Paratesticular papillary mesothelioma: a case with borderline features
Thursday, January 5th, 2006.
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 2006 Jan;130(1):90-2. [Link]
Cabay RJ, Siddiqui NH, Alam S.
Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612-7335, USA. rcabay1@uic.edu
Abstract
Most often, mesotheliomas involve the serosal (serous) membranes of the pleura and peritoneum. Sometimes, mesothelial proliferations are identified in other locations. On very rare occasions, a mesothelioma is found within the tunica vaginalis of the paratesticular region. We report a case of papillary mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in a 52-year-old man. Although this lesion had papillary structures lined by a single layer of mesothelial cells with predominantly bland nuclear and cytologic features, there was evidence of a minimal presence of mesothelial cells in the underlying stroma. This combination of benign and semimalignant characteristics can make the diagnosis of such a lesion problematic. We think that a diagnosis of "borderline papillary mesothelioma" can be considered for similar mesothelial proliferations to allow for a possible increase in diagnostic accuracy and provide an enhanced informational platform from which patients and clinicians can benefit.
Glossary
- pleura
- (pler-uh) the membrane around the lungs and lining of the chest cavity. (Pleural mesothelioma.)
- lesion
- (lee-zhun) a change in body tissue; sometimes used as another word for tumor.
- diagnosis
- identifying a disease by its signs or symptoms, and by using imaging procedures and laboratory findings. The earlier a diagnosis of cancer is made, the better the chance for long-term survival.
- benign
- (be-nine) not cancer; not malignant.
- mesothelioma
- a tumor derived from mesothelial tissue, such as the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) or pleura (lining the lungs). More on mesothelioma.
- tunica vaginalis
- The serous sheath of the testis and epididymis, derived from the peritoneum; it consists of outer parietal and inner visceral serous layers.
