Brief Report: Long-term follow-up of a well-differentiated mesothelioma of the peritoneum in a 2-year-old girl
✍ Scribed by Wünsch, L.; Flemming, P.; Reiter, A.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 174 KB
- Volume
- 31
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0098-1532
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✦ Synopsis
Long-Term Follow-Up of a Well-Differentiated Mesothelioma of the Peritoneum in a 2-Year-Old Girl
The unusual clinical course of a girl with welldifferentiated mesothelioma is of interest. She was diagnosed at the age of 2 years and is living with the disease 9 years later. She was admitted with fever, abdominal swelling, and an inguinal hernia. Ascites was confirmed on ultrasound, but no mass lesion could be detected. Bloody ascites was aspirated and cells suggestive of mesothelioma were found.
At laparotomy, the abdomen was filled with ascites and small cysts and nodules, which covered the liver, spleen, omentum, and peritoneum (Fig. ). Omentectomy, an appendectomy, and a bilateral herniorrhaphy were performed, but complete resection was impossible.
Pathologic examination showed mesothelial cells with epithelioid differentiation, arranged in papillary patterns. The cells were monomorphous with round or ovoid nuclei without atypia and few mitoses. Focal areas of calcification and psammoma bodies were present (Fig. ). No asbestos particles could be observed. No hyperchromasia or anaplasia and no invasive growth was seen. Well-differentiated mesothelioma was diagnosed, but reactive mesothelial hyperplasia was also discussed. Because of uncertainty concerning the evolution of her disease, a decision for close observation was made.