Pleuroperitoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Entity on 18F-FDG PET/CT

Our plain-English summary of Pleuroperitoneal Mesothelioma: A Rare Entity on 18F-FDG PET/CT, by M.K. Sahoo, A. Mukherjee, Girish, et al (Indian Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2017).

The study

• Authors: M.K. Sahoo, A. Mukherjee, Girish, K. Parida, K.K. Agarwal, C. Bal, M. Tripathi, C.J. Das, S.A. Shamim
• Journal: Indian Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• Published: 2017;32(1):75-76
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Pleuroperitoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare entity. Only few cases are reported worldwide. We hereby represent a case of pleural mesothelioma referred for F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for response evaluation. Diffuse F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose avid peritoneal and omental thickening noted which subsequently turned out to be mesothelial involvement on peritoneal biopsy. This case demonstrates the role of F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in detecting other sites of involvement in case of malignant mesothelioma.

In plain English

This article is a case report of one patient, published as an "Interesting Image" by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The patient was a 40-year-old woman with no history of occupational asbestos exposure. She had malignant pleural mesothelioma that had been confirmed by examining tissue under a microscope. After chemotherapy, she was referred for an FDG PET/CT scan (F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography) to check the status of her disease. The scan showed extensive, irregular, mass-like FDG-avid thickening in the lining of her right lung and chest wall, called the parietal and visceral pleura. The underlying lung had collapsed. The scan also showed diffuse FDG-avid thickening of the lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum) and of the omentum. A biopsy of the peritoneum confirmed peritoneal mesothelioma. The authors reported that conventional imaging before treatment had not detected the peritoneal lesions. The authors concluded that FDG PET/CT is a valuable imaging modality in the evaluation and management of malignant mesothelioma.

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, "Interesting Image" format)
• Who was studied: One 40-year-old woman with histologically proven malignant pleural mesothelioma, seen at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure or fiber type was studied; the patient had no history of occupational asbestos exposure. The patient had been treated with chemotherapy before the FDG PET/CT scan.
• Main results:
  • On FDG PET/CT after chemotherapy, the patient had extensive FDG-avid irregular mass-like thickening of the right parietal and visceral pleura, with collapse of the underlying lung
  • The same scan showed FDG-avid diffuse peritoneal and omental thickening in this patient
  • A peritoneal biopsy from this patient confirmed peritoneal mesothelioma
  • Conventional imaging before treatment had not detected the peritoneal lesions in this patient
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that 18F-FDG PET/CT is a valuable imaging modality in the evaluation and management of malignant mesothelioma, and that this case supports its role in showing the extent of disease by detecting pleural and peritoneal lesions at the same time

Topics

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

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