The Open Pathology Journal

2009, 3 : 1-3
Published online 2009 January 9. DOI: 10.2174/1874375700903010001
Publisher ID: TOPATJ-3-1

Malignant Desmoplastic Type Mesothelioma Mimicking a Fibrous Pseudotumor of the Tunica Vaginalis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Fang-Yi Lee , Mei-Chin Wen , John Wang and Chun-Kai Tseng
Department of Pathology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, No. 160, Sec. 3, Chung-Kang Rd., Taichung 40705, Taiwan;

ABSTRACT

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon tumor of serosal surfaces. The most common sites of origin include the pleura and the peritoneum. Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis is rare. We describe a 78 year-old man with a 2-month history of a rapidly enlarging scrotum. The initial pathologic diagnosis was fibrous pseudotumor by the presence of cellular spindle cells and the background of dense fibrous tissue. However, further immunohistochemistry revealed characteristic features of desmoplastic variant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma of the peritoneum and tunica vaginalis tends to be the epithelioid type. The purely desmoplastic-type mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis has never been reported. Immunohistochemistry is essential to the diagnosis.

Keywords:

Mesothelioma, desmoplastic mesothelioma, scrotal mass.