Uncommon pathologies discovered during exploratory laparoscopy for malignant diseases

In spite of the most sophisticated diagnostic tools, the final diagnosis in malignant diseases may require an exploratory laparoscopy for confirmation. The aim of this study was to report our experience with exploratory laparoscopy and to describe two unexpected cases of uncommon pathologies discovered during this procedure. From January 2003 to December 2005, 7 exploratory laparoscopies were performed to confirm and stage carcinoma with peritoneal involvement (4 cases) and to obtain histological evidence of lymphoma (3 cases). Uncommon pathologies were detected in two cases (28%): the first was a black man presenting with multiple tubercular lesions mimicking neoplastic spread, and the second an elderly Caucasian woman with a pre-pancreatic mass suspected of being a lymphoma, which was due to previous subclinical pancreatitis. The effectiveness of laparoscopy was confirmed in the present experience. A tissue specimen is mandatory when the differential diagnosis is hard to achieve.