Rare tumors of the testis and mesothelial proliferation in the tunica vaginalis

Our plain-English summary of Rare tumors of the testis and mesothelial proliferation in the tunica vaginalis, by M. Colecchia, G. Mikuz, F. Algaba (Tumori, 2012).

The study

• Authors: M. Colecchia, G. Mikuz, F. Algaba
• Journal: Tumori
• Published: 2012;98(2):270-3
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

An increasing number of rare testicular tumors have been recognized in the recent years with a wide and heterogeneous spectrum of morphologies. The utility of ancillary studies, including immunohistochemistry, is often limited and is important for the pathologists to be aware of these entities, because they require a comprehensive pathological and clinical approach for an appropriate treatment.

In plain English

This article was a written report of talks given by three pathologists at the First Milan Conference on Urologic Tumors in January 2012. It was a narrative review of published work, not a new study of patients, and it did not mention asbestos or any other exposure. The first part covered testicular germ cell tumors containing a malignant somatic component. It cited an earlier series from the authors' institute in which 12 patients whose component was confined to the testis (stage I) were alive and disease-free after long follow-up. The second part described adult-type granulosa cell tumor of the testis, of which 28 cases had been reported up to 2011. The third part described mesothelial growths in the tunica vaginalis, from reactive hyperplasia to benign mesothelioma, "mesothelioma of uncertain malignant potential" and malignant mesothelioma. The authors wrote that immunohistochemistry did not help tell benign from malignant growths, and that DNA ploidy could distinguish some borderline lesions. The authors concluded that, when feasible, surgery should be considered for all patients with these germ cell tumors, regardless of stage.

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: Narrative review: a written report of conference presentations, without new patient data
• Who was studied: No study population. The article reviewed published literature on rare testicular tumors (germ cell tumors with a malignant somatic component, adult-type granulosa cell tumor) and on non-neoplastic and neoplastic mesothelial proliferation in the testicular tunica vaginalis.
• Exposure: Not addressed. The article does not discuss asbestos or any other exposure.
• Main results:
  • The authors described the microscopic features used to tell mesothelial hyperplasia apart from malignant mesothelioma: completely superficial growth, bland nuclei, no true invasion, and associated inflammation.
  • The authors noted that some authors called tumors with solid mesothelial areas but no invasion "mesothelioma of uncertain malignant potential".
  • In the tunica vaginalis, the authors stated that minimal true invasion of the submesothelial area without inflammation can indicate risk of a poor outcome.
  • The authors stated that immunohistochemistry does not help distinguish benign from malignant mesothelial proliferations, while DNA ploidy can distinguish some borderline lesions.
  • In an earlier series from the authors' institute (cited, not new data), 12 patients with a malignant somatic component confined to the testis (stage I) had a favorable prognosis and were alive and free of disease after long follow-up.
  • Malignant somatic components in germ cell tumors were described as much less sensitive to chemotherapy than ordinary germ cell tumors.
  • According to the literature cited, 28 cases of adult-type testicular granulosa cell tumor had been reported up to 2011.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, when feasible, surgery should be considered in all patients with germ cell tumors containing a malignant somatic component, regardless of stage. They also stated that pathologists need to be aware of these rare entities because they may require specific treatment.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • On whether primitive neuroectodermal tumors at metastatic sites carry a worse prognosis, the authors said the number of cases is too small for definitive conclusions.
  • The authors stated that nothing is known about the epidemiology, histogenesis and possible causes of sex cord or gonadal stromal tumors.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma, Ovarian cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Tunica Vaginalis, Immunohistochemistry.

Related studies

• Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare case and review of literature — M. Drevinskaite, A. Patasius, et al. (2020)
• Malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis: Report of a very rare case with review of the literature — E. Trenti, S.M. Palermo, et al. (2018)
• Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare malignancy mimicking more common inguino-scrotal masses — P.J. Schure, K.C. van Dalen, et al. (2006)
• Cutaneous recurrence of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a rare case report — P. Priester, J. Kopecký, et al. (2012)
• Extremely rare tumour--malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis — T. Jankovichova, M. Jankovich, et al. (2015)
• Epidemiology of mesothelioma of the pericardium and tunica vaginalis testis — G. Mezei, E.T. Chang, et al. (2017)

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