Cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: report of a case

Our plain-English summary of Cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: report of a case, by G. De Toma, V. Nicolanti, M. Plocco, et al (Surgery Today, 2000).

The study

• Authors: G. De Toma, V. Nicolanti, M. Plocco, G. Cavallaro, D. Amato, C. Letizia
• Journal: Surgery Today
• Published: 2000;30(1):98-100
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease, especially when it arises in a cystic form with tardive and often nonspecific symptoms. While diffuse neoplasms have an unfavorable prognosis, cystic forms are usually benign. An accurate diagnosis can only be made only with electron microscopy and immunohistochemical studies. A 92-year-old woman with an ultrastructurally ascertained cystic peritoneal mesothelioma was admitted to the hospital's emergency ward, and was considered to be unusual because of the size of the mass and the patient's age. A review of the literature is made, and the clinical and diagnostic aspects of this disease are also discussed.

In plain English

This article is a case report from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in Italy. It describes one patient, a 92-year-old woman, with cystic peritoneal mesothelioma, a tumor of the lining of the abdomen. The patient had had abdominal pain for months. She was admitted after a sudden fainting spell and dark stools, and tests showed severe anemia. At emergency surgery, the surgeons found a very large mass, up to 30 cm across, and removed it. Under the microscope the tissue contained cysts, and staining was positive for vimentin, keratin and a histiocytic marker. This led to the diagnosis of cystic peritoneal mesothelioma. The patient left hospital on the 13th day after surgery. Twelve months later the patient was in fairly good condition with no sign of the disease returning. The article does not report whether the patient had been exposed to asbestos. Discussing earlier reports, the authors wrote that no precise cause has been identified for the cystic form. The authors considered the case unusual because of the tumor's location, the patient's age and the emergency setting.

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), with a discussion of the published literature
• Who was studied: One 92-year-old woman admitted to the authors' hospital (University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy); dates of treatment not given
• Exposure: The patient's asbestos exposure history is not reported. In discussing the literature, the authors wrote that no precise causes have yet been identified for the cystic form of mesothelioma.
• Main results:
  • Before surgery the patient had several months of abdominal pain. On admission, after fainting and dark stools, laboratory tests showed severe anemia (red blood cells 2340000/mm3, hemoglobin 5.6 g/dl).
  • At emergency midline laparotomy, a very large, highly vascularized mass measuring a maximum of 30 cm in diameter was found and removed en bloc.
  • Histology showed cystic spaces lined by keratin-positive epithelium. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for vimentin, keratin and a histiocytic marker, and the diagnosis was cystic peritoneal mesothelioma.
  • The patient's recovery after surgery was uneventful, with discharge on the 13th postoperative day. After 12 months the patient was in fairly good condition with no sign of recurrence.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors considered the case unusual because of the rare retroperitoneal location, an age not typical for cystic mesothelioma, and the emergency surgery. Based on their reading of the literature, they also wrote that because cystic mesothelioma is benign, highly aggressive operations removing vital organs should not be done.

Topics

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

Related studies

• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)
• Cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: report of a case — A. Cavallaro, M. Berretta, et al. (2011)
• van Ruth S, Bronkhorst MWGA, van Coeverden F, Zoetmulder FAN. Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of literature. Eur J Surg Oncol 2002; 28(2): 192-5 — K. Sethna, F. Mohamed, et al. (2002)
• Pediatric Benign Cystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — J. Durell, H. Dagash, et al. (2016)
• Peritoneal cystic mesothelioma treated with minimally invasive approach — G. Navarra, S. Occhionorelli, et al. (1996)

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