Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma mimicking recurrence of an ovarian borderline tumor: a case report

Our plain-English summary of Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma mimicking recurrence of an ovarian borderline tumor: a case report, by S. Takemoto, R. Kawano, K. Honda, et al (Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2012).

The study

• Authors: S. Takemoto, R. Kawano, K. Honda, A. Nakazono, K. Shimamatsu
• Journal: Journal of Medical Case Reports
• Published: 2012;6:126
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Introduction: Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare tumor that occurs mainly in women in their reproductive age. Its preoperative diagnosis and adequate treatment are quite difficult to attain.

Case Presentation: Our patient was a 23-year-old Japanese woman who had a history of right oophorectomy and left ovarian cystectomy for an ovarian tumor at 20 years of age. The left ovarian tumor had been diagnosed on histology as a mucinous borderline tumor. Two years and nine months after the initial operation, multiple cysts were found in our patient. A laparotomy was performed and her uterus, left ovary, omentum and pelvic lymph nodes were removed due to suspicion of recurrence of the borderline tumor. A histological examination, however, revealed that the cysts were not a recurrence of the borderline tumor but rather benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma. There were no residual lesions and our patient was followed up with ultrasonography. She remains free from recurrence nine months after treatment.

Conclusion: We report a case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma mimicking recurrence of an ovarian borderline tumor. Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma should be suspected when a multicystic lesion is present in the pelvis as in the case presented here, especially in patients with previous abdominal surgery.

In plain English

This article was a case report about one Japanese woman. At age 20 she had surgery for tumors on both ovaries. The right one was a mucinous cystadenoma, and the left one was an intestinal-type mucinous borderline tumor. Two years and nine months later, follow-up scans found a pelvic tumor of many cysts, about 10 cm across, and doctors suspected the borderline tumor had come back. In a second operation, her uterus, left ovary and omentum were removed, along with a pelvic lymph node biopsy and an appendectomy, and the whole lesion was removed. Tests on the tissue showed the cysts were not a recurrence. The diagnosis was benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM). She was free from recurrence nine months after treatment. The article did not describe any asbestos exposure for this patient. In their discussion, the authors stated that, unlike pleural mesothelioma, BMPM is not associated with asbestos exposure. The authors concluded that BMPM should be suspected when a multicystic lesion is found in the pelvis, especially in patients who have had abdominal surgery before.

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 (a single patient)
• Who was studied: One Japanese woman, first seen at age 20 with lower abdominal pain, who had mental retardation and epilepsy and was treated at a gynecology department in Japan
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was studied or reported for this patient. In the discussion, the authors state that BMPM, unlike pleural mesothelioma, is not associated with prior asbestos exposure. The patient had previous abdominal surgery (right oophorectomy and left ovarian cystectomy).
• Main results:
  • At the first surgery, the left ovarian tumor was diagnosed as an intestinal-type mucinous borderline tumor (the right was a mucinous cystadenoma)
  • Two years and nine months after the first surgery, a multilocular tumor about 10 cm in diameter was found in her pelvic cavity, and recurrence of the borderline tumor was suspected
  • At the second surgery, complete resection of the lesion was achieved
  • The cells lining the cyst wall stained positive for calretinin and Wilms' tumor protein and negative for D2-40, and the patient was diagnosed with BMPM
  • The patient remained free from recurrence nine months after treatment
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma should be suspected when a multicystic lesion is present in the pelvis, especially in patients with previous abdominal surgery

Topics

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

Related studies

• Benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma incorrectly diagnosed as an ovarian borderline mucinous tumor of intestinal type at transvaginal preoperative ultrasound evaluation — A.C. Testa, G.F. Zannoni, et al. (2011)
• A recurrence of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma treated through laparoscopic excision: a case report and review of the literature — T.D. Witek, J.W. Marchese, et al. (2014)
• Remote Recurrence of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — C.E. Lee, A. Agrawal (2017)
• Late recurrence of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma complicated with an incisional hernia — E. Canbay, H. Ishibashi, et al. (2013)
• BENIGN MULTICYSTIC PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA MIMICKING GYNECOLOGIC PATHOLOGY — I. Alvir, B. Bevanda, et al. (2021)
• Borderline multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — S. Landolsi, A. Bouchrika, et al. (2022)

Browse more research in Journal of Medical Case Reports, or return to medical research.