Peritoneal mesothelioma in a case of inguinal hernia. A review of the literature.
The peritoneal mesothelioma (PM) is a rare, benign or malignant, primary tumour, arising from the peritoneal membrane. The most frequent histological form is the malignant one with an incidence of 2-2.6 new cases per million per year. The symptomatology is insidious and poses difficult problems in the diagnosis and the treatment. Instrumental diagnostic investigations are useful only in the diagnostic orientation. Only the pathologic examination allows to distinguish a peritoneal carcinomatosis from PM. The prognosis of MPM is pour. An intense multimodal therapy, combining surgery with CT and RT, increases the survival rates in the patients with MPM. It has been proposed that hernia of abdominal wall play a role in the pathogenesis of this tumor. We believe that hypothesis seems unlikely considering the enormous discrepancy between the incidence of hernial pathology and PM.
Torretta
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Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. alfredotor@yahoo.com
La Torre
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V
Sorcini
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A
Panarese
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A
Tonini
E
E
Zeri
K P
KP
Mascagni
D
D
Arcieri
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S
Giacomelli
Lu
L
Filippini
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D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015251:Epirubicin; D016685:Mitomycin; D002945:Cisplatin