Peritoneal mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal mesothelioma, by J. Berrill, H. Haboubi, P. Duane (British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2010).

The study

• Authors: J. Berrill, H. Haboubi, P. Duane
• Journal: British Journal of Hospital Medicine
• Published: 2010;71(5):290-1
• Type of article: Case report
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Peritoneal disease accounts for just under a third of all malignant mesothelioma. Its insidious onset means that diagnosis is often made at an advanced stage, however, new therapeutic techniques are starting to lead to improved outcomes.

In plain English

This article was a case report of one patient, followed by a short overview of other published work on peritoneal mesothelioma, which is mesothelioma of the lining of the abdomen. The patient, a 59-year-old building surveyor, came to hospital with two months of tiredness and abdominal swelling. He had a large build-up of fluid in the abdomen (ascites), anaemia and low albumin. A CT scan showed calcified pleural plaques, which the authors said suggested previous asbestos exposure, and a sizeable mass in the omentum, a fatty abdominal layer. The fluid contained atypical mesothelial cells suspicious of cancer, and tests on a biopsy of the omentum led to a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. Asked about asbestos at work, he said he had been 'throwing it around like snowballs'. The article did not name the type of asbestos. The fluid was drained to ease symptoms and he began chemotherapy. No later outcome was reported. Writing in 2010, the authors concluded that incidence would continue to rise over the next few years, so clinicians needed to be aware of its diagnosis and treatment options.

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 of a single patient, with a short discussion summarizing other published studies
• Who was studied: One 59-year-old male building surveyor. The article gives no place or date for the case; the authors work at hospitals in Cardiff and Swansea.
• Exposure: Occupational asbestos exposure, described by the patient as heavy handling of asbestos. No fiber type, product or dose was stated. Calcified pleural plaques on CT were taken by the authors as suggesting previous exposure.
• Main results:
  • Examination of the patient found gross ascites but no palpable masses.
  • The patient's blood tests showed microcytic anaemia (haemoglobin 9.3 g/dl, mean corpuscular volume 72.5 fl), high platelets (740 x109/litre), raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (101 mm/hr) and low albumin (30 g/litre).
  • The patient's CT scan showed calcified pleural plaques, extensive ascites and a sizeable omental mass.
  • The patient's ascitic fluid showed atypical mesothelial cells suspicious of malignancy.
  • Immunohistochemistry on the patient's omental biopsy was positive for calretinin and thrombomodulin and negative for CEA and BerEP4, and malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed.
  • The patient's ascites was drained for symptom relief and he started chemotherapy after oncology review. No outcome was reported.
• The authors' conclusion: Writing in 2010, the authors concluded that the incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma would continue to rise over the next few years, so clinicians need to be aware of its diagnosis and of the broadening treatment options.

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, Malignant Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Peritoneal mesothelioma: the role of computed tomography in diagnosis and follow up — P.J. Guest, R.H. Reznek, et al. (1992)
• Ultrasonography and computed tomography of peritoneal mesothelioma — H.C. Yeh, A.P. Chahinian (1980)
• Concerning CT features predict outcome of treatment in patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — P.H. Sugarbaker, D. Chang, et al. (2021)
• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma after Thorotrast exposure — C. Stey, U. Landolt-Weber, et al. (1995)
• Clinical picture, response to therapy, and survival of women with diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — G.H. Eltabbakh, M.S. Piver, et al. (1999)
• Clinical presentation of peritoneal mesothelioma — Y.I. Acherman, L.S. Welch, et al. (2003)

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