Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: clinicopathological characteristics of two cases

Our plain-English summary of Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: clinicopathological characteristics of two cases, by M.C. Algın, F. Yaylak, Z. Bayhan, et al (Case Reports in Surgery, 2014).

The study

• Authors: M.C. Algın, F. Yaylak, Z. Bayhan, F. Aslan, N.A. Bayhan
• Journal: Case Reports in Surgery
• Published: 2014;2014:748469
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Introduction. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare tumor, presenting difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. Peritoneum is the second most common area of the mesothelioma after pleura, and even synchronous pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas are observed in 30-45% of all cases. The diagnosis may be difficult due to lack of specific symptoms and clinical findings. In addition, a delay in the diagnosis is not rare especially in the absence of previous asbestos exposure. Here we report two cases of malignant peritoneal mesotheliomas. The diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these rare neoplasms are discussed. Case Presentation. The cases were two men (one aged 54 years old and the other 40 years old). Prolonged abdominal pain and swelling were the primary presentation symptoms and findings. The mesotheliomas were developed in the right upper quadrant of abdomen in both of the cases. Both cases were treated with surgical resection. Final diagnosis were possible with histological and immunohistochemical documentation of tumor characteristics, which were consistent with dictating a mesothelial origin. No history of asbestos exposure was reported. Conclusion. Peritoneal mesotheliomas are rare clinical entities. However, patients with prolonged abdominal pain and abdominal masses should be considered to have atypical pathologies such as peritoneal mesotheliomas.

In plain English

This case report from Turkey described two men with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The first, aged 54, had shortness of breath, abdominal pain and swelling. Cytology of right-sided pleural fluid was reported as compatible with a malignant epithelial tumor but could not distinguish mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma. A mass was felt in the right upper abdomen. Surgeons removed the omentum, a fatty abdominal membrane stuck to the colon; tissue examination showed malignant mesothelioma. After six cycles of chemotherapy, two cysts (18 by 12 cm and 10 by 8 cm) were found and drained; he remained in follow-up. The second man, aged 40, had abdominal pain for two months and right upper abdominal swelling. His gallbladder, bearing a 7 by 5 cm mass, was removed with the adjacent liver segment; the mass was epithelioid malignant mesothelioma. The authors reported no history of asbestos exposure, though the case details state this explicitly only for the first man. The authors concluded that peritoneal mesothelioma should be considered in people with an abdominal mass, prolonged abdominal pain and ascites, and that a history of asbestos exposure may be absent.

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 (two cases)
• Who was studied: Two men, aged 54 and 40, treated at Dumlupinar University hospitals in Kutahya, Turkey; dates of treatment not given
• Exposure: No history of asbestos exposure was reported; no fiber type or occupation is described
• Main results:
  • Case 1 (54-year-old man): cytology of pleural fluid was reported as compatible with a malignant epithelial tumor, but mesothelioma could not be distinguished from adenocarcinoma
  • Case 1: total omentectomy was performed, and histopathology showed malignant mesothelioma
  • Case 1: after six cycles of chemotherapy, CT showed two cystic lesions (18 by 12 cm and 10 by 8 cm), which were drained through the skin; the patient was in follow-up
  • Case 2 (40-year-old man): abdominal pain for 2 months and abdominal swelling in the right upper quadrant; CT showed a 7 by 5 cm mass originating from the gallbladder
  • Case 2: cholecystectomy and resection of the adjacent liver segment were performed; the tumor was epithelioid malignant mesothelioma
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that peritoneal mesothelioma, though uncommon, should be considered in people with an abdominal mass, prolonged abdominal pain and ascites, especially when the initial diagnosis is unclear, and that a history of asbestos exposure may not be present.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Peritoneum, Mesothelioma, Pleura, Asbestos Exposure, Neoplasm, Surgical Resection.

Related studies

• Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes in men with mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: analysis of published case-series data — J.B. Grogg, J.N. Fronzaroli, et al. (2021)
• Clinicopathological Characteristics of Well-differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma of The Peritoneum: A Single-institutional Experience of 12 Cases — M. Kim, H.S. Kim (2019)
• The clinicopathological characteristics with long-term outcomes in malignant mesothelioma — M. Dogan, G. Utkan, et al. (2014)
• Iterative cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for recurrent or progressive diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcome — C. Ihemelandu, L. Bijelic, et al. (2015)
• The diagnostic and molecular characteristics of malignant mesothelioma and ovarian/peritoneal serous carcinoma — B. Davidson (2011)
• Characteristics of peritoneal macrophages induced by asbestos injection — K. Donaldson, J.M. Davis, et al. (1982)

Browse return to medical research.