Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as umbilical tumor

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as umbilical tumor, by W.S. Kwee, R.W. Veldhuizen, J.B. Vermorken, et al (Pathology, Research and Practice, 1982).

The study

• Authors: W.S. Kwee, R.W. Veldhuizen, J.B. Vermorken, R.P. Golding, R. Donner
• Journal: Pathology, Research and Practice
• Published: 1982;174(1-2):159-65
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 15 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The case of a 66 year-old women with a peritoneal mesothelioma is described, which manifested itself as a tumor in the umbilical region. The clinical, cytological, histological and electron microscopical features of the tumor are reported. The diagnostic problems of this tumor are discussed.

PubMed has no abstract for this study. This is the authors' abstract, copied from the article.

In plain English

This case report from the Free University of Amsterdam described one patient: a 66-year-old woman whose peritoneal mesothelioma (a cancer of the abdominal lining) first appeared as a mass at the navel. She was admitted in August 1979 with a bulge in the umbilical region of 6 months' duration and weight loss of about 16 pounds. She denied any job or recreational exposure to asbestos. Examination found an umbilical mass about 5 cm across. At surgery, massive tumor growth was found in the peritoneal spaces, and malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum was diagnosed. Staining tests confirmed hyaluronic acid in the tumor. Light and electron microscopy were compatible with malignant mesothelioma. Cells from the abdominal fluid had a mean nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio of 0.29. She was treated with Adriamycin, but the tumor kept progressing, and she died at home 1 year after admission. The authors noted that this tumor cannot always be told apart from ovarian papillary adenocarcinoma under the microscope, and they found electron microscopy helpful. A single case shows what happened to one person, not how often this occurs.

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)
• Who was studied: One 66-year-old woman admitted to the oncology clinic of the Free University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in August 1979
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was identified: the patient denied any job or recreational exposure to asbestos. No fiber type is named.
• Main results:
  • The patient presented with a bulge in the umbilical region of 6 months' duration and weight loss of about 16 pounds over that period
  • Physical examination showed an umbilical mass about 5 cm in diameter
  • At laparotomy, massive tumor growth was found in the peritoneal spaces
  • A diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum was made
  • Histochemical methods confirmed hyaluronic acid in the tumor
  • Mesothelial cells from the patient's ascitic fluid had a mean nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio of 0.29
  • Light and electron microscopy of the patient's tumor were compatible with malignant mesothelioma
  • The authors reported that electron microscopy was helpful in this case (tumor cells lacked secretory granules but contained large numbers of microfilaments)
  • After the operation the patient was treated with Adriamycin
  • The tumor continued to progress and the patient died at home 1 year after admission
• The authors' conclusion: The authors discussed the diagnostic problems of this tumor. They stated that on histology it is not always possible to distinguish mesothelioma from papillary (cyst) adenocarcinoma of the ovary, and that the hyaluronic acid finding and electron microscopy features supported the diagnosis in this case.

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.

Related studies

• Multilocular mesothelial proliferation involving the skin of the umbilicus — A.M. Konstantinova, M. Michal, et al. (2013)
• Localized biphasic malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a rectal tumor — K. Saisho, S. Fujiwara, et al. (2020)
• Extragastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Presenting as Omental Cyst — A. Monabati, M. Safavi, et al. (2016)
• Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting surgically — P.G. Smith, P.M. Higgins, et al. (1968)
• Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as an adnexal mass — R.A. Komorowski, D.H. Bobert (1975)
• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting with persistent high fever — L.Y. Chen, L.X. Huang, et al. (2011)

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