Malignant mesothelioma presenting in the pleura and peritoneum

Our plain-English summary of Malignant mesothelioma presenting in the pleura and peritoneum, by N.E. Mischler, T. Chuprevich, R.O. Johnson, et al (Journal of Surgical Oncology, 1979).

The study

• Authors: N.E. Mischler, T. Chuprevich, R.O. Johnson, D.C. Tormey
• Journal: Journal of Surgical Oncology
• Published: 1979;11(3):185-91
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 9 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma presenting in the pleura and peritoneum is described in a middle-aged man. The patient lacked significant asbestos exposure which is not unexpected from both the clinical literature and animal inhalation tumor data. Computerized axial tomographic correlation is provided. Partial remission was achieved with the administration of adriamycin and DTIC.

In plain English

This article was a case report about one patient, a 41-year-old man described as a tool and dye caster. In January 1977 he saw his local doctor because the left side of his abdominal wall had been bulging for one month. He denied any job or recreational exposure to asbestos. A biopsy of the abdominal wall mass, examined under light and electron microscopes, was compatible with malignant mesothelioma. The disease appeared to arise in both the pleura (chest lining) and the peritoneum (abdominal lining), a presentation the authors called uncommon. After two months on adriamycin alone, the disease progressed. CAT scans showed a pleural mass enveloping the left lung and a left-sided peritoneal mass. Treatment was changed to adriamycin plus DTIC. After one cycle, a mass above the pubic bone shrank by 25%. He later entered a partial remission on this regimen. The authors said his lack of significant asbestos exposure was not unexpected. They concluded that the case showed CAT scanning could evaluate the abdominal wall and abdominal cavity. A single case does not show how often this occurs.

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 41-year-old white man, described as a tool and dye caster, who first saw his local physician in January 1977 and was referred to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure reported: the patient denied any job or recreational exposure to asbestos. No fiber type is named for this patient.
• Main results:
  • Light and electron microscopy of the biopsy of the left abdominal wall mass was compatible with malignant mesothelioma
  • The disease appeared to arise from both the pleura and the peritoneum. The authors describe dual presentation in the pleura and peritoneum as uncommon.
  • After two months of treatment with adriamycin alone, the disease progressed
  • CAT scan of the lower chest showed a pleural mass enveloping the left lung
  • CAT scan of the mid-abdomen showed a left-sided peritoneal mass
  • After one cycle of adriamycin plus DTIC, the suprapubic mass shrank by 25%
  • The patient went on to enter a partial remission on the adriamycin and DTIC regimen. The article does not say when.
  • The authors stated that the patient lacked significant asbestos exposure. They said this was not unexpected from the clinical literature and animal inhalation tumor data.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the case demonstrates the ability of the CAT scan to evaluate the abdominal wall and abdominal cavity in a cancer whose extent is difficult to document

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleura, Peritoneum, Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• Nodular hemangiomatosis of pleura and peritoneum — S. Ribback, A. Thiele, et al. (2011)
• Malignant mesotheliomas and chemotherapy — C.P. Karakousis, M. Seddiq, et al. (1980)
• Mesothelioma of pleura and peritoneum following exposure to asbestos in the London area — M.L. Newhouse, H. Thompson (1965)
• Lung cancer and mesothelioma in the pleura and peritoneum among Swedish insulation workers — B. Järvholm, A. Sandén (1998)
• Pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma involving pleura and peritoneum: A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of three cases — I.A. Shah, J.R. Salvatore, et al. (1999)
• A case of mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, with involvement of the pleura and peritoneum — A. Poggi, F. Longo, et al. (2000)

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