[Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma].
Public attention has recently been devoted worldwide to malignant mesotheliomas and their relation to exposure to industrial materials, especially asbestos and its products. The more common form of the disease is the pleural type, while the peritoneal variant is rare, with an estimated incidence of less than 1:1,000,000 new cases per year. In contrast to the pleural type, the relationship of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma to exposure to asbestos is unclear. The differential diagnosis, based on clinical appearance and imaging techniques, is broad and the diagnosis is inconclusive, so that the diagnosis must be confirmed by histologic examination. Treatment is a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and irradiation. Contrary to occasional reports, the malignancy is fatal, death occurring within a few months of diagnosis. We present a 65-year-old man in whom malignant peritoneal mesothelioma was diagnosed. The presenting symptoms were a large abdominal mass involving the colon, and ascites. He died 5 months after the diagnosis was made.
Tamir
G
G
Dept. of Surgery A, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tikva.
Sandbank
J
J
Rubin
M
M
Antebi
E
E
D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy