1/867. Primary pericardial mesothelioma with cardiac tamponade and distant metastasis: case report. Although cardiac tamponade is a well-known complication of malignancy, it is uncommon as the initial manifestation. The antemortem diagnosis is difficult and distant metastasis is extremely rare. The presentations of primary pericardial mesothelioma are nonspecific. Pathologically, mesothelioma is the most common in primary tumors of the pericardium. Radical surgery can be used to treat a localized mesothelioma. However, the therapy for advanced primary pericardial mesothelioma is usually palliative because it is resistant to irradiation, and chemotherapy does not markedly improve the outcome. The prognosis is uniformly poor. The median survival from the onset of symptoms is 6 months. We present a 67-year-old woman with cardiac tamponade 4 months prior to a definitive diagnosis of primary pericardial mesothelioma. A computed tomogram confirmed multiple well-enhanced nodules in the pericardium, lungs and liver. Unfortunately, the patient died of multiple organ failure. ( info) |
2/867. Nephrogenic adenoma: a form of adenomatous metaplasia of the bladder. A clinical and electron microscopical study. 3 additional cases of "nephrogenic adenoma" of the bladder are added to the 20 previously reported cases. light and electron microscopic studies of the first 2 cases support the hypothesis of urothelial metaplasia. The name "adenomatous metaplasia" should replace "nephrogenic adenoma". Malignant change occurred in the third case, suggesting that this ought to be regarded as a potentially dangerous from of metaplasia. In the absence of malignant change, ileocaecocystoplasty with subtotal cystectomy afforded symptomatic cure in 2 cases: radical cystectomy was performed in the third because of malignant adenocarcinoma. ( info) |
3/867. Pelvic and lumbar metastasis detected by bone scintigraphy in malignant pleural mesothelioma. A case of a 43-year-old man suffering from pleural mesothelioma with distant bone metastasis is reported. The results of bone scintigraphy and NMR findings allowed the diagnosis. The current case describes a hematogenous metastasis to the pelvis and vertebral column from a malignant pleural mesothelioma that was detected initially by bone scintigraphy. ( info) |
4/867. Epithelial mesothelioma with deciduoid features. A rare case of malignant mesothelioma in a 15-year-old girl is described. The patient presented with secondary amenorrhoea and clinical symptoms resembling those of an ovarian cyst. One large and multiple small peritoneal nodules were found at laparoscopy. Histologically the tumour was characterised by an unusual pattern with a superficial resemblance to decidual reaction, but because of significant mitotic activity the diagnosis of a malignant tumour, epithelial mesothelioma with deciduoid features, was made. The patient died 11 months after diagnosis. Post-mortem examination revealed extensive extraperitoneal spread. ( info) |
5/867. Impressive remission in a patient with locally advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma treated with gemcitabine. The results of treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma are quite unsatisfactory regardless of the substance or schedule employed. Although some activity is proved for anthracyclines, platinum compounds and alkylating substances, no chemotherapeutic regimen has emerged as a standard of care. Response rates documented in literature are between 10 and 20% for all these regimens. We report about a patient with locally advanced, unresectable pleural mesothelioma treated with the nucleoside analog gemcitabine (2,2-difluorodeoxycytidine). A 54-year-old male patient with unresectable pleural mesothelioma confirmed by thoracoscopic biopsy was treated with seven cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on day 1, 8 and 15) over a period of 36 weeks. Restaging by thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan was performed after 8, 20 and 36 weeks. At week 36 after beginning of treatment, the CT scan exhibited a substantial partial remission with a reduction of tumor volume of over 50%. The adverse effects of the therapy were very moderate with a hematotoxicity not exceeding WHO grade I and a mild 'flu-like syndrome' during the first three cycles which responded quite well to steroids. The compliance of the patient was excellent and his general condition improved significantly under therapy. Gemcitabine seems to be an active drug for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma. Compared to other active regimens it is normally very well tolerated by the patients. Because of these characteristics gemcitabine seems a suitable antineoplastic substance, especially in palliative settings. It would be worthwhile to test its activity in pleural mesotheliomas in controlled trials. ( info) |
6/867. Ga-67 tumor scan in malignant diffuse mesothelioma--comparison with CT and pathological findings. Malignant diffuse mesothelioma is characterized by more difficult diagnosis and worse prognosis than other pleural tumors. In the Department of thoracic surgery, Hyogo Medical Center for Adults, 11 patients underwent panpleuropneumonectomy for this disease between January, 1988 and March, 1993. In 7 of these cases, Ga-67 scans were obtained before the operation. To clarify the factors affecting Ga-67 uptake in the pleural tumor, we compared Ga-67 uptake on the involved side of the thorax with CT and the pathological findings of the tumor. Regarding the use of Ga-67 scan imaging for the diagnosis of this disease, a number of related findings must be considered, such as an encircled wide Ga-67 uptake in the thickened pleural involvement and a diffuse slight Ga-67 uptake on the affected side with very slight involvement of the pleura. When the involved pleural thickness was over 6 mm, a definite correlation was found between the degree of Ga-67 uptake and the macroscopic thickness of mesothelioma in resected specimens. Thickness of the pleura on CT images demonstrates the real tumor thickness in the case of thickened involvement but in the case of thin involvement the real thickness of active mesothelioma could not be identified. No definite correlation was found between the degree of Ga-67 uptake and the histological type, or among microscopic findings, such as the extent of tumor parenchyma, interstitial volume and tumor vascularity. Our results suggest that the Ga-67 scan is very useful for revealing the extent of pleural involvement, especially when this involvement is more than 6 mm thick. ( info) |
7/867. Solitary fibrous tumour of the prostate. Solitary fibrous tumours are rare, benign neoplasms that are most commonly found in the pleura and less commonly on other serosal surfaces. Their cell of origin and aetiology are uncertain. A case of solitary fibrous tumour of the prostate is presented. We believe this to be the first case of this lesion to arise in this gland. Solitary fibrous tumours of the prostate may be confused with granulomatous prostatitis or carcinoma as all three may present with a nodule on rectal examination and appear as a hypoechoic nodule on transrectal ultrasound. ( info) |
8/867. Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a report of two cases and review of literature. Two cases of rare malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis are presented. Both cases were advanced on clinical and radiological studies. One patient was treated with surgical excision followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the other patient was treated with surgery and chemotherapy. Despite aggressive therapy both the patients died within 18 months of treatment. review of the literature with suggested treatment protocol is presented. The response of malignant mesothelioma to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is poor as indicated by both of our cases. Initial aggressive surgery and adjuvant procedures are necessary soon after diagnosis to achieve long-term survival. ( info) |
9/867. Intramuscular solitary fibrous tumor: a clinicopathological case study. We present a case of extrapleural solitary fibrous tumor arising within the muscle, an unusual and hitherto-undescribed tumor lesion. A 42-year-old woman presented a painless mass in her left thigh. The lesion was depicted as an intramuscular mass that enhanced on both CT and MRI, showing quite rich tumor vascularity. The histological features of the tumor were spindle cell proliferation with various histological patterns, typical fibrocollagenous background, and positive immunoreactivity for CD-34. ( info) |
10/867. Pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma involving pleura and peritoneum: A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of three cases. Pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma is a rare variant of peripheral adenocarcinoma of the lung that can manifest clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features similar to malignant mesothelioma. We present three patients with pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma of the lung. In one patient the carcinoma extended beyond the thorax and extensively involved the peritoneum, mesentery, omentum, and intestines. All patients experienced weight loss and chest pain. All were white men aged 63, 65, and 67 years. Two were smokers and had shortness of breath, cough, and pleural effusion. One had a history of asbestos exposure. No patient developed dyspnea or hemoptysis. One was successfully treated for prostatic carcinoma 18 months earlier. Radiographically, all tumors were pleura-based. Grossly, the tumors spread extensively over pleural (and in one case peritoneal) surfaces and mimicked malignant mesothelioma. Histologically, all tumors were poorly differentiated and necrotic; two tumors exhibited spindle-cell components and desmoplasia. Mucin production was detectable in none, 10%, and 50% of tumor cells. The percentages of tumor cells immunoreactive for Ber-EP4 were 70%, 100%, and 80%; for Leu MI 0%, 90%, and 50%; for epithelial membrane antigen 80%, 80%, and 100%; for B 72.3%, 0%, 90%, and 20%; for polyclonal carcinoembryonic antigen 0%, 10%, and 10%; and for monoclonal 5%, 0%, and 0%. Of these, Ber-EP4 and B 72.3 rendered the most reliable diagnostic results. The clinical, radiologic, and gross and routine histologic findings were similar to those of a malignant mesothelioma; the final diagnosis could be made based mainly on immunocytochemical results. We have reviewed the English and German literature regarding 65 such tumors and present our experience with three additional cases. We emphasize the application of immunocytochemical studies on pleura-based poorly or undifferentiated malignant tumors of unknown origin. ( info) |