Peritoneal mesothelioma with unusual metastases

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal mesothelioma with unusual metastases, by W. Hofner (The British Journal of Radiology, 1979).

The study

• Author: W. Hofner
• Journal: The British Journal of Radiology
• Published: 1979;52(624):1002-4
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is rare. A case is reported with an unusual metastasis and an exceptionally long survival time. Radiographic, ultrasonic, scintigraphic and surgical findings are presented and the literature reviewed.

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

In plain English

This was a case report from the University of Vienna describing one patient with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer of the abdominal lining. The patient was a 34-year-old woman with no history of asbestos exposure. She had four months of fever, cramps around the navel, vomiting, weight loss and bladder pain. Ultrasound showed tumour masses covering the pelvic wall and surrounding the bladder. At surgery in June 1975, widespread tumour was found in the abdomen and was infiltrating the bladder. Tissue and cell tests indicated peritoneal mesothelioma of adenomatous papillary form. She was treated with cytotoxic drugs and radiation of the abdomen. In November 1977, at surgery that included a vaginal hysterectomy, a large tumour in the pouch of Douglas was again confirmed as mesothelioma. No primary tumour of the uterus, ovaries or tubes was found. After further treatment she was well and active, although small nodules throughout the lungs were presumed to be metastases. The author noted 46 months' survival after diagnosis, whereas earlier diagnostic criteria describe death generally within 12 months. Citing earlier reports, the author described such long survival and lung metastases as rare.

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), with a brief review of earlier literature
• Who was studied: one 34-year-old woman with no history of asbestos exposure, treated in Vienna, Austria; diagnosed at laparotomy in June 1975
• Exposure: the patient had no history of asbestos exposure; no fiber type or job exposure is reported
• Main results:
  • Ultrasound showed tumour masses covering the wall of the pelvis and surrounding the bladder
  • At laparotomy in June 1975, massive tumour growth was found in the peritoneal and retroperitoneal spaces
  • Histology and cytology indicated peritoneal mesothelioma of adenomatous papillary form
  • After surgery, the patient was treated with cytotoxic drugs and grid irradiation of the abdomen
  • The patient had an episode of bilateral pleural effusions in 1975
  • In November 1977, surgery for a rectocele included a vaginal hysterectomy with removal of the adnexa. The histological diagnosis of a massive tumour in the pouch of Douglas again confirmed mesothelioma
  • There was no sign of a primary uterine or adnexal tumour, which the author took as excluding a metastasizing papillary serosal ovarian cell carcinoma
  • After further X-ray therapy and cytotoxic drugs, the patient was well and active despite small nodules throughout the lungs, presumed to be metastases
  • The patient had survived 46 months after the original diagnosis
• The authors' conclusion: The author considered the case unusual for the patient's survival of 46 months after diagnosis. Citing earlier reports, the author described both long survival and lung metastases as rare

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, Metastasis.

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• The Pathologic Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI) Strongly Differs From the Surgical PCI in Peritoneal Metastases Arising From Various Primary Tumors — A. Bhatt, Y. Yonemura, et al. (2020)
• Lymph node metastases in diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — D. Baratti, S. Kusamura, et al. (2010)
• Iterative cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for recurrent peritoneal metastases — T.C. Chua, L.E. Quinn, et al. (2013)
• Peritoneal metastases from small bowel cancer: Results of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in The Netherlands — T.R. van Oudheusden, V.E. Lemmens, et al. (2015)

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