Malignant mesothelioma with fungating masses and multiple sites involvement

Our plain-English summary of Malignant mesothelioma with fungating masses and multiple sites involvement, by J.K. Sim, J.Y. Oh, K.H. Min, et al (The Clinical Respiratory Journal, 2017).

The study

• Authors: J.K. Sim, J.Y. Oh, K.H. Min, G.Y. Hur, J.J. Shim, K.H. Kang, S.Y. Lee
• Journal: The Clinical Respiratory Journal
• Published: 2017;11(4):524-528
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare tumor associated with asbestos exposure. It typically presents as thickening or nodularity of the pleura, although it can also originate from other sites consisting of mesothelia and have manifestations other than thickening or nodularity. Several studies have implied that these different manifestations are associated with a different tumor biology. We report the case of a 54-year-old man with multiple fungating masses diagnosed as MM on histological examination.

© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In plain English

This article is a case report from Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul about one patient, a 54-year-old man who came to the hospital in November 2013 with worsening shortness of breath. The patient had a 30-pack-year smoking history and had worked in construction for 8 years. The report does not say whether the patient was exposed to asbestos. Scans showed a large fluid collection around the right lung, diffuse pleural thickening and a 10-cm mass in the right lower chest. A needle biopsy with tissue staining led to a diagnosis of biphasic malignant mesothelioma. Further scans found a 6-cm omental mass in the abdominal cavity and a 7-cm mass in the pelvic cavity. The authors described the lesions in this case as entirely separate. Pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy at best kept the disease stable. It progressed after 4 cycles, three further lines of chemotherapy brought no response, and the patient died in January 2015. The authors concluded that this rarely seen combination of features indicates a unique biology.

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 (a single patient)
• Who was studied: One 54-year-old man treated at Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea, first seen in November 2013
• Exposure: The patient had worked as a construction worker for 8 years and had a 30-pack-year smoking history. The article does not state whether the patient had asbestos exposure or which fiber type might have been involved.
• Main results:
  • Chest CT showed a 10-cm, heterogeneous, irregularly shaped mass in the right lower chest, along with diffuse pleural thickening and a large pleural effusion.
  • Biopsy and immunohistochemical staining led to a diagnosis of biphasic malignant mesothelioma.
  • Abdominal CT showed two masses matching masses seen on PET scanning: a 6-cm omental mass in the abdominal cavity and a 7-cm mass in the pelvic cavity.
  • The authors described the lesions in this patient as entirely separate. This contrasts with previously reported cases involving both pleura and peritoneum, which were diffuse or anatomically continuous.
  • On pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy, the best response was stable disease, and the disease progressed after 4 cycles.
  • Second-, third- and fourth-line chemotherapy produced no further response, and the patient died in January 2015.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the particular combination of features in this case is rarely encountered and indicates a unique biology.

Topics

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

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

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