Malignant mesothelioma associated with localized myocardial fibrosis: a case report.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Vymetalova K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8186214 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Malignant mesothelioma involving the para-testicular tunica is extremely rare and an aggressive tumor. Bilateral malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis is not reported previously in the literature. Rarity of the disease, absence of any specific clinical and radiological findings makes the preoperative diagnosis difficult. Aggressive surgical approach is the key to successful management with high inguinal orchiectomy and scrotectomy appears to be optimal treatment in patients with localized disease.
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Project description:BackgroundPrimary pericardial mesothelioma (PPM) is a rare malignancy with a high prevalence of mortality. The diagnosis is usually challenging using a variety of imaging modalities and invasive procedures and is generally performed at the later stages of the disease or in autopsy. This case study points to an unconventional presentation of PPM and the challenges in diagnosing this rare mortal malignancy.Case presentationThis study presents a 44-year-old woman with no remarkable medical history with an initial diagnosis of effusive constrictive pericarditis at first hospitalization. Imaging evaluations, including transthoracic echocardiography and chest computed tomography scan, demonstrated visible thickened pericardium, pericardial effusion, and mass-like lesions in pericardium and mediastinum. The definite diagnosis of primary pericardial mesothelioma was established after pericardiectomy and histopathology examinations. Chemotherapy with pemetrexed and carboplatin was administrated to the patient, and she has been through four cycles of chemotherapy with no complications to date.ConclusionConstrictive pericarditis is an uncommon presentation of PPM. Due to the high mortality rate and late presentation, difficulties and uncertainties in diagnosis, being aware of this rare malignant entity in different cardiac manifestations, particularly when there is no clear explanation or response to treatment in such conditions, is highly important.
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Project description:BackgroundMalignant pleural mesothelioma has limited therapeutic options and a poor outcome. Antiangiogenic agents might increase the efficacy of immunotherapy as second-line treatment of advanced-stage malignancies.Case summaryA patient with stage IIIB pleural mesothelioma received second-line treatment with a combination of pembrolizumab, bevacizumab and chemotherapy following standard chemotherapy under the guidance of second-generation sequencing. He achieved a partial response after four cycles of treatment with progression-free survival of 5 mo. Pembrolizumab was suspended due to grade 2 immunerelated pneumonia, which was resolved by oral glucocorticoids. However, disease progression was observed after immunotherapy rechallenge and anlotinib therapy. The patient had disease progression, multiorgan dysfuntion and died suddenly in October 2019.ConclusionThe combination of immune checkpoint inhibitor, anti-angiogenic agents and chemotherapy showed effective response for advanced pleural mesothelioma, but with adverse reactions.
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Project description:BACKGROUND Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly lethal cancer with a median survival of ~12 months even with aggressive intervention. Frontline therapy relies on systemic cisplatin and pemetrexed chemotherapy and has a response rate of ~35-41%; currently, there are no US Food and Drug Administration approved second-line therapies for MPM. Herein, we present a patient with MPM who experienced rapid disease progression after standard therapy but who had an exceptional and sustained response to immune checkpoint inhibition with single agent nivolumab. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old male with a history of work-related asbestos exposure was diagnosed with MPM. He was treated with primary resection followed by systemic chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed. When chemotherapy failed, he was switched to immunotherapy with nivolumab and achieved an exceptional response. CONCLUSIONS We report the first case of a patient with MPM who experienced rapid disease progression after standard therapy but had an exceptional and sustained response to immune checkpoint inhibition with single agent nivolumab. As outcomes with traditional chemotherapy regimens remain disappointing, there is a substantial need for new approaches to MPM; our case highlights a new therapeutic opportunity even in the face of aggressive disease. Indeed, a new era of investigation utilizing immunotherapy for mesothelioma is beginning, with much anticipation.
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Project description:Study Design Case report. Objective Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an uncommon tumor of the pleural epithelium with a predilection for local spread into adjacent tissues. The sarcomatoid type accounts for ∼10% of MM cases and is associated with poorer survival than the epithelioid, desmoplastic, and biphasic types. MM commonly presents with involvement of the vertebral body or epidural space. However, intradural spinal extension of MM is extremely rare. Only eight cases of intradural spinal extension have been reported. We report this rare case and discuss the clinical manifestations of intradural spinal extension of MM with literature review. Methods This report describes the case of a 62-year-old man with Brown-Séquard syndrome and radiculopathy of the left C5 nerve root detected during treatment for pleural sarcomatoid MM. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intramedullary lesion at the C3 level and a small nodule at the left C5 nerve root with cervical canal stenosis. Results The patient underwent surgery, and intramedullary metastasis of sarcomatoid MM was diagnosed. Subsequently, radiotherapy was administered, resulting in temporary improvement of the patient's condition. Thereafter, his condition gradually deteriorated, and follow-up MRI showed a more extensive residual C3 intramedullary lesion. Thus, a second surgery was performed after chemotherapy, but the patient died 5 months after the initial diagnosis. Conclusion We present this rare case, and emphasize intramedullary spinal cord metastasis of MM as differential diagnosis in primary cord lesion.
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Project description:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often accompanied by pneumonia and can be fatal. We report a case of COVID-19-associated myocardial injury mimicking fulminant myocarditis. Endomyocardial biopsy revealed numerous von Willebrand factor-rich microthrombi with small myocardial necrotic areas, complement deposits in small vessels/microthrombi, and macrophage-predominant interstitial infiltration. These findings, distinct from those of typical lymphocytic myocarditis, show diffuse endothelial injury, complement activation, and activated macrophages as characteristic features of COVID-19-associated pathogenesis. Dysregulated serum cytokine profiles predicting severe/critical COVID-19-associated myocardial injury were also determined. This case emphasizes the occurrence of fatal cardiac manifestation with microthrombotic injury in the early stage of COVID-19.
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Project description:IntroductionPrimary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is a very rare pericardial tumor of unknown etiology.Case presentationA 61-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of exertional dyspnea due to a large pericardial effusion. Intrapericardial fluid volume declined after repeated pericardiocentesis, but the patient progressively developed a hemodynamically relevant pericardial constriction. Pericardiectomy revealed a pericardial mesothelioma. Subsequently, four cycles of chemotherapy (dosage according to recently published trials) were administered. The patient remained asymptomatic, and there was no recurrence of the tumor after three years.ConclusionPericardial mesothelioma should be considered and managed appropriately in non-responders to pericardiocentesis, and in patients who develop constrictive pericarditis late in their clinical course.
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Project description:BackgroundPrimary pericardial mesothelioma is a rare primary cardiac malignancy, with three main histopathological types, sarcomatoid histotype being the rarest. The imaging features were atypical due to concomitant extensive calcification, which resulted in aggravated differential diagnosis.Case summaryA 45-year-old man presented to our hospital with non-specific clinical symptoms. According to clinical history, a mediastinal tumour had been suspected with a previous unsuccessful attempt of transthoracic computed tomography-guided biopsy at an overseas hospital with limited data of performed imaging procedures. Multimodality imaging at our centre revealed extensively calcified solid masses in the pericardium, invading the left atrium. As the imaging features suggested an atypical primary pericardial malignancy, a diagnostic thoracoscopy was performed. Histopathological analysis of specimen revealed sarcomatoid type of pericardial mesothelioma with areas of necrosis and foci of osteogenic differentiation. Despite planned treatment, 2 weeks after histological diagnosis, the patient passed away due to perforated peptic ulcer-related sepsis.DiscussionThe presence of extensive calcification in the lesion resulted in a challenging imaging workup and diagnosis. Initial differential diagnosis included primary or metastatic calcification-prone tumour, secondary calcification due to haemorrhage after previous interventional procedure and other pathologies, such as tuberculous pericarditis, calcified amorphous tumour, among others. Calcification may be part of the histological tumour characteristics; however, proper history taking is crucial as concomitant diseases, previous treatment, and interventional procedures may alter the imaging pattern.
| S-EPMC7180536 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer associated with prior exposure to asbestos and dismal prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pre-treated malignant pleural mesothelioma. We describe a 75-year-old patient with disseminated, progressive malignant mesothelioma receiving 2 cycles of pembrolizumab who presented with generalized muscle weakness, shortness of breath, double vision and ptosis. There was no previous history of cardiovascular disease. The clinical picture, supported by the detection of anti-titin autoantibodies suggested myasthenia gravis (MG). Also, cardiac biomarkers were elevated. Echocardiography showed new severely reduced ejection fraction. A 12-lead resting electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed ST segment elevation in the posterior leads with polymorphic ventricular extrasystoles. Because cardiac catheterization revealed no relevant coronary lesions, immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis and MG were suspected. Management and Outcome: The patient was started on steroids. Within a few days of presentation respiratory failure set in and the patient was intubated. Recurrent arrhythmias followed, which were treated by repeated emergency electrical cardioversion. In order to relieve myasthenic symptoms, plasma exchange was initiated and 10 cycles were carried out. This consequently also led to an improvement of myocarditis. Upon discharge, the ejection fraction recovered. The patient recovered and was alive at 1-year follow-up, without relevant limitations to his quality of life. Discussion and Conclusion: The article further discusses the use of plasma exchange for immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis based on a review of literature. We conclude that patients showing no improvement after steroid therapy for immune checkpoint inhibitor-related myocarditis should be evaluated for plasma exchange, which appears to be an effective treatment option.
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Project description:The presence of multiple primary tumors (MPT) in a single patient has been identified with an increasing frequency. A critical issue is to establish if the second tumor represents an independent primary cancer or a metastasis. Therefore, the assessment of MPT clonal origin might help understand the disease behavior and improve the management/prognosis of the patient.Herein, we report a 73-year-old male smoker who developed 2 primary lung cancers (adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) and a malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (PM).Whole exome sequencing (WES) of the 3 tumors and of germline DNA was performed to determine the clonal origin and identify genetic cancer susceptibility.Both lung cancers were characterized by a high mutational rate with distinct mutational profiles and activation of tumor-specific pathways. Conversely, the PM harbored a relative low number of genetic variants and a novel mutation in the WT1 gene that might be involved in the carcinogenesis of nonasbestos-related mesothelioma. Finally, WES of the germinal DNA displayed several single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA repair genes likely conferring higher cancer susceptibility.Overall, WES did not disclose any somatic genetic variant shared across the 3 tumors, suggesting their clonal independency; however, the carcinogenic effect of smoke combined with a deficiency in DNA repair genes and the patient advanced age might have been responsible for the MPT development. This case highlights the WES importance to define the clonal origin of MPT and susceptibility to cancer.
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