[Metastasis revealing malignant peritoneum mesothelioma: About the difficulty to identify the primary tumors]

Abstract

Peritoneal malignant mesothelioma is a rare and extremely aggressive tumor that is sometimes difficult to diagnose. We report two cases of metastatic malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. In one case, malignant metastatic cells were identified in cervical lymph nodes while in the other case, the cells were found in the liver. In both cases, metastases were identified before discovering the primary tumor. This led to the misdiagnosis of carcinoma of unknown origin. Nevertheless, the histological and immuno-histochemical patterns were typical of malignant mesothelioma. Regarding metastasis of unknown origin, a differentiation of epithelioid peritoneal malignant mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma proved to be difficult. Therefore, we discuss the diagnostic usefulness of immuno-histochemical mesothelioma markers.

Keywords: Epithelioid mesothelioma; Expert network; Malignant peritonel mesothelioma; Metastasis; Mésothéliome malin péritonéal; Mésothéliome épithélioïde; Métastases; RENA-PATH; Réseau d’expert.