Multicystic Benign Mesothelioma Complicating Pregnancy

Our plain-English summary of Multicystic Benign Mesothelioma Complicating Pregnancy, by V.A. Tamhankar (Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2015).

The study

• Author: V.A. Tamhankar
• Journal: Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Published: 2015;2015:687183
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Multicystic benign mesothelioma (MBM) is a rare peritoneal pathology typically affecting women in reproductive age. Though MBM is considered benign, these lesions are prone to recurrence and their growth could be modulated by the presence of oestrogen receptors. Acute presentation of MBM is still very rare in pregnancy and management options are not established. We describe a case of MBM presenting in early pregnancy with acute pain. This was successfully treated with surgical resection. Pregnancy continued uneventfully to term and no evidence of recurrent MBM was found at Caesarean section.

In plain English

This article was a case report describing one woman with multicystic benign mesothelioma (MBM) during pregnancy. The author described MBM as a rare condition of the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum). A 23-year-old woman who had not given birth before came for care at seven weeks of pregnancy with pain in the lower right abdomen. An ultrasound scan showed a viable pregnancy in the womb and a cystic mass in the pelvis measuring 6.4 cm by 4 cm. Her pain first settled with painkillers. She returned six weeks later with increasing pain, and the mass had grown to 13 cm by 7 cm. At 14 weeks of pregnancy the mass was surgically removed. It was attached to the pelvic lining and separate from both ovaries, which were normal. Laboratory examination of the tissue confirmed MBM. The pregnancy continued uneventfully. At an emergency Caesarean section at full term, no return of the cysts was seen. The author did not test the removed tissue for oestrogen receptors. The author recommended surgery in appropriately selected cases. The article did not mention asbestos.

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), with a brief discussion of five previously reported cases
• Who was studied: One 23-year-old nulliparous woman, seven weeks pregnant at first presentation; the author is based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK; dates of care not stated
• Main results:
  • At seven weeks of pregnancy, ultrasound showed a viable intrauterine pregnancy and a 6.4 cm by 4 cm multiloculated cystic mass in the pelvis
  • Six weeks later, with increasing pain and localised peritonitis, the mass had grown to 13 cm by 7 cm on repeat ultrasound
  • An exploratory laparotomy was performed at 14 weeks of gestation; the mass was adherent to the pelvic peritoneum and free from both ovaries, which were normal
  • Histology of the excised lesion confirmed MBM
  • The pregnancy continued uneventfully; at an emergency Caesarean section at term there was no recurrence of the peritoneal cysts
• The authors' conclusion: The author stated that asymptomatic MBM can be treated expectantly during pregnancy, and recommended surgical treatment in appropriately selected cases, believing that complete resection reduces recurrence risk
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Oestrogen receptor status of the removed tissue was not studied

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Pathology, Surgical Resection.

Related studies

• Benign multicystic mesothelioma of peritoneum complicating acute appendicitis in a man: a case report — S. Occhionorelli, D. Tartarini, et al. (2016)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma Complicating Fertility Preservation — S. Shikanai, T. Mariya, et al. (2022)
• Benign cystic mesothelioma: a case series with one case complicated by pregnancy — O. Akbayir, A. Gedikbasi, et al. (2011)
• 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)
• Multicystic benign cystic mesothelioma presenting as a pelvic mass — M. Momeni, E. Pereira, et al. (2014)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Condition in an Uncommon Gender — M.S. Khurram, H. Shaikh, et al. (2017)

Browse return to medical research.