Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare cause of intra-abdominal cystic disease

Our plain-English summary of Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare cause of intra-abdominal cystic disease, by B. Campbell, D. Mehanna, J. Stone (ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2017).

The study

• Authors: B. Campbell, D. Mehanna, J. Stone
• Journal: ANZ Journal of Surgery
• Published: 2017;87(6):E15-E16
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

The authors reported a case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM), a rare benign cystic lesion arising from the peritoneal mesothelium. About 130 cases had been reported since it was first described in 1979. A 49-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, mainly epigastric, of 3 months' duration. The pain had become constant and was worse with eating. She also had bloating and had lost several kilograms over 6 months. Computed tomography showed a small amount of free fluid in the right hepatorenal pouch and a suggestion of a small nodular density in the greater omentum near the pylorus. Ultrasound, endoscopy, colonoscopy, blood tests and tumour markers (CEA, CA19-9, CA-125) were normal. Because her symptoms worsened, she underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. This found multiple cystic nodules on the greater omentum and a cystic nodule on the right ovary. The omental cysts were excised, and an appendicectomy and right oophorectomy were performed. Histopathology confirmed BMPM. Reviewing the literature, the authors stated that BMPM occurs most often in women of child-bearing age, has been associated with chronic irritation of the peritoneum, and has no relation to prior asbestos exposure. They described surgical resection as the treatment of choice and noted that local recurrence was possible. They concluded that wider use of diagnostic laparoscopy may increase incidental findings of BMPM, so greater awareness of the condition and its surgical treatment is needed.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This article was a case report of one patient with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM). A 49-year-old woman had had upper abdominal pain for three months, as well as bloating and weight loss of several kilograms over the past six months. A CT scan showed a small amount of free fluid and a possible small nodule near the stomach. Ultrasound scans, blood tests, tumour markers, endoscopy and colonoscopy were normal. As her symptoms worsened, she had a diagnostic laparoscopy, which found multiple cystic nodules on the greater omentum and one on the right ovary. These were removed along with her appendix and right ovary, and tissue examination confirmed BMPM. The article did not say whether she had been exposed to asbestos. In their discussion, the authors stated that BMPM has no relation to prior asbestos exposure. Her outcome after surgery was not reported. The authors concluded that wider use of laparoscopy may lead to more chance findings of BMPM, and that greater awareness of the condition and of how best to treat it surgically is needed.

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 49-year-old woman investigated for abdominal pain. The authors were from Caboolture Hospital and QML Pathology, Queensland, Australia. The date of the case is not given.
• Exposure: The article does not report whether the patient had any asbestos exposure. In the discussion, the authors state that BMPM has no relation to prior asbestos exposure.
• Main results:
  • The patient had had mainly epigastric pain for 3 months. It was at first intermittent but had become constant and was made worse by eating.
  • The patient had also lost several kilograms in weight over the past 6 months and had bloating.
  • CT of the abdomen showed a small amount of free fluid in the right hepatorenal pouch and a possible small nodular density in the greater omentum near the stomach.
  • Upper abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, blood tests, tumour markers (CEA, CA19-9, CA-125), endoscopy and colonoscopy were all normal.
  • At diagnostic laparoscopy, multiple cystic nodules were found on the greater omentum and a cystic nodule on the right ovary.
  • Appendicectomy, right oophorectomy and excision of the omental cystic lesions were performed. Examination of the removed tissue confirmed BMPM.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, with increased use of diagnostic laparoscopy, BMPM may be found by chance more often, so greater awareness of the condition and of how best to treat it surgically is needed.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Mesothelium, Omentum, Ultrasound, Endoscopy, CA-125, Diagnostic Laparoscopy, Histopathology.

Related studies

• Multi-institutional experience of diffuse intra-abdominal multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — T.C. Chua, T.D. Yan, et al. (2011)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a ghost abdominal mass — H. Jerraya, W. Ghariani, et al. (2016)
• A Case of Abdominal Discomfort Caused by Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — T.G. Cotter, J.S. Van Arnam, et al. (2016)
• Intra-abdominal benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — I. Jouvin, A. Dohan, et al. (2014)
• Pediatric Benign Cystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — J. Durell, H. Dagash, et al. (2016)
• Laparoscopic excision of a benign peritoneal cystic mesothelioma — A. Limone, J. Maier, et al. (2010)

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