Mesodermomas: a new embryological approach to primary tumours of coelomic surfaces

Our plain-English summary of Mesodermomas: a new embryological approach to primary tumours of coelomic surfaces, by A. Donna, P.G. Betta (Histopathology, 1981).

The study

• Authors: A. Donna, P.G. Betta
• Journal: Histopathology
• Published: 1981;5(1):31-44
• Cited by: 40 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

It appears that the so-called mesothelium lining the serous cavities is in fact mesoderm, with an epithelial-like arrangement which persists in the post-embryological stage. Cellular variability of primary tumours of serous surfaces can be explained on this developmental evidence. The term mesodermoma seems to be justified to define neoplasms arising from undifferentiated and multipotential mesoderm which, in neoplastic disease, exhibits a wide range of differential activity and gives rise to tumours with prevailing myoblastic, angioblastic, lymphoblastic, chondroblastic, osteoblastic, fibroblastic or epithelial-like features.

In plain English

This 1981 pathology paper from Alessandria, Italy, proposed replacing the term 'mesothelioma' with 'mesodermoma'. The authors argued from embryology that the lining of the serous cavities (pleura, pericardium and peritoneum) is primitive mesoderm that can develop along many tissue lines. They reviewed biopsy and autopsy material from their own collection and from other pathologists in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, using light microscopy and special stains. The paper does not say how many cases were examined. The authors described tumours of serous surfaces with muscle-like, blood-vessel-like, lymphoma-like, bone-like, cartilage-like and fibrous features. They reported that detached, 'rounded-up' cells in epithelial-like areas were found in all their cases. One lymphoma-like tumour was in the left pleura of a 67-year-old man with a past history of asbestos exposure. Another was an experimental pleural tumour in a rat inoculated with asbestos. The type of asbestos was not named. The authors concluded that mesodermoma should replace mesothelioma as the term. They acknowledged that their study lacked confirming electron-microscope observations.

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: Descriptive histopathology review of biopsy and autopsy material, used to support a proposed new classification and name for primary tumours of serous surfaces. It includes one experimental animal tumour.
• Who was studied: Biopsy and autopsy material, partly from the authors' own collection (myoblastic and experimental lymphoblastic forms) and partly from other pathologists in Italy and other European countries. The number of cases is not stated. One named human case was a 67-year-old man. One experimental case was a Sprague-Dawley rat.
• Exposure: Asbestos is mentioned only for two tumours: a human patient with a past history of asbestos exposure (no details given), and a rat inoculated with asbestos (fiber type and dose not stated).
• Main results:
  • Myoblastic (muscle-like) form, described for the pleura: the authors held that a transition to epithelial-like cells must always be found to diagnose mesodermoma.
  • The angioblastic (blood-vessel-like) form was described as resembling the developing blood-vessel tissue of a 12-day rabbit embryo.
  • The lymphoblastic (lymphoma-like) tumour in the left pleura of the 67-year-old asbestos-exposed man showed features of malignant lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytoid sub-type.
  • In the experimental pleural tumour in the asbestos-inoculated rat, no tumour was found in the liver, spleen or lymph nodes. The authors took this as evidence that the tumour began in the pleura.
  • The osteoblastic (bone-like) form, with clinical and anatomical data supporting a primary origin in the pleura, consisted of epithelial-like structures within an osteoid (bone-like) matrix.
  • The chondroblastic (cartilage-like) form resembled pleomorphic cartilage. The authors compared it with a previously reported peritoneal mesothelioma case and with their own experimental case.
  • In the fibroblastic (fibrous) form, a fibrosarcoma-like pattern predominated. After many sections were examined, an epithelial-like arrangement of cells was also found.
  • Detachment and rounding-up of epithelial-like cells were reported in all of the authors' cases of mesodermoma.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the term mesodermoma should replace mesothelioma. In their view, stressing a common mesodermal origin better explains the wide variation in structure of primary tumours of coelomic surfaces.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the study lacked confirming ultrastructural (electron microscope) observations, though they considered these not essential to their concept.

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: Mesothelium, Serous Cavities, Mesoderm, Neoplasm.

Related studies

• A new insight into the histogenesis of 'mesodermomas'--malignant mesotheliomas — A. Donna, P.G. Betta, et al. (1991)
• Cytoreductive Surgery and Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (HIPEC) by Minimally Invasive Approach, an Initial Experience — A. Arjona-Sanchez, S. Rufian-Peña, et al. (2018)
• Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal surface malignancy: experience with 1,000 patients — E.A. Levine, J.H. Stewart, et al. (2014)
• Outcomes of repeat cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy — K.I. Votanopoulos, C. Ihemelandu, et al. (2012)
• Lipoblastic differentiation in a primary localized fibrous mesothelioma of the peritoneum — A. Donna, P.G. Betta, et al. (1996)
• Diffuse mesothelioma of the peritoneum: a pathological study of 64 tumours treated with cytoreductive therapy — M. Lee, H.R. Alexander, et al. (2013)

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