Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Condition in an Uncommon Gender

Our plain-English summary of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Condition in an Uncommon Gender, by M.S. Khurram, H. Shaikh, U. Khan, et al (Case Reports in Pathology, 2017).

The study

• Authors: M.S. Khurram, H. Shaikh, U. Khan, J. Edens, W. Ibrar, A. Hamza, A. Zaka, R. Bano, T. Hadid
• Journal: Case Reports in Pathology
• Published: 2017;2017:9752908
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 22 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma (BMPM) is a rare condition that arises from the abdominal peritoneum. Fewer than 200 cases have been reported worldwide. BMPM usually affects premenopausal women and is extremely rare in men. Many factors are suspected to contribute to its development, such as previous surgery, endometriosis, and familial Mediterranean fever. The main management is surgical resection; however, it is estimated that the recurrence rate is up to 50%. Malignant transformation is rare. We report a case series of three male patients who were diagnosed with BMPM and were treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

In plain English

This article was a case report of three men diagnosed with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM), a rare cyst-forming tumor of the abdominal lining that the authors noted usually affects women. The men were 68, 72 and 61 years old. The 68-year-old had a history of asbestos exposure while working in the automotive industry, and his BMPM was found unexpectedly during hernia surgery. The 72-year-old, who came in with blood in his urine, had no exposure to asbestos. The 61-year-old, who had abdominal pain, had no significant asbestos exposure. The article did not say whether the first man's asbestos exposure played any part in his disease. All three had surgery to remove the tumor, followed by heated chemotherapy delivered into the abdomen (HIPEC). Under the microscope, the tumors were thin-walled cysts lined by mesothelial cells that tested positive for calretinin, cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and EMA. The first two men had no recurrence on CT scans two years after diagnosis. The third man was diagnosed in December 2016. He recovered well after surgery and was cleared to return to work without restrictions. The authors reported that all three remained symptom-free without recurrence.

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 (case report) of three patients
• Who was studied: Three men with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma, aged 68 (Caucasian), 72 (African American) and 61 (Caucasian), mean age 67 years. The article does not state the treatment location; the authors are affiliated with hospitals in Michigan and New Jersey, USA. The third case was diagnosed in December 2016.
• Exposure: One patient (the 68-year-old) had asbestos exposure while working in the automotive industry. The fiber type and dose were not given. The other two patients had no exposure, or no significant exposure, to asbestos.
• Main results:
  • First patient (68-year-old, asbestos-exposed automotive worker): BMPM was found incidentally during ventral and inguinal hernia repair. CT showed a large cystic mass filling the right hemiabdomen and pelvis, with no abnormality in the chest.
  • Second patient (72-year-old): presented with hematuria. CT showed a 10 × 8 × 4.7 cm right lower quadrant cystic mass with ascites. He was a former smoker with no asbestos exposure.
  • Third patient (61-year-old): presented with abdominal pain and had a 10 cm right lower quadrant cystic mass. Surgery showed BMPM involving the small bowel, cecum, colon and peritoneum. He had no significant asbestos exposure.
  • In all three patients, the specimens showed multiple thin-walled cysts lined by a single layer of mesothelial cells. These cells were positive for calretinin, cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and EMA.
  • The first and second patients had no recurrence on surveillance CT two years after diagnosis.
  • The third patient, diagnosed in December 2016, recovered well after surgery and was allowed to return to work without restrictions.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors reported that all three patients received HIPEC after complete surgical excision and remained asymptomatic without recurrence of BMPM.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Peritoneum, Surgical Resection, Malignant Transformation, Cytoreductive Surgery, HIPEC.

Related studies

• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma Presents as a Tumor in an Elderly Man: An Uncommon Diagnosis — A. Askar, E. Erginoz, et al. (2022)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM) presenting with ambiguous symptoms: A rare case report — A. Hamza, A. Zazo, et al. (2021)
• 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)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare tumour of the abdomen — S. Somasundaram, M. Khajanchi, 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)
• Intra-Operative Diagnosis of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Case Report of Rare Entity and Lessons Learned — C.C. Wu, A. Bassi, et al. (2024)

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