Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare tumour of the abdomen

Our plain-English summary of Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare tumour of the abdomen, by S. Somasundaram, M. Khajanchi, T. Vaja, et al (Case Reports in Surgery, 2015).

The study

• Authors: S. Somasundaram, M. Khajanchi, T. Vaja, B. Jajoo, A.K. Dey
• Journal: Case Reports in Surgery
• Published: 2015;2015:613148
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare tumor of the abdomen, is a diagnostic dilemma. This report emphasizes the importance of diagnostic laparoscopy in the diagnosis of the tumour.

In plain English

This case report, from Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in India, described one patient with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM), a rare tumour of the abdominal lining. The patient, a 40-year-old man with no previous medical or surgical history, had vague right-sided abdominal pain and a lump on that side. Ultrasound showed a 14.5 × 7.5 × 15.9 cm lesion divided into many compartments, and CT showed a multicystic lesion surrounding the ascending colon and caecum. At diagnostic laparoscopy (keyhole examination) the cysts looked fragile, so the surgeons switched to open surgery and removed the right colon without rupturing the cyst. The removed mass measured 21 × 13 × 8 cm, did not invade the bowel wall, and showed no abnormal-looking cells. The patient went home after 8 days and was well at one month. The report did not mention asbestos or any other exposure. The authors recommended diagnostic laparoscopy for tumours of uncertain cause on imaging, and long-term follow-up.

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 40-year-old man with no previous medical or surgical history, treated at the Department of General Surgery, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, India
• Main results:
  • Ultrasound of the patient's abdomen showed a 14.5 × 7.5 × 15.9 cm lesion divided by internal walls, with no definite solid part
  • Diagnostic laparoscopy found a multicystic lesion covering the whole ascending colon and caecum
  • The surgeons converted to open surgery and performed a right hemicolectomy without rupturing the cyst
  • The removed cystic mass measured 21 × 13 × 8 cm and was attached to the outer surface of the caecum without growing into the bowel wall
  • Under the microscope, no abnormal-looking cells or overgrowth of the lining layer were seen; the lining was positive for calretinin and negative for CD 34
  • The patient had an uneventful recovery, was discharged after 8 days, and was well with a normal abdominal ultrasound at the 1-month follow-up
• The authors' conclusion: The authors recommended diagnostic laparoscopy for all tumours of suspicious cause on imaging, stated that diagnosis can only be made on histopathology, and called for prolonged, possibly lifelong, follow-up because the lesion usually comes back

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Diagnostic Laparoscopy.

Related studies

• 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)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Condition in an Uncommon Gender — M.S. Khurram, H. Shaikh, et al. (2017)
• 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 (BMPM) presenting with ambiguous symptoms: A rare case report — A. Hamza, A. Zazo, 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)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare cause of intra-abdominal cystic disease — B. Campbell, D. Mehanna, et al. (2017)

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