Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: report of 2 cases with asbestos occupational exposure

Our plain-English summary of Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: report of 2 cases with asbestos occupational exposure, by G. Gorini, M. Pinelli, V. Sforza, et al (International Journal of Surgical Pathology, 2005).

The study

• Authors: G. Gorini, M. Pinelli, V. Sforza, U. Simi, A. Rinnovati, G. Zocchi
• Journal: International Journal of Surgical Pathology
• Published: 2005;13(2):211-4
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

We report here 2 cases of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis. A 67-year-old man with a left testicular mass was referred for left inguinal orchidectomy. Histologic examination showed a malignant mesothelioma of epithelial type. There is no evidence of recurrence at 2-year follow-up. The patient had been exposed to asbestos 12 years previously for a 30-year period. An 80-year-old man presented a 5-year history of scrotal swelling. Clinical examination revealed a hydrocele. The patient underwent resection of the tunica vaginalis through scrotal incision. Microscopic examination showed a malignant mesothelioma of biphasic type. There is no evidence of recurrence at 2-year follow-up. The patient had been exposed to asbestos 52 years previously for a 5-year period.

In plain English

This article reported two cases of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis, taken from the Tuscan Malignant Mesothelioma Register in Italy. In the first case, a 67-year-old man was referred to hospital in May 2002 for hernias, was found to have a left testicular mass, and underwent left inguinal orchidectomy. The tumor was a mesothelioma of epithelial type. From 1960 to 1990 he had worked in railway transport and had been regularly exposed to asbestos while repairing and maintaining locomotives. In the second case, an 80-year-old man had a 5-year history of painless right-sided scrotal swelling, found to be a hydrocele. After resection of the tunica vaginalis, the tumor proved to be a biphasic malignant mesothelioma. From 1935 to 1940 he had been regularly exposed to asbestos while repairing and maintaining tractors with asbestos friction brakes. Neither man had evidence of recurrence at 2-year follow-up. The authors reported that these were the only two such cases recorded in the register from 1988 to 2003. They concluded that accurate occupational and other histories should be collected for patients with mesothelioma. The article did not state the asbestos fiber type.

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 (2 cases)
• Who was studied: Two men, aged 67 and 80, both seen in May 2002 at hospitals in Arezzo and Leghorn, Tuscany, Italy. The cases came from the population-based Tuscan Malignant Mesothelioma Register (ARTMM).
• Exposure: Occupational asbestos exposure, fiber type not stated. Case 1 worked in railway transport from 1960 to 1990, repairing and maintaining locomotives. Case 2 repaired and maintained tractors with asbestos friction brakes from 1935 to 1940.
• Main results:
  • Case 1 (67-year-old man, left testicular mass, left inguinal orchidectomy): the tumor was diagnosed as mesothelioma of epithelial type.
  • Case 1 had been regularly exposed to asbestos over a 30-year period.
  • Case 2 (80-year-old man, 5-year history of right-sided scrotal swelling, hydrocele, resection of the tunica vaginalis): the findings were consistent with biphasic malignant mesothelioma.
  • Case 2 had been regularly exposed to asbestos from 1935 to 1940 while repairing and maintaining tractors.
  • Both patients had no evidence of recurrence at 2-year follow-up.
  • These 2 cases were the only mesotheliomas of the tunica vaginalis recorded in the ARTMM register from 1988 to 2003. Both patients had been exposed to asbestos.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that accurate information on occupational history, lifestyle habits and areas of residence should be collected for patients with mesothelioma, including those with tumors of the tunica vaginalis.

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, Occupational Exposure, Hydrocele, Biphasic Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis — K.J. Butnor, E.N. Pavlisko, et al. (2019)
• Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis-A Malignancy Associated With Asbestos Exposure and Trauma: A Case Report and Literature Review — A.A. Baqui, N.A. Boire, et al. (2019)
• Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis: a series of eight cases with uncertain malignant potential — F. Brimo, P.B. Illei, et al. (2010)
• Epidemiology of mesothelioma of the pericardium and tunica vaginalis testis — G. Mezei, E.T. Chang, et al. (2017)
• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: diagnostic studies and differential diagnosis — S.S. Chekol, C.C. Sun (2012)
• Preoperative cytological diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis — A. Bandyopadhyay, S. Bhattacharya, et al. (2015)

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