Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis. 2019

Kelly J Butnor, and Elizabeth N Pavlisko, and Thomas A Sporn, and Victor L Roggli
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT 05401. Electronic address: kelly.butnor@uvmhealth.org.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) arising from the serosal membranes of the tunica vaginalis testis (TVT) is rare. Most examples in the published medical literature are individual case reports. This study presents the clinicopathological findings of mesothelioma of the TVT in one of the largest series to date. Individuals with mesothelioma of the TVT were identified from a database of more than 4000 mesothelioma cases, and their clinicopathological features were recorded. Eighteen men with MM and 2 with well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of the TVT were identified, which represented 0.6% of males with mesothelioma in study population. The median age at diagnosis was 72 years (range, 32-85 years). A neoplasm was not suspected preoperatively in 12 of the 17 (71%) men whose clinical presentation was known, 7 of whom presented with hydrocele and 5 with inguinal hernia. The other 5 had a clinically recognized mass. Seven of the men underwent herniorrhaphy; 7, radical orchiectomy; 3, hydrocelectomy; and 3, paratesticular mass biopsy or excision as the initial diagnostic procedure. Twelve of the MM cases were epithelioid and 6 were biphasic. Among the 6 men with MM who had ≥6 months of follow-up, 1 was alive with no evidence of disease at 6 months, and 5 were known to have died of disease 8-74 months (median = 31.5 months) following diagnosis. Three men with MM had received either chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Of the 2 men initially diagnosed with well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma, 1 was alive without evidence of disease 5 years after diagnosis, while the other had findings more compatible with MM with peritoneal involvement 2 years following initial diagnosis. In 15 of the 18 cases of MM (83%), there was documented occupational or paraoccupational exposure to asbestos, the average duration of which was 33 years (range, 2-46 years). Information regarding the presence or absence of pleural plaques was available in 5 of the MM cases, and pleural plaques had been found in 4. Lung tissue was not available for fiber analysis in any of the cases. One additional case originally diagnosed at another institution as MM of the TVT was reclassified as adenocarcinoma following performance of additional immunohistochemical testing. TVT is a rare site of MM, the diagnosis of which is often unsuspected preoperatively. Like its counterparts at other serosal sites, MM of the TVT is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis that evidence would suggest is etiologically associated with asbestos in at least some cases.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008175 Lung Neoplasms Tumors or cancer of the LUNG. Cancer of Lung,Lung Cancer,Pulmonary Cancer,Pulmonary Neoplasms,Cancer of the Lung,Neoplasms, Lung,Neoplasms, Pulmonary,Cancer, Lung,Cancer, Pulmonary,Cancers, Lung,Cancers, Pulmonary,Lung Cancers,Lung Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Lung,Neoplasm, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Cancers,Pulmonary Neoplasm
D008297 Male Males
D008654 Mesothelioma A tumor derived from mesothelial tissue (peritoneum, pleura, pericardium). It appears as broad sheets of cells, with some regions containing spindle-shaped, sarcoma-like cells and other regions showing adenomatous patterns. Pleural mesotheliomas have been linked to exposure to asbestos. (Dorland, 27th ed) Mesotheliomas
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009919 Orchiectomy The surgical removal of one or both testicles. Castration, Male,Orchidectomy,Castrations, Male,Male Castration,Male Castrations,Orchidectomies,Orchiectomies
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000086002 Mesothelioma, Malignant A type of mesothelioma with a tendency to metastasize. Most tumors originate from either the PLEURA or PERITONEUM, tumors may also originate in the PERICARDIUM or testicular tissue. It is associated with ASBESTOS exposure. Somatic mutations identified in WT1, BCL10, CDKN2A, NF2, and BAP1 genes are associated with the malignancy. OMIM: 156240. Malignant Mesothelioma,Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,Mesothelioma, Malignant Pleural,Malignant Mesotheliomas,Malignant Pleural Mesotheliomas,Mesotheliomas, Malignant,Mesotheliomas, Malignant Pleural,Pleural Mesothelioma, Malignant,Pleural Mesotheliomas, Malignant
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000369 Aged, 80 and over Persons 80 years of age and older. Oldest Old

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