MR imaging features of peritoneal adenomatoid mesothelioma: a case report

Our plain-English summary of MR imaging features of peritoneal adenomatoid mesothelioma: a case report, by C.M. Lins, J. Elias, A.F. Cunha, et al (Clinics, 2009).

The study

• Authors: C.M. Lins, J. Elias, A.F. Cunha, V.F. Muglia, C.R. Monteiro, F.V. Valeri, O. Feres
• Journal: Clinics
• Published: 2009;64(3):264-9
• Type of article: Case report, Letter
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This letter to the editor was a case report about one patient with adenomatoid mesothelioma of the peritoneum, which the authors described as a rare benign tumor of mesothelial cells. The patient was a 25-year-old woman with pelvic pain. Ultrasound suggested an ovarian tumor. MR imaging showed a well-defined 9.2 x 7.2 x 8.0 cm lesion that pushed the ovaries aside, and the ovaries looked normal. CT showed no calcification. The tumor was removed by surgery. The removed tissue measured 15.0 x 12.0 x 4.0 cm and was a well-differentiated mesothelial tumor that stained positive for calretinin and negative for CEA and BerEp4. The tumor came back and was removed again, and the authors reported the patient had been free of disease for 7 years. The article did not study asbestos and reported no exposure history. The authors wrote that, unlike diffuse malignant mesothelioma, the cause of this tumor has not been established. The authors concluded that this tumor seems to have no specific imaging features and that diagnosis can only be confirmed by pathology and immunohistochemistry.

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 letter to the editor)
• Who was studied: one 25-year-old woman with pelvic pain, seen in Brazil (Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo state); she had had a cesarean section 3 years earlier and an appendectomy about 6 months before onset
• Exposure: No asbestos or other exposure was studied or reported for this patient. As background, the authors stated that, unlike diffuse malignant mesothelioma, the cause of adenomatoid mesothelioma of the peritoneum has not been established.
• Main results:
  • Ultrasound, repeated at three facilities, showed a pelvic mass suggesting an ovarian origin. On transvaginal ultrasound the mass measured 10.8 x 6.1 x 10.5 cm, and the ovaries were not identified.
  • MR imaging showed a large, well-delimited, lobulated lesion measuring 9.2 x 7.2 x 8.0 cm that displaced the ovaries, which appeared normal.
  • CT without contrast showed no calcification in the lesion.
  • Laboratory tests were normal except CA125, which was 37.9 (normal range 0.0 to 35.0).
  • The surgically removed tissue measured 15.0 x 12.0 x 4.0 cm and weighed 170.0 g. Microscopy showed a well-differentiated mesothelial tumor that was positive for calretinin and negative for CEA and BerEp4.
  • The tumor recurred and was removed by a second operation; the authors reported the patient had since been free of disease for 7 years.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that this tumor seems to have no specific imaging features and that diagnosis can only be confirmed by pathology and immunohistochemistry. They believed this was the first case to report MR findings for this tumor.

Topics

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

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

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