Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature, by S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, F. van Coevorden, et al (European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2002).

The study

• Authors: S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, F. van Coevorden, F.A. Zoetmulder
• Journal: European Journal of Surgical Oncology
• Published: 2002;28(2):192-5
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 55 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma is a rare tumour of unknown aetiology. It usually presents with mild abdominal pain and a solid tumour on physical examination. The differential diagnosis with solid abdominal tumours is difficult. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging as well as aspiration cytology are useful in suggesting the pre-operative diagnosis. We present one case report and discuss this entity.

Copyright Harcourt Publishers Limited.

In plain English

This article was a case report with a discussion of earlier published reports on peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma, a rare tumour of the abdominal lining. The patient was a 34-year-old man referred to The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam with a large pelvic tumour suspected to be a sarcoma. He had had intermittent abdominal pain for almost 4 years and reported a weight loss of 36 kg (30%). Scans showed a large mass in the pelvis pressing on the sigmoid colon and bladder. A needle sample showed mesothelial cells but gave no diagnosis. During surgery, frozen sections suggested benign cystic mesothelioma. The tumour was completely removed along with the rectosigmoid and omentum, and tissue testing was consistent with this diagnosis. At 32 months after surgery he had no evidence of disease. The article did not report whether he had any asbestos exposure. In discussing the literature, the authors stated that no relation with asbestosis has been found. The authors concluded that complete resection is essential to avoid local recurrence.

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 discussion of the published literature
• Who was studied: one 34-year-old man referred to The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, with a large pelvic tumour suspected to be a sarcoma
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure is reported for the patient. In the discussion of the literature, the authors state that no relation with asbestosis has been found for this tumour.
• Main results:
  • The patient had intermittent abdominal pain, especially in the left lower abdomen, for almost 4 years.
  • The patient reported a weight loss of 36 kg (30%).
  • The patient's CA-125 was slightly elevated at 53 kU/l.
  • CT showed a large intraperitoneal mass in the pelvis compressing the sigmoid colon and urinary bladder.
  • Fine needle aspiration cytology did not lead to a diagnosis.
  • Intra-operative frozen sections suggested peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma.
  • The tumour was completely resected, including the rectosigmoid and omentum.
  • The mesothelial cells lining the cysts showed no atypia.
  • The cells lining the cysts were negative for keratin 20, CEA, CD15 and calretinin; the authors found this consistent with peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma.
  • The patient was 32 months post-resection without evidence of disease.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that complete resection is essential to avoid local recurrence.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors note that reported follow-up data in the literature are scarce, making the true prognosis uncertain.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Differential Diagnosis, Cytology.

Related studies

• 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)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis: a case report and review of literature — D. Murro, A. Harbhajanka, et al. (2014)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a child-case report and review of the literature — V.C. Shakya, C.S. Agrawal, et al. (2011)
• 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)
• Imaging appearance of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — V. Mehta, V. Chowdhary, et al. (2017)

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