Peritoneal mesothelioma - rare abdominal tumors

Malignant neoplasms of the mesothelium of the peritoneum are termed primary malignant peritoneal mesotheliomas (MPM) and arise as the result of exposure to asbestos. They are approximately 10 times rarer than pleural mesotheliomas with an incidence rate in industrial countries of 0.5-3/million in males and 0.2-2/million in females. The diagnosis mostly occurs in the advanced stage. For the differential diagnosis of MPM a large range of other neoplasms must be excluded. In addition to peritoneal metastases there are special forms, such as well differentiated papillary mesothelioma (WDPM),"benign" multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum (BMMP) and adenomatoid tumor. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is often used in combination with hyperthermia (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy HIPEC) and tumor resection or cytoreductive surgery (CRS). Complete resection of multiple diffuse growth of a peritoneal mesothelioma, as for example in pleural mesothelioma, is generally not possible. Mesothelioma of the peritoneum is caused by asbestos and is a recognized occupational disease known under code number 4105. Detection of asbestos can be carried out on lung tissue.