Flow cytometric analysis of a localized malignant mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Flow cytometric analysis of a localized malignant mesothelioma, by J.J. Gómez-Román, R. Mons-Lera, I.S. Olmedo, et al (The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 2002).

The study

• Authors: J.J. Gómez-Román, R. Mons-Lera, I.S. Olmedo, J.F. Val-Bernal
• Journal: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
• Published: 2002;73(4):1292-4
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma usually presents as a diffuse neoplasm. We report a localized malignant mesothelioma in the parietal pleura of a patient who was not exposed to asbestos. A complete clinical, pathologic, and immunohistochemical description is provided. Flow cytometric analysis showed an aneuploid DNA content in neoplastic cells. The patient is alive and well 8 months after complete surgical resection. Localized malignant mesothelioma must be included in the differential diagnosis in chest wall-based neoplasms.

In plain English

This case report from Santander, Spain, described one patient with a localized, rather than diffuse, malignant mesothelioma of the parietal pleura. The patient, a 47-year-old man, was reported as not exposed to asbestos. A painful mass over the seventh and eighth ribs was noticed after a car accident. Surgeons removed an 8-cm mass attached to the parietal pleura and infiltrating the ribs and intercostal muscles, with tumor-free margins. Pleural biopsies taken away from the mass showed no changes. The tumor consisted of spindle and ovoid cells with a high mitotic count (2.07 mitoses/mm2). Staining was positive for Cam5.2 cytokeratin, EMA, calretinin and thrombomodulin, and negative for CD34. Flow cytometry of forty thousand cells found an aneuploid DNA content (DNA index 1.20; 46.91% of cells in S phase). Eight months after surgery the patient had no evidence of residual disease. The authors concluded that localized malignant mesothelioma must be considered when diagnosing chest wall masses and that complete surgical resection may be curative in some cases. They also noted that prognosis is unknown because few cases have been reported.

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 47-year-old man treated at University Hospital "Marqués de Valdecilla," Santander, Spain. He first came to medical attention after a car accident with pain and a mass at the seventh and eighth ribs.
• Exposure: The patient was reported as not exposed to asbestos; the article describes no fiber type or occupation
• Main results:
  • At surgery, an 8-cm whitish mass was attached to the parietal pleura and infiltrated the ribs and intercostal muscles. The resection margins were free of tumor.
  • Random pleural biopsies taken away from the main mass showed no histopathologic changes
  • The tumor was made entirely of spindle and ovoid cells, with a high mitotic count of 2.07 mitoses/mm2
  • Only Cam5.2 cytokeratin, EMA, calretinin and thrombomodulin showed strong staining; vimentin was focally positive
  • CD34 staining was negative in this case
  • Forty thousand cells were analyzed by flow cytometry
  • Flow cytometry showed an aneuploid DNA content, with a DNA index of 1.20 and 46.91% of cells in S phase
  • Eight months after surgery the patient had no evidence of residual disease and was symptom free
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that localized malignant mesothelioma must be included in the differential diagnosis of chest wall-based masses, and that complete surgical resection may be curative in some of these cases
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors state that prognosis for this type of tumor is unknown because few cases have been reported

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Localized Malignant Mesothelioma, Malignant Mesothelioma, Neoplasm, Parietal Pleura, Surgical Resection, Differential Diagnosis.

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