Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Generation and Expansion of Primary, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Tumor Lines
Published on: April 21, 2022
Primary malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum: a clinical and immunohistochemical study
Sophia Markaki1, Athanasios Protopapas, Spyros Milingos
1Department of Histopathology, "Alexandra" Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Background:
Primary peritoneal mesothelioma is regarded as a fatal disease that presents with progressive ascites at a relatively late stage of its natural history. Differential diagnosis between this rare tumor and both serous papillary carcinoma of the peritoneum and ovary can be problematic.
Case:
A 54-year-old woman presented to our institution with a 4-month history of dull epigastric pain and increased abdominal girth. Exploratory laparotomy revealed the presence of extensive intraperitoneal dissemination of a malignant neoplasm without a recognizable primary site. Suboptimal cytoreduction was carried out, and histological diagnosis was that of a malignant epithelioid mesothelioma. This was confirmed with a panel of immunohistochemical markers. The patient despite having a complete response after adjuvant chemotherapy died 18 months after primary surgery.
Conclusion:
No single immunohistochemical stain is pathognomonic of peritoneal primary malignant mesothelioma (PMM), and the results of a panel of antibodies should be interpreted to set the diagnosis.
