Paratesticular malignant mesothelioma in a patient exposed to asbestos for more than 50 years

Our plain-English summary of Paratesticular malignant mesothelioma in a patient exposed to asbestos for more than 50 years, by L.N. Hsu, M.T. Sung, P.H. Chiang (The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 2014).

The study

• Authors: L.N. Hsu, M.T. Sung, P.H. Chiang
• Journal: The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
• Published: 2014;30(10):537-8
• Type of article: Letter, Comment
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Summary of the article

In this letter to the editor, the authors reported what they described as the second case of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis in Taiwan. The patient was a 76-year-old fisherman who was admitted with a painless right scrotal mass that had been progressively enlarging for 2 years. He lived in a house that had been built with asbestos material 50 years earlier. Scrotal ultrasonography showed a diffusely heterogeneous echogenic hydrocele and a well-circumscribed ovoid mass in its lining. Malignancy was suspected during scrotal exploration, and a radical orchiectomy was performed. Pathology showed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma of the testis, epididymis and tunica vaginalis, with diffuse expression of calretinin and Wilms tumor-1 protein. Computed tomography showed no lymph node or other organ involvement. The patient remained well after more than 8 months of follow-up. Citing the literature, the authors noted the following points. Paratesticular malignant mesotheliomas make up about 0.3–1.4% of all malignant mesotheliomas. Only about 35–40% of patients have a history of asbestos exposure. Sixty percent of patients have a recurrence within 2 years. They also noted that asbestos was widely used in Taiwan decades ago. They suggested that public health programs for adult males include a genital examination, followed by imaging if abnormal findings are found, especially in elderly males.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This letter to the editor was a case report describing one patient in Taiwan. The authors presented it as the second reported case in Taiwan of this cancer, with a history of asbestos exposure. A 76-year-old fisherman was admitted with a painless mass on the right side of the scrotum that had been growing for 2 years. The patient had lived in a house built with asbestos material 50 years earlier. The article did not name a fiber type. Ultrasound showed a fluid collection in the scrotum (a hydrocele) and a rounded mass in its lining. Surgeons removed the testis (radical orchiectomy). Pathology showed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma of the testis, epididymis and tunica vaginalis, the membrane around the testis. A CT scan found no spread to lymph nodes or other organs. The patient had been well for more than 8 months of follow-up. The authors suggested that public health programs for adult males include a genital examination, followed by imaging if abnormal findings are found, especially in elderly males.

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), published as a letter to the editor
• Who was studied: One 76-year-old male fisherman in Taiwan with a painless right scrotal mass present for 2 years
• Exposure: Residential exposure: the patient lived in a house constructed with asbestos material 50 years earlier. No fiber type is named.
• Main results:
  • Scrotal ultrasonography in this patient showed a diffusely heterogeneous echogenic hydrocele and a well-circumscribed ovoid mass in the lining of the hydrocele
  • The patient underwent radical orchiectomy because malignancy was suspected
  • Pathology showed a biphasic malignant mesothelioma of the testis, epididymis, and tunica vaginalis
  • The tumor showed diffuse expression of calretinin and Wilms tumor-1 protein (WT1)
  • Computed tomography showed no lymph node or other organ involvement
  • The patient had been well for more than 8 months of follow-up
• The authors' conclusion: The authors suggested that public health programs for adult males should include a genital examination, followed by further imaging if abnormal clinical findings are found, especially in elderly males.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Paratesticular, Malignant Mesothelioma, Tunica Vaginalis, Hydrocele, Orchiectomy, Pathology, Biphasic Mesothelioma, Epididymis.

Related studies

• Malignant mesotheliomas in former miners and millers of crocidolite at Wittenoom (Western Australia) after more than 50 years follow-up — G. Berry, A. Reid, et al. (2012)
• Adult paratesticular tumours — B. Khoubehi, V. Mishra, et al. (2002)
• Paratesticular mesothelioma. Report of a case with comprehensive review of literature — M. Bisceglia, D.B. Dor, et al. (2010)
• Paratesticular malignant mesothelioma associated with abdominoscrotal hydrocele — A.L. Velasco, J. Ophoven, et al. (1988)
• Paratesticular papillary mesothelioma — R. Linn, B. Moskovitz, et al. (1988)
• Geographic distribution of incidence of pericardial and paratesticular mesotheliomas in the USA — S.J. Lowry, N.S. Weiss (2016)

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