Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma Complicating Fertility Preservation

Our plain-English summary of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma Complicating Fertility Preservation, by S. Shikanai, T. Mariya, M. Iwasaki, et al (Gynecology and Minimally Invasive Therapy, 2022).

The study

• Authors: S. Shikanai, T. Mariya, M. Iwasaki, T. Saito
• Journal: Gynecology and Minimally Invasive Therapy
• Published: 2022;11(2):137-138
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This short report, published as a clinical image, described one patient: a 32-year-old woman who had never given birth and had been diagnosed with left breast cancer. She was referred to gynecologists to preserve her fertility before chemotherapy, and ultrasound found multiple cysts in the pouch behind the uterus. Blood tumor markers (CEA, CA125 and CA19-9) were not elevated, and MRI did not give a definitive diagnosis. She chose keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery, in which her right ovary was removed and frozen and the cysts were completely removed. Pathology found benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma and an endometrial cyst. She went home 4 days after surgery without complications and began chemotherapy the next week. There was no recurrence of the pelvic cysts at 1 year. Genetic testing found no inherited BRCA mutation. The authors wrote that egg retrieval through the vagina could have been considered if she had requested it or had time to delay chemotherapy. The article does not discuss asbestos or any other exposure as a cause. As a single case, it does not show how often this condition occurs.

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 (published as a clinical image) of a single patient
• Who was studied: One 32-year-old nulliparous woman with left breast cancer, referred to the gynecology department of Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan, for fertility preservation before neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• Main results:
  • Transvaginal ultrasound found multiple cysts in the rectouterine pouch.
  • The patient's blood tumor markers (CEA, CA125 and CA19-9) were not elevated.
  • MRI showed multiple cysts filling the rectouterine pouch but did not give a definitive diagnosis.
  • The patient chose pelvic cystectomy with ovarian tissue freezing, done laparoscopically.
  • In surgery, the patient's right ovary was excised and frozen, and the pelvic cysts were completely resected.
  • Pathology diagnosed benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM) and an endometrial cyst.
  • The patient was discharged 4 days after surgery without complications and started neoadjuvant chemotherapy the next week.
  • At 1 year after the operation, the patient's pelvic cysts had not recurred.
  • A p53 signature was found in the patient's right Fallopian tube. Her BRCA gene testing was negative for germline mutation.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors wrote that transvaginal egg retrieval could have been considered in this case if the patient had requested it or had time to delay chemotherapy.

Topics

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

Related studies

• Fertility preservation in a patient with benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma — Z.A. Al-Safi, B.H. Edil, et al. (2014)
• Navigating Fertility Preservation in Epithelioid Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Case Study — D.W. Qiu, Y.J. Lin Lee, et al. (2025)
• Benign multicystic mesothelioma of peritoneum complicating acute appendicitis in a man: a case report — S. Occhionorelli, D. Tartarini, et al. (2016)
• Multicystic Benign Mesothelioma Complicating Pregnancy — V.A. Tamhankar (2015)
• 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)

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