Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis related to recent asbestos

Our plain-English summary of Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis related to recent asbestos, by Y. Ikegami, N. Kawai, K. Tozawa, et al (International Journal of Urology, 2008).

The study

• Authors: Y. Ikegami, N. Kawai, K. Tozawa, Y. Hayashi, K. Kohri
• Journal: International Journal of Urology
• Published: 2008;15(6):560-1
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

We report an extremely rare case of malignant mesothelioma in the tunica vaginalis testis. A 67-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of painless swelling in the right scrotum. Ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrated a mass of approximately 6 cm in the right scrotum. He underwent tumor resection under a diagnosis of right intrascrotal tumor. The histopathological diagnosis was malignant mesothelioma, and he died 26 months later from multiple metastases. Asbestos may be a significant contributor to malignant mesothelioma in Japan. There have been 46 cases reported in urology departments in this country of the related symptoms, but only two of these have been clearly attributable to asbestos, which may be due to the investigations being insufficient to obtain a definitive diagnosis. In addition, this symptom is often diagnosed preoperatively as hydrocele testis; it is therefore important to carry out ultrasonography when a hydrocele testis has been diagnosed.

In plain English

This was a case report from Nagoya, Japan. A 67-year-old man whose occupation was painting came to the authors' hospital in August 2002 with painless swelling in the right scrotum. Imaging showed a mass of about 6 cm, with no evidence of spread to distant sites or lymph nodes, and the authors saw no lung abnormality such as asbestos-related changes. Although the title mentions asbestos, the authors reported that the patient had no history of asbestos exposure. The tumor was removed and diagnosed as malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis (the lining around the testis). No further treatment was given. Liver metastasis appeared at 24 months, and the patient died 26 months after surgery. The authors found 46 case reports of malignant mesothelioma by Japanese urologists, and only two of these were attributed to asbestos exposure. Of 38 Japanese cases of this tumor, 16 had been diagnosed before surgery as hydrocele testis. The authors concluded that a correct diagnosis requires a detailed investigation that includes questions about asbestos exposure, and that ultrasonography should be used to examine a hydrocele testis.

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 discussion of case reports previously published by Japanese urologists
• Who was studied: One 67-year-old man referred in August 2002 with painless right scrotal swelling, treated at a hospital in Nagoya, Japan
• Exposure: The patient had no reported history of asbestos exposure. His occupation was painting. No fiber type was identified.
• Main results:
  • In the patient, imaging showed a mass of approximately 6 cm in the right scrotum, with no evidence of distant or lymph node metastases
  • The authors did not recognize any lung abnormality such as asbestos-related lung changes in the patient
  • The resected tumor stained positive for vimentin and calretinin and was diagnosed as malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis
  • No further treatment was given after surgery
  • The patient developed liver metastasis at 24 months and died at 26 months after surgery
  • Of 46 case reports of malignant mesothelioma by Japanese urologists found by the authors, only two were attributed to asbestos exposure
  • Of 38 reported cases of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis in Japan, 16 were diagnosed preoperatively as hydrocele testis
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that a correct diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma requires a detailed investigation that includes questions about asbestos exposure, and that ultrasonography should be used to examine a hydrocele testis
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that asking patients about asbestos exposure may be insufficient to determine the cause, and that occupational and environmental exposures should both be investigated

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, Hydrocele.

Related studies

• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare case and review of literature — M. Drevinskaite, A. Patasius, et al. (2020)
• Cutaneous Metastases From Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis — P. Hispán, J.C. Pascual, et al. (2016)
• A case of mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, with involvement of the pleura and peritoneum — A. Poggi, F. Longo, et al. (2000)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis — K. Antman, S. Cohen, et al. (1984)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: report of first case with preoperative diagnosis — L. Japko, A.A. Horta, et al. (1982)
• Epidemiology of mesothelioma of the pericardium and tunica vaginalis testis — G. Mezei, E.T. Chang, et al. (2017)

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