Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a case report and literature review

Our plain-English summary of Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a case report and literature review, by J.L. Chen, Y.H. Hsu (The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 2009).

The study

• Authors: J.L. Chen, Y.H. Hsu
• Journal: The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
• Published: 2009;25(2):77-81
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 27 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis is a rare but often fatal malignancy. Here, we report one patient with locally advanced disease who has a history of asbestos exposure. We review the literature concerning current management strategies of the disease. Radical surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy seems to provide the best results.

In plain English

This article was a case report of one patient, combined with a review of earlier published reports on malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, the lining around the testicle. The patient was a 67-year-old Taiwanese man who had had fluid swelling in both sides of the scrotum (bilateral hydrocele) for 30 years. He came to the clinic with painless enlargement of the right scrotum lasting 2 months. The tumor measured 8 by 10 by 15 cm. CT scanning showed no sign of local lymph node enlargement. A tissue test during surgery suggested chronic inflammation, but the final pathology showed malignant mesothelioma of the biphasic type, which had invaded the right testicle. A wider resection followed a week later because of poor wound healing. No local recurrence was seen over 7 months of follow-up. Looking back, the man had had short-term occupational exposure to asbestos 40 years earlier. The fiber type was not reported. The authors concluded that radical surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy seems to give the best results, and noted that prognosis remains poor.

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 of one patient with a literature review
• Who was studied: One 67-year-old Taiwanese man seen at the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan. He had a previously diagnosed infected right hydrocele (2004) and long-standing bilateral hydrocele for 30 years.
• Exposure: Short-term occupational exposure to asbestos 40 years earlier, identified retrospectively. Fiber type, job and dose were not reported.
• Main results:
  • The patient's tumor measured 8 by 10 by 15 cm and occupied the whole right scrotum up to the right external inguinal canal.
  • CT showed a localized right scrotal tumor without evidence of local lymphadenopathy.
  • The patient's serum beta-HCG was elevated, at 27.5 mIU/mL.
  • Pathology showed malignant mesothelioma arising from the tunica vaginalis, with a biphasic pattern of mixed epithelial and spindle cells.
  • Because of poor wound healing, a wide resection was performed 1 week after the first operation. No local recurrence was seen at follow-up visits over 7 months.
  • In their review, the authors stated that approximately 100 cases had been reported since the first one was described in 1957.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that radical surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy seems to provide the best results. They also stated that the disease should be considered in patients with an inguinoscrotal mass, particularly those exposed to asbestos, and that despite aggressive treatment the prognosis remains poor.

Topics

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

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

Related studies

• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare case and review of literature — M. Drevinskaite, A. Patasius, et al. (2020)
• Malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis: Report of a very rare case with review of the literature — E. Trenti, S.M. Palermo, et al. (2018)
• Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis-A Malignancy Associated With Asbestos Exposure and Trauma: A Case Report and Literature Review — A.A. Baqui, N.A. Boire, et al. (2019)
• Case Report of a Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis in an Undescended Testis With Review of Literature — P. Parcesepe, S. Sina, et al. (2016)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: report of first case with preoperative diagnosis — L. Japko, A.A. Horta, et al. (1982)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis — K. Antman, S. Cohen, et al. (1984)

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