Biphasic malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis

Our plain-English summary of Biphasic malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, by K.C. Saw, T.H. Barker, K.H. Khalil, et al (British Journal of Urology, 1994).

The study

• Authors: K.C. Saw, T.H. Barker, K.H. Khalil, C.G. Gaches
• Journal: British Journal of Urology
• Published: 1994;74(3):381-2
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

This case report from the Departments of Urology and Histopathology at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Norwich, UK, described a malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis. A 63-year-old man presented with a left hydrocele that extended up the spermatic cord and transilluminated poorly. The testis was explored through an inguinal incision and was removed because the tunica was studded with white nodules. Histological examination showed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma, with some areas showing osteoid and cartilaginous differentiation. His chest X-ray was normal. Later enquiries found that he had been exposed to asbestos 20 years earlier for a period of 7 years. There was no evidence of recurrence at 6-month follow-up. In their comment, the authors noted that this tumour is rare and may present as a scrotal hydrocele. Eleven cases, including this one, had been reported in the English literature in addition to 37 cases reviewed by Carp et al. They stated that asbestos exposure has been implicated as a risk factor. They believed this was the first description of osteoid and cartilaginous differentiation in a mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis. They also reported that adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy had proved ineffective. If the scrotum has been violated, the hemiscrotum and inguinal lymph nodes should be excised. An aggressive surgical approach had been unsuccessful in one previously reported patient.

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 case report from Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in the UK described one 63-year-old man who came to doctors with a hydrocele, a fluid swelling around the left testis, that extended up the spermatic cord. At surgery, the lining around the testis (the tunica vaginalis) was found studded with white nodules, and the testis was removed. Under the microscope the tumour was a biphasic malignant mesothelioma, meaning it showed both sarcomatous and epithelial differentiation. Some areas showed bone-like (osteoid) and cartilage differentiation. His chest X-ray was normal. Later enquiries found that he had been exposed to asbestos 20 years earlier, for a period of 7 years. The article does not give the type of asbestos or how he was exposed. There was no evidence of the tumour returning at 6 months of follow-up. The authors stated that they believed this was the first description of osteoid and cartilaginous differentiation in a malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, although it had been described in mesothelioma of the pleura.

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 63-year-old man treated at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Norwich, UK (dates not given)
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure 20 years before diagnosis, lasting 7 years; fiber type, products and job not stated
• Main results:
  • In this patient, the testis was explored through an inguinal incision and removed because the tunica was studded with white nodules
  • In this patient, histology showed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma with some areas of osteoid and cartilaginous differentiation
  • In this patient, the tumour showed sarcomatous and epithelial differentiation
  • In this patient, the chest X-ray was normal
  • In this patient, there was no evidence of recurrence at 6-month follow-up
• The authors' conclusion: The authors believed this was the first description of osteoid and cartilaginous differentiation in a malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, though such differentiation had been described in pleural mesothelioma

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Biphasic Mesothelioma, Malignant Mesothelioma, Tunica Vaginalis, Histopathology, Hydrocele, Spermatic Cord, Chest X-Ray, Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis-A Malignancy Associated With Asbestos Exposure and Trauma: A Case Report and Literature Review — A.A. Baqui, N.A. Boire, et al. (2019)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: report of first case with preoperative diagnosis — L. Japko, A.A. Horta, et al. (1982)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare case and review of literature — M. Drevinskaite, A. Patasius, et al. (2020)
• Malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis: Report of a very rare case with review of the literature — E. Trenti, S.M. Palermo, et al. (2018)
• Pre-operative diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis by hydrocele fluid cytology — S.C. Gupta, A.K. Gupta, et al. (1998)
• Papillary serous carcinoma of the tunica vaginalis testis — P. Becerra, M.A. Isaac, et al. (2000)

Browse more research in British Journal of Urology, or return to medical research.