Benign Cystic Mesothelioma Misdiagnosed as Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Our plain-English summary of Benign Cystic Mesothelioma Misdiagnosed as Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, by H.D. Shin, S.B. Kim (Case Reports in Gastroenterology, 2016).

The study

• Authors: H.D. Shin, S.B. Kim
• Journal: Case Reports in Gastroenterology
• Published: 2016;10(1):115-20
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Benign cystic mesothelioma (BCM) is a rare benign disease that forms multicystic masses in the abdomen, pelvis, and retroperitoneum. It occurs predominantly in young to middle-aged women. The majority of cases were associated with a history of abdominal or pelvic operation, a history of endometriosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. We present a unique case of BCM which is different to the previous cases. The patient was a 52-year-old man showing features of peritoneal carcinomatosis accompanied by ascites on abdominal computed tomography scans. We herein report a case of BCM misdiagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

In plain English

This article is a case report from Korea about one patient with benign cystic mesothelioma (BCM), which the authors describe as a rare benign disease. The patient was a 52-year-old man admitted to hospital after a medical checkup found fluid in his abdomen (ascites). His blood tests and tumor marker tests were normal. Abdominal CT scans showed a moderate amount of ascites and a mass. The authors wrote that these findings strongly suggested peritoneal cancer. A whole-body PET scan showed no increased uptake. Laparoscopy found several cystic masses forming a large mass, and many 2 to 3 mm nodules spread through the abdominal cavity. A biopsy stained for calretinin and D2-40 but not for CD31, and he was diagnosed with BCM. He declined the recommended surgery. A CT scan two months later showed no change, and doctors continued to monitor him. The authors concluded that they had presented a male patient with diffuse-type BCM with ascites who was first misdiagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure.

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 52-year-old man admitted to the authors' hospital (Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea) because of ascites found at a medical checkup; no dates given
• Exposure: Not reported; the article does not mention asbestos or any other occupational or environmental exposure
• Main results:
  • In this patient, abdominal CT showed a moderate amount of ascites, with a thickened peritoneum and a membrane forming a mass
  • In this patient, tumor marker tests were normal: alpha-fetoprotein 1.8 ng/ml, CEA 2.0 ng/ml, CA 19-9 11.5 U/ml
  • In this patient, a whole-body PET scan showed no increase in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake
  • In this patient, laparoscopy showed several cystic masses in the paracolic gutter forming a large mass, and multiple nodules 2 to 3 mm in size spread widely in the abdominal cavity
  • The biopsy did not stain for CD31 but stained strongly for calretinin and D2-40, and the patient was diagnosed with BCM
  • The patient refused the recommended surgery. A CT scan 2 months later showed no change in the lesion and persistent ascites, and monitoring was continued
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that they had presented a male patient with diffuse-type BCM accompanied by ascites who was first misdiagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis; they note BCM is often seen in women of childbearing age

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Retroperitoneum, Ascites.

Related studies

• Asymptomatic peritoneal carcinomatosis originating from benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma — S. Iacoponi, J. Calleja, et al. (2015)
• Complicated benign cystic mesothelioma of mesoappendix misdiagnosed as an appendiceal abscess in a postpartum period woman — S. Yeom, T. Son, et al. (2015)
• A rare case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst found in the liver parenchyma and abdomen cavity of a male with asbestos exposure — A.B. Kelarji, M.S. Alshutaihi, et al. (2021)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings — A. Ozgen, D. Akata, et al. (1998)
• Benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma — J.A. Schneider, E.J. Zelnick (1985)

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