Multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a 29 year old male

Our plain-English summary of Multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a 29 year old male, by P. Cregan, S. Wiley, C.H. Lee (The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery, 1987).

The study

• Authors: P. Cregan, S. Wiley, C.H. Lee
• Journal: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery
• Published: 1987;57(4):271-3
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A case of multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a 29 year old white male is reported. This is the second reported case of cystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a male and the first case of cystic mesothelioma reported in Australia. Clinical, histopathologic and ultrastructural findings are discussed together with a review of previous cases.

In plain English

This case report described one patient: a 29-year-old white man who ran a truck wrecking business and gave no history of asbestos exposure. In January 1983 he had surgery for suspected appendicitis. His appendix was normal, but an unexpected pelvic mass measuring 70 mm by 60 mm by 50 mm was removed and diagnosed as cystic mesothelioma. In January 1985 he returned with abdominal symptoms. A second operation found the tumour spread widely over the lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum). It could not be fully removed, so its bulk was reduced. Staining tests and electron microscopy pointed to the tumour coming from mesothelial cells. Twelve months later he was in good health on no treatment. The authors described this as the second reported case of cystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a male and the first cystic mesothelioma reported in Australia. They concluded that the condition, while histologically benign, must be assumed to have a potential for local malignancy. A single case report does not show how often this happens.

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), with a brief discussion of previously reported cases
• Who was studied: One white male aged 29 who ran a truck wrecking business. He was first seen at a country hospital in January 1983 and later treated at Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
• Exposure: The patient gave no history of asbestos exposure. His occupation was running a truck wrecking business. No fiber type or dose is reported.
• Main results:
  • At the first operation (January 1983) for suspected appendicitis, the appendix was normal.
  • At the same operation, an unexpected pelvic mass measuring 70 mm x 60 mm x 50 mm, which had undergone torsion, was removed.
  • The pelvic mass removed in 1983 was diagnosed as cystic mesothelioma on light microscopy and mucin staining.
  • The patient returned in January 1985 with symptoms including bowel colic, diarrhoea, vomiting and pain.
  • At laparotomy in 1985 there was wide intraperitoneal spread of the tumour.
  • Complete removal of the tumour was not possible; debulking was performed.
  • The patient's tumour stained positive for keratin, negative for CEA, and positive for alcian blue that disappeared after hyaluronidase digestion.
  • The authors stated that the staining pattern pointed to mesothelial derivation, and that electron microscopy was suggestive of mesothelial origin.
  • The authors stated that this patient appeared to have much wider intraperitoneal spread than previously reported cases.
  • Twelve months after the 1985 operation, the patient remained in good health and was asymptomatic on no treatment.
  • The authors described this as the second reported case of cystic peritoneal mesothelioma in a male and the first case of cystic mesothelioma reported in Australia.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the condition, while histologically benign, must be assumed to have a potential for local malignancy. They suggested extreme care when removing isolated cystic lesions, and that a case could be made for a 'second look' laparotomy.

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: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Peritoneal cystic mesothelioma: an electron microscopic and immunohistochemical study of two male patients — I.K. Sienkowski, A.J. Russell, et al. (1986)
• A rare case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst found in the liver parenchyma and abdomen cavity of a male with asbestos exposure — A.B. Kelarji, M.S. Alshutaihi, et al. (2021)
• Multi-institutional experience of diffuse intra-abdominal multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — T.C. Chua, T.D. Yan, et al. (2011)
• Benign multicystic mesothelioma and peritoneal inclusion cysts: are they the same clinical and histopathological entities? A systematic review to find an evidence-based management — A.M.C. Rapisarda, A. Cianci, et al. (2018)
• Multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: outcomes and patho-biological features in a multi-institutional series treated by cytoreductive surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) — D. Baratti, M. Vaira, et al. (2010)
• Multicystic mesothelioma: Operative and long-term outcomes with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra peritoneal chemotherapy — E. Nizri, D. Baratti, et al. (2018)

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