A case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of A case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma, by J. Wassef, J. Kim, T. Farag, et al (Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2024).

The study

• Authors: J. Wassef, J. Kim, T. Farag, H. Masoudpour, G. Tsioulias
• Journal: Journal of Surgical Case Reports
• Published: 2024;2024(10):rjae629
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma (BMPM) is an exceedingly rare benign abdominal neoplasm with fewer than 200 cases reported worldwide. Owing to its rarity, vague clinical picture, and elusive causes, diagnosis is often delayed or missed. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining are crucial for definitive diagnosis. However, due to lack of substantial literature, the standard of care and future prognosis remain subjects of inquiry. We present a case report of one female patient diagnosed with BMPM and treated with surgical resection.

Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. © The Author(s) 2024.

In plain English

This article was a case report of one patient with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM), a rare benign tumor of the abdominal lining. The patient was a 47-year-old woman with no significant past medical history. She had pain in the right lower abdomen spreading to the back for 3 days and a 6-pound weight loss over one year. Her blood tests were normal and her tumor markers were not raised. A CT scan showed a well-defined cystic mass with several compartments, measuring 8.0 × 4.7 × 7.9 cm, next to the gallbladder and right kidney. At surgery the cyst lay outside the peritoneum and was attached by adhesions to nearby organs. It was removed completely, and recovery was uneventful. Examination of the tissue confirmed benign multicystic mesothelioma. Staining was positive for calretinin and WT-1 and negative for pax 8, ER, CD34 and CD31. The report did not describe any asbestos exposure for this patient. The authors concluded that complete removal remains the preferred approach. They described cytoreductive surgery with heated abdominal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) as a viable option to reduce recurrence in patients with borderline tissue findings.

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 47-year-old woman with no significant past medical history and no personal or family history of malignancy
• Exposure: Not reported; the article does not describe asbestos or any other exposure for this patient
• Main results:
  • The patient had right lower quadrant pain for 3 days and a 6 pound weight loss over one year
  • Laboratory tests were normal and the tumor markers CEA, CA 19–9, CA 125 and CA 27.29 were not elevated
  • CT showed a multilobulated, multiseptated, well circumscribed cystic mass measuring 8.0 × 4.7 × 7.9 cm next to the gallbladder
  • At surgery the cyst was extraperitoneal with adhesions to nearby organs; it was completely resected and recovery was uneventful
  • Histopathology confirmed benign multicystic mesothelioma, positive for pankeratin CAM 5.2, calretinin and WT-1
  • The tumor tested negative for pax 8, ER, CD34 and CD31
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, although there is no consensus on diagnosis or treatment, complete resection remains the preferred approach, with CRS-HIPEC a viable option to reduce recurrence in patients with borderline histopathology

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Neoplasm, Immunohistochemistry, Prognosis, Surgical Resection.

Related studies

• Benign multicystic mesothelioma and peritoneal inclusion cysts: are they the same clinical and histopathological entities? A systematic review to find an evidence-based management — A.M.C. Rapisarda, A. Cianci, et al. (2018)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Condition in an Uncommon Gender — M.S. Khurram, H. Shaikh, et al. (2017)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: literature review and update — M.T. Chand, J. Edens, et al. (2020)
• Imaging appearance of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — V. Mehta, V. Chowdhary, et al. (2017)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report — X. Pitta, E. Andreadis, et al. (2010)
• Intra-abdominal benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — I. Jouvin, A. Dohan, et al. (2014)

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