Primary pericardial mesothelioma: a rare entity

Our plain-English summary of Primary pericardial mesothelioma: a rare entity, by M. Godar, J. Liu, P. Zhang, et al (Case Reports in Oncological Medicine, 2013).

The study

• Authors: M. Godar, J. Liu, P. Zhang, Y. Xia, Q. Yuan
• Journal: Case Reports in Oncological Medicine
• Published: 2013;2013:283601
• Cited by: 32 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma is an extremely rare neoplasm that arises from the pericardial mesothelial cell layers. Clinical symptoms and signs are frequently nonspecific, and the diagnosis is usually made after surgery or at autopsy. There is no standard treatment for pericardial mesothelioma; nonetheless, radical surgery is the mainstay of therapy for localized disease. The neoplasm is highly aggressive and carries a dismal prognosis with an overall survival of less than six months. This paper presents a case study of a 68-year-old patient with a primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma. Radiologic evaluation revealed a small nodule in the posterior pericardium with pericardial and bilateral pleural effusions. The diagnosis was established after surgery by histological and immunohistochemical studies. The patient remained alive and free of disease for about 24 months; however, due to rapid local recurrence, the patient died 27 months after the surgical treatment.

In plain English

This article was a case report from the Second Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun, China. It described one patient with primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining around the heart. A previously healthy 68-year-old man came to the hospital in May 2010 after a month of tiredness, breathlessness on exertion, swelling of both lower legs and a 5-kilogram weight loss. He was a nonsmoker and denied any prior asbestos exposure. A CT scan showed a nodular mass of around 3.6 cm by 2.2 cm on the left back wall of the pericardium. There was fluid around the heart and small amounts of fluid around both lungs. He had surgery. The tumor measured 3.5 cm and was well encapsulated. Examination of the removed tissue, including immunohistochemical staining, confirmed pericardial mesothelioma of the epitheloid type. He then received two cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed. He remained alive and free of disease for around 24 months. He died in August 2012 from rapid local recurrence, 27 months after surgery. The report describes what happened to this one patient.

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 previously healthy 68-year-old man seen at the authors' hospital (Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China) in May 2010; he was a nonsmoker
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was reported. The patient was a nonsmoker and denied any history of prior asbestos exposure.
• Main results:
  • CT showed a nodular mass around 3.6 cm by 2.2 cm arising from the left posterior pericardial wall, with pericardial effusion and small bilateral pleural effusions
  • At surgery the tumor was 3.5 cm in diameter and well encapsulated
  • Pathology of the surgical specimen confirmed pericardial mesothelioma, epitheloid type
  • On immunohistochemistry, tumor cells were strongly and diffusely positive for vimentin, calretinin, CK AE1/AE3 and CK7, with focal patchy staining for HBME-1 and CK 5/6, and negative for TTF-1, PLAP, CEA, CD5, CD30 and CD 117
  • After surgery the patient received two cycles of cisplatin and pemetrexed chemotherapy
  • The patient remained alive and free of disease for around 24 months, then died in August 2012 from rapid local recurrence, 27 months after surgery
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated, as a general point about the disease rather than a finding from this case, that there is no standard treatment for pericardial mesothelioma and that radical surgery is the mainstay of therapy for localized disease.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pericardial Mesothelioma, Pericardial, Mesothelioma, Neoplasm, Mesothelial Cells, Autopsy, Prognosis, Overall Survival.

Related studies

• Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma - a rare cause of pericardial effusion and consecutive constrictive pericarditis: a case report — T. Butz, L. Faber, et al. (2009)
• A case report of an extremely rare and aggressive tumor: primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma — X. Feng, L. Zhao, et al. (2012)
• Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma: A Rare but Serious Consideration — S. Seal, H. Simon (2021)
• A rare case of primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma — R. Ramachandran, P. Radhan, et al. (2014)
• F-18 FDG PET/CT images of a rare primer cardiac tumour: Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma — İ. Ak Sivrikoz, H. Önner, et al. (2016)
• Primary pericardial mesothelioma and asbestos exposure: a rare fatal disease — D.M.M. Freitas, R.L. Ramos, et al. (2017)

Browse more research in Case Reports in Oncological Medicine, or return to medical research.