Primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. A report of seven cases and a review of the literature

Our plain-English summary of Primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. A report of seven cases and a review of the literature, by J.A. Asensio, P. Goldblatt, N.R. Thomford (Archives of Surgery, 1990).

The study

• Authors: J.A. Asensio, P. Goldblatt, N.R. Thomford
• Journal: Archives of Surgery
• Published: 1990;125(11):1477-81
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 69 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 003875).

Abstract

Mesothelioma of the peritoneum is a rare malignant neoplasm easily mistaken by both surgeon and pathologist for one of the more common neoplasms of the abdomen. Review of our records from metropolitan-area hospitals for the past 15 years identified seven patients with primary peritoneal mesotheliomas. Their diagnosis, management, and survival is analyzed. We report a case of an extended survivor (7 years) and one of a long-term survivor (15 years), as well as what we believe to be the only case in the literature presenting with a coexistent malignant neoplasm. Prevention of this commonly fatal neoplasm is linked to avoiding occupational exposure to asbestos; long-term survival for a few patients may be achieved with correct identification of the neoplasm and aggressive management. This report includes a review of the literature.

In plain English

This article reported seven cases of primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (mesothelioma of the abdominal lining) and reviewed other published reports on the disease. The authors reviewed records of patients with mesothelioma at hospitals in metropolitan Toledo, Ohio, over the 15 years ending December 31, 1988, excluding patients with mesothelioma in the chest. The seven patients were three men and four women aged 39 to 66. Only one had prolonged exposure to asbestos. No exposure could be documented for the other six. Five patients had a biopsy or partial tumor removal followed by chemotherapy. Four of them died within a year (mean survival 5 months), and one, given doxorubicin alone, survived 7 years. A sixth patient received no chemotherapy. Her tumor was fully removed, then removed again when it recurred 7 years later, and she was well 15 years after diagnosis. The seventh patient's tumor was found only at autopsy. One patient also had bladder cancer. The authors concluded that prevention of this commonly fatal tumor is linked to avoiding occupational exposure to asbestos.

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 series of seven patients identified from hospital records, combined with a review of the literature
• Who was studied: Seven patients with primary peritoneal mesothelioma (three men, four women, aged 39 to 66) from hospitals in metropolitan Toledo, Ohio, over the 15-year period ending December 31, 1988. Patients with thoracic mesothelioma were excluded.
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure history: only one of the seven patients had prolonged exposure to asbestos. No asbestos exposure could be documented for the other six. No fiber types, products or jobs are described.
• Main results:
  • The seven patients were three men and four women aged 39 to 66 years.
  • Patients with evidence of thoracic mesothelioma were excluded from the series.
  • Asbestos exposure could be documented for only one of the seven patients.
  • Five patients had biopsy or partial excision of the tumor followed by chemotherapy.
  • Of the five patients given chemotherapy, four died within 1 year, with a mean survival of 5 months.
  • The fifth chemotherapy patient, treated with doxorubicin alone, survived 7 years after diagnosis.
  • The sixth patient had total excision of the tumor, which recurred and was re-excised 7 years later.
  • The sixth patient received no chemotherapy after either operation.
  • The sixth patient remained well 15 years after the initial diagnosis.
  • The seventh patient's mesothelioma was not discovered until autopsy.
  • One patient had a coexisting cancer, transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
  • Six tumors were of the epithelial type (one tubulopapillary, five papillary) and one was of the biphasic mixed type.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that prevention of this commonly fatal tumor is linked to avoiding occupational exposure to asbestos.

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, Mesothelioma, Peritoneum, Neoplasm, Occupational Exposure.

Related studies

• Primary peritoneal mesothelioma: case series and literature review — H. Sharma, I. Bell, et al. (2011)
• Primary Peritoneal Mesothelioma Resulting in Small Bowel Obstruction: A Case Report and Review of Literature — S.C. Frontario, A. Loveitt, et al. (2015)
• Malignant mesothelioma in children: report of seven cases and review of the literature — J. Brenner, P.P. Sordillo, et al. (1981)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• CT findings and serum ca 125 levels in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: report of 11 new cases and review of the literature — M. Kebapci, E. Vardareli, et al. (2003)
• 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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