Multicystic mesothelioma of the pericardium

• Published in: Pathology international 2011-05, Vol.61 (5), p.319-321
• Main Authors: Morita, Shigeki, Goto, Akiteru, Sakatani, Takashi, Ota, Satoshi, Murakawa, Tomohiro, Nakajima, Jun, Maeda, Eriko, Fukayama, Masashi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - therapeutic use; autopsy; Deoxycytidine - analogs & derivatives; Deoxycytidine - therapeutic use; Diagnosis, Differential; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Liver - pathology; Lung - pathology; Male; Mediastinum - pathology; mesothelioma; Mesothelioma, Cystic - diagnostic imaging; Mesothelioma, Cystic - drug therapy; Mesothelioma, Cystic - pathology; Middle Aged; multicystic mesothelioma; pericardium; Pericardium - diagnostic imaging; Pericardium - pathology; Peritoneal Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Peritoneal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Peritoneal Neoplasms - pathology; Pleural Cavity - pathology; postmortem CT; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 1320-5463; 1440-1827
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2011.02654.x

Multicystic mesothelioma is a well recognized but rare serosal tumor which mainly arises from the peritoneum in women and is considered as a benign lesion. This is the second case report of pericardial multicystic mesothelioma, which took a fatal clinical course. A 63‐year‐old man presented with pitting edema, shortness of breath, and hoarseness. Radiological investigations revealed solid and cystic tumor of the pericardium which was continuously extending into the mediastinum and the liver. Pericardial biopsy showed micro‐cystic tumor lined by single layer of mesothelial cells without atypia, and the diagnosis was multicystic mesothelioma. Curative surgery could not be performed, and three years and four months later, the patient died because of the direct compression of the heart by the tumor. At autopsy, the tumor was found to be directly extending into the right pleural cavity and the right lung, besides the mediastinum and the liver. Neither malignant transformation nor metastatic tumor was identified.