Malignant intraperitoneal neoplasms of childhood

Our plain-English summary of Malignant intraperitoneal neoplasms of childhood, by C.J. Chung, V. Bui, L.A. Fordham, et al (Pediatric Radiology, 1998).

The study

• Authors: C.J. Chung, V. Bui, L.A. Fordham, J. Hill, D. Bulas
• Journal: Pediatric Radiology
• Published: 1998;28(5):317-21
• Cited by: 14 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review and categorize the CT appearances of primary and secondary intraperitoneal neoplasms in children.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the CT images of 14 cases of intraperitoneal neoplasms. They were reviewed for bowel wall thickening, mesenteric nodules, ascites, calcification, peritoneal nodules, omental caking, and contrast enhancement.

Results: Computed tomography images of 14 cases of intraperitoneal neoplasms were evaluated: rhabdomyosarcoma (5), lymphoma (3), neuroblastoma (2), germ cell tumor (1), mesothelioma (1), Wilms tumor (1), and hepatocellular carcinoma (1). Nodular enhancement was seen in all cases, ascites in most, significant bowel wall thickening only with lymphoma, and calcification only with germ cell tumors. Omental caking was present both with rhabdomyosarcoma and lymphoma.

Conclusions: While rare in pediatrics, intraperitoneal neoplasms occur in children, and CT is useful in identifying these peritoneal neoplasms.

In plain English

This was a retrospective review of CT scans of 14 children with pathologically proven cancers inside the abdominal (peritoneal) cavity. The cases came from the tumor registries and X-ray files of four participating institutions. The tumors were rhabdomyosarcoma (5), lymphoma (3), neuroblastoma (2), and one each of mesothelioma, Wilms tumor, hepatocellular carcinoma and germ cell tumor. Ages ranged from 5 months to 16 years, and the child with mesothelioma was the oldest. Ascites (fluid in the abdomen) was seen in 12 of 14 children, but not in the child with mesothelioma or in one child with lymphoma. Peritoneal nodules or masses were visible in 9 of 14 cases. Bowel wall thickening was seen only in the three lymphoma cases, and peritoneal calcification only in one case of teratoma. Omental caking was seen only in three children with rhabdomyosarcoma and one with lymphoma. The authors described ascites, peritoneal nodules and mesenteric nodules as nonspecific findings. They concluded that these tumors, while rare, occur in children and that CT is useful in identifying them. The study did not examine asbestos exposure.

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: Retrospective case series reviewing CT imaging findings
• Who was studied: 14 children with pathologically proven intraperitoneal neoplasms from four participating institutions: rhabdomyosarcoma (n = 5), lymphoma (n = 3), neuroblastoma (n = 2), and one each of mesothelioma, Wilms tumor, hepatocellular carcinoma and germ cell tumor. Ages ranged from 5 months to 16 years (mean 6 years). The study years are not stated.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied; the article examined CT imaging findings. Asbestos was not assessed. The discussion states only, as background, that asbestos exposure is not thought to cause mesothelioma in children.
• Main results:
  • The child with mesothelioma was the oldest in the series; neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma were seen in the younger children.
  • A primary tumor site was identified in 6 of 14 children.
  • CT showed ascites in 12 of 14 children. It was not seen in the child with mesothelioma or in one child with lymphoma, and in no case was it considered massive.
  • In the child with mesothelioma, CT showed a large hypodense nonenhancing nodule.
  • Peritoneal nodules or masses were visible in 9 of 14 cases.
  • Peritoneal calcification was present only in one case of teratoma.
  • Omental caking (thickening of the omentum) was seen only in three patients with rhabdomyosarcoma and one patient with lymphoma.
  • Mesenteric nodules were seen in five patients: three with rhabdomyosarcoma, one with lymphoma and one with neuroblastoma.
  • Bowel wall thickening was seen only in the three lymphoma cases, all with bowel wall thickness greater than 8 mm.
  • The authors described ascites, peritoneal nodules and mesenteric nodules as nonspecific findings.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that intraperitoneal neoplasms, while rare in children, do occur, and that CT is useful in identifying them.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors cautioned that bowel wall thickening, seen only with lymphoma in their series, is unlikely to remain specific to one type of tumor.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Neoplasm, Ascites, Omental Caking, Germ Cell Tumor, Mesothelioma, Carcinoma.

Related studies

• Mesothelioma of childhood — A.E. Fraire, S. Cooper, et al. (1988)
• Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion with chemotherapy in children with peritoneal tumor spread: A French nationwide study over 14 years — A. Scalabre, P. Philippe-Chomette, et al. (2018)
• Spectrum of peritoneal mesothelioma in childhood: clinical and histopathologic features, including DNA cytometry — F.K. Niggli, T.J. Gray, et al. (1994)
• Pulmonary abnormalities as a result of exposure to Libby amphibole during childhood and adolescence-The Pre-Adult Latency Study (PALS) — J. Szeinuk, C.W. Noonan, et al. (2017)
• Mesothelioma in childhood — A. Kelsey (1994)
• Efficacy of cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of malignant ascites — R.W. Randle, K.R. Swett, et al. (2014)

Browse return to medical research.