Primary malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum: a clinical and immunohistochemical study

Primary peritoneal mesothelioma is regarded as a fatal disease that presents with progressive ascites at a relatively late stage of its natural history. Differential diagnosis between this rare tumor and both serous papillary carcinoma of the peritoneum and ovary can be problematic. A 54-year-old wo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gynecologic oncology 2005-03, Vol.96 (3), p.860-864
Main Authors: Markaki, Sophia, Protopapas, Athanasios, Milingos, Spyros, Lazaris, Dimitrios, Antsaklis, Aris, Michalas, Stylianos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Female
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Malignant mesothelioma
Mesothelioma - metabolism
Mesothelioma - pathology
Middle Aged
Peritoneal Neoplasms - metabolism
Peritoneal Neoplasms - pathology
Peritoneum
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Summary:Primary peritoneal mesothelioma is regarded as a fatal disease that presents with progressive ascites at a relatively late stage of its natural history. Differential diagnosis between this rare tumor and both serous papillary carcinoma of the peritoneum and ovary can be problematic. A 54-year-old woman presented to our institution with a 4-month history of dull epigastric pain and increased abdominal girth. Exploratory laparotomy revealed the presence of extensive intraperitoneal dissemination of a malignant neoplasm without a recognizable primary site. Suboptimal cytoreduction was carried out, and histological diagnosis was that of a malignant epithelioid mesothelioma. This was confirmed with a panel of immunohistochemical markers. The patient despite having a complete response after adjuvant chemotherapy died 18 months after primary surgery. No single immunohistochemical stain is pathognomonic of peritoneal primary malignant mesothelioma (PMM), and the results of a panel of antibodies should be interpreted to set the diagnosis.
ISSN:0090-8258
1095-6859
DOI:10.1016/j.ygyno.2004.11.014