Benign cystic mesothelioma: a rare cause for scrotal swelling

Our plain-English summary of Benign cystic mesothelioma: a rare cause for scrotal swelling, by A. Aber, A. Tahir, V. Arumuham, et al (Case Reports in Medicine, 2012).

The study

• Authors: A. Aber, A. Tahir, V. Arumuham, G. Smith, S. Almpanis
• Journal: Case Reports in Medicine
• Published: 2012;2012:572186
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Benign cystic mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis is a rare occurrence. It usually presents with painless gradual swelling in the scrotum. These types of benign mesotheliomas typically occur in the peritoneum and usually affect young to middle-aged patients. We present in this case an unusual case of benign cystic mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in a 77-year-old male patient.

In plain English

This article was a case report about one patient. A 77-year-old man went to a urology outpatient clinic with a swelling on the right side of his scrotum. It had grown slowly for months, and he reported no pain or discomfort. He had no history of asbestos exposure or of any surgery. On examination the swelling looked like a hydrocele, a collection of fluid, and an ultrasound scan showed a large 7 to 8 cm multiloculated hydrocele. He had surgery, which found a tense mass made up of many cysts, and it was completely removed. Examination of the tissue under the microscope found a benign multicystic mesothelioma arising from the tunica vaginalis, the lining around the testis. At follow-up four months later he had no symptoms and no recurrence, although the right testis was hard and fixed. In their discussion, citing earlier studies, the authors wrote that this tumor, unlike malignant mesothelioma, is not associated with prior asbestos exposure. The authors concluded that it is worth considering among the possible diagnoses for a scrotal swelling made up of many cysts.

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 (one patient)
• Who was studied: One 77-year-old man seen at a urology outpatient clinic with a right scrotal swelling
• Exposure: The patient had no history of asbestos exposure and no previous surgery
• Main results:
  • The swelling had grown slowly and gradually over months and caused no pain or discomfort
  • Ultrasound showed a large 7 to 8 cm multiloculated hydrocele
  • At surgery a tense multicystic mass was found and completely removed
  • Microscopic examination of the tissue found a benign multicystic mesothelioma arising from the tunica vaginalis
  • Four months after surgery the patient had no symptoms and no recurrence, and the right hemiscrotum had returned to normal size, although the right testis was hard and fixed
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, because of its distinct multicystic nature, this tumor is worth considering among the possible diagnoses for a scrotal swelling made up of many cysts. They noted that most urologists may not be familiar with its appearance because it is rare.

Topics

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

Related studies

• Cystic lymphangioma: an uncommon type of scrotal swelling — G. Ferguson (1954)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare cause of intra-abdominal cystic disease — B. Campbell, D. Mehanna, et al. (2017)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum: a rare case and review of the literature — S. Khuri, H. Gilshtein, et al. (2012)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma of the liver: A rare hepatic cyst — W. Wang, H.Y. Lai, et al. (2021)
• Hepatic Benign Cystic Mesothelioma in Adults: A Case Report of a Rare Hepatic Cyst — A. Mohamed, S. Elsherif, et al. (2024)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma (BMPM) as a rare cause of abdominal pain in a young male: case report and review of the literature — S. Gussago, P. Spina, et al. (2019)

Browse more research in Case Reports in Medicine, or return to medical research.