Congenital peritoneal mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Congenital peritoneal mesothelioma, by M.J. Silberstein, J.E. Lewis, J.D. Blair, et al (Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 1983).

The study

• Authors: M.J. Silberstein, J.E. Lewis, J.D. Blair, E.R. Graviss, A.E. Brodeur
• Journal: Journal of Pediatric Surgery
• Published: 1983;18(3):243-5
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 12 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Only three primary peritoneal mesotheliomas in children have been previously reported. We describe a 6-wk-old girl with a papillary peritoneal mesothelioma of low grade malignancy. This is probably a congenital mesothelioma and is the youngest patient reported to date.

In plain English

This was a case report of one infant treated at a children's hospital in St. Louis. A 6-week-old girl was admitted because of gradual enlargement of her abdomen. At surgery, doctors found a large cystic mass involving the omentum and attached to the right lobe of the liver, and the entire mass was removed. It measured 15 by 15 by 3 cm and weighed 250 g. It had penetrated about 1 to 2 cm into the liver beneath the liver's capsule. On examination it was a papillary peritoneal mesothelioma, and no mitoses, vascular invasion or cellular pleomorphism were seen. There was no evidence of recurrence or metastases during 3 years of follow-up. The authors reported no history of asbestos exposure in the child or in her mother before or during pregnancy, and the mother denied exposure to any known carcinogens. The authors concluded that the findings suggested a tumor of low grade malignancy, probably congenital, and that the girl was the youngest patient reported to date. They noted that the rarity of these tumors in children makes generalizations difficult.

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 6-week-old white girl admitted to Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children, St. Louis, Missouri; dates of admission not given (published 1983)
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure reported: no history of exposure to asbestos in the child or her mother before or during pregnancy; the mother denied exposure to any known carcinogens
• Main results:
  • Surgery revealed a large multiloculated cystic mass involving the omentum and attached to the right lobe of the liver; the entire mass was excised
  • The specimen weighed 250 g and measured 15 by 15 by 3 cm; the tumor had penetrated about 1 to 2 cm into the liver under the capsule
  • No mitoses, vascular invasion or cellular pleomorphism were observed in the tumor
  • No recurrence or metastases during 3 years of follow-up after surgery
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the tumor was a papillary peritoneal mesothelioma of low grade malignancy, probably congenital, and that the patient was the youngest reported to date
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the rarity of these tumors in children makes prognostic and diagnostic generalizations difficult

Topics

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

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

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