Fine needle aspiration cytology in malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis

Our plain-English summary of Fine needle aspiration cytology in malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, by R. Gupta, P. Dey, R.K. Vasishtha (Cytopathology, 2011).

The study

• Authors: R. Gupta, P. Dey, R.K. Vasishtha
• Journal: Cytopathology
• Published: 2011;22(1):66-8
• Type of article: Case report, Letter
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This letter to the editor was a case report of one patient with malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, a lining around the testis. The patient was an 80-year-old man seen at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. He had had right scrotal swelling for 3 years. Surgery to remove the testis at a peripheral hospital in 2006 was reported as adenocarcinoma. When referred, he had a recurrent large scrotal swelling with ulcers and skin nodules of 0.5 to 1.5 cm. Fine needle aspiration (sampling cells with a thin needle) showed cell clusters that suggested malignant mesothelioma, and tissue examination confirmed it. Immunocytochemistry could not be done for technical reasons. The article did not report whether this man had been exposed to asbestos. Citing earlier literature, its background said an association with asbestos exposure is present in 31 to 41% of these tumours. The authors searched Medline and found very few earlier cases diagnosed this way. The authors concluded that detailed imaging plus aspiration cytology may be sufficient to diagnose this rare tumour.

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 (letter to the editor), with a brief Medline search of earlier published cases
• Who was studied: one 80-year-old man with right scrotal swelling, seen at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; earlier orchidectomy in 2006 at a peripheral hospital
• Exposure: The article does not report whether this patient was exposed to asbestos. Its background states, citing earlier publications (references 1 and 2), that an association with asbestos exposure is present in 31 to 41% of cases of this tumour.
• Main results:
  • The patient's earlier orchidectomy, performed in 2006 at a peripheral hospital, had been reported as adenocarcinoma.
  • On referral the patient had a recurrent large scrotal swelling with multiple ulcers and skin nodules measuring 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter.
  • Fine needle aspiration of the mass gave very cellular smears with papillary and tubular cell clusters, some showing 'windows' like normal mesothelial clusters. Malignant mesothelioma was suggested and then confirmed on histopathology.
  • A Medline search found very few earlier published cases of testicular mesothelioma diagnosed on fine needle aspiration or cytology fluid; these were listed in a table.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that a detailed radiological examination together with aspiration cytology material may be sufficient to diagnose this rare tumour and guide timely intervention.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Immunocytochemistry could not be performed in this case for technical reasons.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Cytology, Mesothelioma, Tunica Vaginalis.

Related studies

• Cutaneous manifestations of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis — H.J. van der Rhee, W.A. van Vloten, et al. (1983)
• Pre-operative diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis by hydrocele fluid cytology — S.C. Gupta, A.K. Gupta, et al. (1998)
• Imaging of mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis — M. Bertolotto, I. Boulay-Coletta, et al. (2016)
• Papillary serous carcinoma of the tunica vaginalis testis — P. Becerra, M.A. Isaac, et al. (2000)
• Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare malignancy mimicking more common inguino-scrotal masses — P.J. Schure, K.C. van Dalen, et al. (2006)
• Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis of unknown malignant potential: Sonographic appearance — K.W.S. Ko, K.S. Tse, et al. (2018)

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