not seen on imaging, with no visible residual disease
  • Histopathology confirmed benign multicystic mesothelioma; the cells lining the cyst stained with calretinin and cytokeratin Cam 5.2, but not with antibodies against CD31
  • No evidence of disease recurrence on clinical examination or imaging after 18 months of follow-up in this patient
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that, because the disease has a high recurrence rate and patients are often young, regular imaging-based surveillance after surgery is indicated, although the best modality and schedule have not been defined.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Multicystic Mesothelioma (MCM).

Related studies

• Fine-needle aspiration cytology of multicystic mesothelioma — K. Devaney, P.J. Kragel, et al. (1992)
• Peritoneal, benign, cystic mesothelioma with free-floating cysts, re-examined by new methods. A case report — O.H. Iversen, T. Hovig, et al. (1988)
• Benign multicystic mesothelioma and peritoneal inclusion cysts: are they the same clinical and histopathological entities? A systematic review to find an evidence-based management — A.M.C. Rapisarda, A. Cianci, et al. (2018)
• Intra-abdominal benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — I. Jouvin, A. Dohan, et al. (2014)
• Utility of glucose transporter 1 in the distinction of benign and malignant thoracic and abdominal mesothelial lesions — S.M. Lagana, R.N. Taub, et al. (2012)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: AIRP Best Cases in Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation — R. Lee, A. Tong, et al. (2016)

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