Paratesticular mesotheliomas

Our plain-English summary of Paratesticular mesotheliomas, by R.E. McDonald, A.L. Sago, D.E. Novicki, et al (The Journal of Urology, 1983).

The study

• Authors: R.E. McDonald, A.L. Sago, D.E. Novicki, J.W. Bagnall
• Journal: The Journal of Urology
• Published: 1983;130(2):360-1
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 30 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Paratesticular mesotheliomas are uncommon tumors. We report 2 such cases and discuss their clinical and pathological findings.

In plain English

This article reported two cases of paratesticular mesothelioma, a tumor of the lining tissue around the testicle, seen at Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center in Texas. The first patient, a 21-year-old man with Maffucci's syndrome, had a painful, enlarging right scrotal mass that was removed; 3 weeks later two masses were removed from the left side. Tissue from both sides showed mesothelioma, and he had no sign of recurrence 24 months after surgery. The second patient, a 29-year-old physician who had a right hydrocele operation 9 years earlier, had a painless mass for 2 years. His right testicle was removed; the tissue was consistent with mesothelioma. Abdominal surgery and lymph node removal found no tumor, and he had no recurrence at 20 months. The article did not report asbestos exposure for either man, and the authors wrote that a link between asbestos exposure and this tumor is unproved. Citing limited experience, the authors recommended that any paratesticular mass not clearly benign on clinical examination be removed through a groin incision with the spermatic cord and testicle.

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) with discussion
• Who was studied: Two men treated at Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas: a 21-year-old man with Maffucci's syndrome (case 1) and a 29-year-old physician (case 2)
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure is reported for either patient. Case 1 had Maffucci's syndrome. Case 2 had undergone a transcrotal right hydrocelectomy 9 years earlier.
• Main results:
  • Case 1: tissue excised from both the right and left sides showed mesothelioma. The patient had no evidence of recurrence 24 months after surgery.
  • Case 2: after right radical orchiectomy, exploratory laparotomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy found no tumor. The patient had no evidence of recurrence 20 months after surgery.
  • Tumor sizes: in case 1 the right mass measured 11.5 x 7.0 x 7.0 cm and weighed 242 gm, and the left mass measured 4.0 x 3.5 x 2.0 cm and weighed 20 gm. In case 2 the mass measured 4.0 x 3.0 x 3.5 cm and weighed 90 gm.
  • Under the microscope, the tumors showed papillary and tubular structures. Case 2 also had psammoma bodies, mild nuclear pleomorphism and an increased mitotic rate. Vascular and lymphatic invasion was not identified in either case.
  • Electron microscopy of both specimens showed numerous desmosomes and abundant microvilli, features the authors took as supporting a mesothelial origin.
  • In their discussion, the authors stated that, although a single case had been reported in the literature, the association of asbestos exposure with paratesticular mesothelioma is unproved.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors recommended that any paratesticular mass not clearly benign on clinical examination be approached through an inguinal (groin) incision and excised together with the spermatic cord and testicle. They also recommended clinical staging, including laparotomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, if there is doubt about the tumor's malignant potential.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors described their recommendations as based on limited experience.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Testicular Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Paratesticular tumors. A clinicopathological study from a single tertiary hospital in North India — P.A.M. Paul, N. Calton, et al. (2021)
• Fibrous mesotheliomas (pseudofibroma) of the scrotal sac: a light and ultrastructural study — B. Benisch, B. Peison, et al. (1981)
• Sonography of intrascrotal adenomatoid tumor — W.C. Leonhardt, G.A. Gooding (1992)
• Scrotal peritoneal mesothelioma on PET/CT — S. Ozguven, M. Aras, et al. (2014)
• Mucinous adenoid tumor of the paratesticular tissue — M.G. Mukerjee, M. Norris, et al. (1976)
• Palliation of male genital cancers — C.J. Shukla, M. Shabbir, et al. (2010)

Browse more research in The Journal of Urology, or return to medical research.