Diagnosis and treatment of malignant retroperitoneal mesothelioma: A case report

Our plain-English summary of Diagnosis and treatment of malignant retroperitoneal mesothelioma: A case report, by F. Tang, Y. Cui, Y. Gao (Medicine, 2024).

The study

• Authors: F. Tang, Y. Cui, Y. Gao
• Journal: Medicine
• Published: 2024;103(17):e37985
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Rationale: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare clinical disease. Although there are several reports describing intraperitoneal mesothelioma of the lung, liver, and intestine, retroperitoneal mesothelioma is, to our knowledge, very rare and rarely reported. In recent years, our best clinical protocols for the treatment and diagnosis of retroperitoneal mesothelioma have not been proven and the diagnosis and treatment are challenging.

Patient Concerns: A 37-year-old Chinese woman complained of bilateral low back pain for a month, with obvious symptoms of low back pain on the left side. To treat low back pain, retroperitoneal masses were found during physical examination. The patient consulted a urological specialist for further treatment.

Diagnosis: After the operation, pathological biopsy confirmed retroperitoneal epithelioid diffuse mesothelioma.

Interventions: After exclusion of surgical contraindications, the patient underwent laparoscopic retroperitoneal lesion resection under tracheal intubation and general anesthesia, and the operation was successful.

Outcomes: On the tenth day after surgery, the patient vital signs were stable, and he was discharged.

Lessons: Patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may have no typical clinical symptoms, and the diagnosis is based on pathological and immunohistochemical examination. In selected patients, surgical cell reduction and intraoperative intraperitoneal heat chemotherapy have become the first choice of treatment, which can achieve ideal therapeutic effects and prolong survival.

Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

In plain English

This article is a case report from Weifang, Shandong, China. It described one patient with mesothelioma in the retroperitoneum, the space behind the abdominal cavity. The patient was a 37-year-old Chinese woman who had a month of low back pain on both sides, most noticeable on the left. A CT scan showed a mass in the left adrenal area about 10.4 by 7.4 cm, along with small retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Surgeons removed the mass by laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. The involved kidney capsule and adrenal gland were removed with it. Pathology found epithelioid diffuse mesothelioma with rhabdomyoid structure that had locally invaded the adrenal gland. Tumor had spread to 2 of 20 left retroperitoneal lymph nodes. The report's abstract stated that the patient was stable and discharged on the tenth day after surgery. No later follow-up was reported. The report did not say whether the patient had any asbestos exposure. The authors concluded that retroperitoneal mesothelioma is a very rare malignant tumor and that its diagnosis and treatment are challenging.

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 (single patient)
• Who was studied: One 37-year-old Chinese woman with bilateral low back pain for a month, treated in the Department of Urinary Surgery, Weifang People's Hospital, Shandong, China
• Exposure: Not reported. The case description does not state whether the patient had any asbestos exposure.
• Main results:
  • CT showed an irregular soft tissue mass in the left adrenal area, about 10.4 by 7.4 cm, with small retroperitoneal lymph node shadows
  • At laparoscopic surgery the tumor involved the renal capsule and adrenal gland, and these were removed together with the tumor
  • Pathology diagnosed epithelioid diffuse mesothelioma with rhabdomyoid structure, with local invasion of the adrenal gland
  • Tumor metastasis was found in 2 of 20 left retroperitoneal lymph nodes
  • According to the abstract, the patient's vital signs were stable and the patient was discharged on the tenth day after surgery. No longer-term follow-up was reported.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that retroperitoneal mesothelioma is a very rare malignant tumor with few previously reported cases, and that its diagnosis and treatment are challenging

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Bilateral, Biopsy, Epithelioid, Chemotherapy.

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