Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma, by J. Hidvégi, F. Schneider, B. Rohonyi, et al (Pathology, Research and Practice, 1991).

The study

• Authors: J. Hidvégi, F. Schneider, B. Rohonyi, L. Flautner, L. Szlávik
• Journal: Pathology, Research and Practice
• Published: 1991;187(1):103-6; discussion 106-8
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 11 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A case of a benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma is reported. A 25-year-old woman presented a 8-year history of recurrent tumor and five operations because of that. On the basis of this case and of 18 cases proved by electron microscopy reported by others, the clinicopathological features and the problems of differential diagnosis are discussed. The ultrastructural examination is essential for the diagnosis of cystic mesothelioma.

In plain English

This article was a case report from Hungary, with a brief comparison to published cases. It described a woman first examined in 1980, at age 25, for a pelvic mass. Over the following years she had five abdominal operations to remove recurring cystic tumors of the peritoneum. After the first four operations, the tumor was diagnosed as forms of lymphangioma. Electron microscopy of tissue from the last operation showed surface microvilli, a continuous basal lamina and desmosomes. The final diagnosis was benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum. The authors also tabulated 18 cases reported by others and confirmed by electron microscopy: 14 were women, 12 were pelvic, and recurrence occurred in nearly half. The authors wrote that one-third of cases were initially misdiagnosed; their table lists an initial misdiagnosis for 5 of the 18 published cases and for their own patient. The authors cautioned that 7 of 11 cases without recurrence had less than 4 years of follow-up. The article did not mention asbestos or any other exposure. The authors concluded that ultrastructural examination is essential for diagnosing cystic mesothelioma.

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 with a tabulated comparison to previously published cases
• Who was studied: One woman treated at the Town Hospital in Sopron and at Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary. She was first examined in 1980 at age 25. The article also compares her case with 18 cases reported by others and confirmed by electron microscopy.
• Exposure: Not reported: the article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure
• Main results:
  • The patient had five operations (laparotomies) for recurring cystic tumors of similar appearance.
  • Earlier specimens from the patient were diagnosed as forms of lymphangioma.
  • Electron microscopy of tissue from the last operation showed short microvilli on the cell surface, together with a continuous basal lamina and desmosomes.
  • On re-examination by light microscopy, a few foci in the patient's specimens contained hobnail cells.
  • The patient's final diagnosis was benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum.
  • Of the 18 previously reported cases the authors tabulated, 14 were women.
  • Of the 18 tabulated cases, 12 occurred as pelvic tumors.
  • Recurrence occurred in nearly half of the tabulated cases.
  • The authors wrote that one-third of cases were initially misdiagnosed. This figure appears to include their own patient: the table lists an initial misdiagnosis for 5 of the 18 published cases and for the authors' patient.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that ultrastructural (electron microscopy) examination is essential for diagnosing cystic mesothelioma. They added that pathologists should keep this entity in mind and should use electron microscopy in case of doubt.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • In the published cases, follow-up in 7 of 11 cases without recurrence was under 4 years. The authors considered this insufficient evidence that those tumors did not recur.

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: Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Differential Diagnosis.

Related studies

• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)
• Pediatric Benign Cystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma — J. Durell, H. Dagash, et al. (2016)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• Benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma — J.A. Schneider, E.J. Zelnick (1985)
• Peritoneal, benign, cystic mesothelioma with free-floating cysts, re-examined by new methods. A case report — O.H. Iversen, T. Hovig, et al. (1988)
• van Ruth S, Bronkhorst MWGA, van Coeverden F, Zoetmulder FAN. Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of literature. Eur J Surg Oncol 2002; 28(2): 192-5 — K. Sethna, F. Mohamed, et al. (2002)

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