Histogenesis and classification of mesonephric tumors of the female and male genital system and relationship to benign so-called adenomatoid tumors (mesotheliomas); a comparative histological study

Our plain-English summary of Histogenesis and classification of mesonephric tumors of the female and male genital system and relationship to benign so-called adenomatoid tumors (mesotheliomas); a comparative histological study, by G. Teilum (Acta Pathologica et Microbiologica Scandinavica, 1954).

The study

• Author: G. Teilum
• Journal: Acta Pathologica et Microbiologica Scandinavica
• Published: 1954;34(5):431-81
• Cited by: 156 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This article from the University Institute of Pathological Anatomy in Copenhagen compared 19 tumor cases under the microscope. Sixteen were carcinomas that the author classed as mesonephric, meaning related to the embryonic mesonephros (Wolffian body) and the tissue around it. Fourteen were in women, in the vagina, cervix, uterine wall, parametrium or broad ligament, and ovary. Two were in men, in the epididymis and testis region and in the spermatic cord. The other three were benign so-called "adenomatoid tumors", then also called "mesotheliomas", of the epididymis, uterus and Fallopian tube. The article does not mention asbestos, and the "mesotheliomas" it discusses are benign tumors of the genital tract. The author reported that the carcinomas and the benign tumors shared microscopic features, especially vacuoles in the cells that merged into clear spaces. Of the 11 ovarian and ligament carcinomas, 4 showed metastases, carcinosis or local invasion. The author concluded that these tumors suggested a common origin from primitive mesonephric tissue. The author also stated that the rate of malignancy could not be accurately determined because several cases had been observed only recently.

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: Comparative histological (microscopic) study of a case series
• Who was studied: 19 cases (Table 1): 14 carcinomas in women (2 of the cervix, 1 of the vagina, 11 ovarian, parovarian or parametric); 2 carcinomas in men (epididymis or testis region, case 6, from blocks lent by a hospital in Hull, Great Britain; spermatic cord, case 11); and 3 benign 'adenomatoid tumors' or 'mesotheliomas' (epididymis, uterus, Fallopian tube). The work was done in Copenhagen, Denmark, with cases from various hospitals.
• Exposure: None studied. The article examines tumor tissue structure and origin and does not mention asbestos or any other exposure.
• Main results:
  • The benign 'mesotheliomas' (adenomatoid tumors) and the mesonephric carcinomas were reported to be similar in many microscopic respects.
  • Vacuoles in the cells that merged into clear spaces were described as a distinctive finding in the mesonephric carcinomas and in the adenomatoid tumors in both sexes.
  • Among the 11 carcinomas of the ovary and ligaments in women, 4 had metastases, carcinosis or local invasion.
  • Case 4 (ovarian tumor): the patient was alive and well 10 years after the operation.
  • The two cervical carcinomas (cases 3 and 5) were fatal after 8 months and 7 years respectively. The vaginal carcinoma (case 1) was fatal within 10 months.
  • Both carcinomas in men (case 6 and case 11) were described as highly malignant.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that the mesonephric tumors may often arise from primitive mesonephric mesoderm rather than from persistent epithelial remnants. The author also concluded that the benign 'adenomatoid tumors' and certain mesonephric carcinomas suggest a common origin.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The incidence of malignancy could not be accurately determined because several cases had been observed only recently.
  • Variation in tumor location and histology may make a general estimate difficult.

Topics

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

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

Related studies

• Benign mesotheliomas of testicular appendages: a morphologic and histochemical study of seven cases and review of theories of histogenesis — A. Stavrides, J.B. Hutcheson (1960)
• Adenomatoid tumors of the male and female genital tract are defined by TRAF7 mutations that drive aberrant NF-kB pathway activation — B. Goode, N.M. Joseph, et al. (2018)
• Mesothelioma of the female genital tract; review of the literature and report of five cases involving the uterus — R.C. Horn, G.C. Lewis (1951)
• WT1 expression in the female genital tract — C. Bárcena, E. Oliva (2011)
• Immunohistochemical evidence of the mesothelial histogenesis of a uterine adenomatoid tumor — Y. Satoh, M. Hiraguchi, et al. (1998)
• Synchronous occurrence of benign mesothelioma and adenomatoid tumor of uterus: A case report and review of literature — P.R. Shen, J. Cen, et al. (2019)

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