Peritoneal mesothelioma in a woman who has survived for seven years: a case report

• Main Authors: Pourgholami Mohammad H, Akhter Javed, Pillai Krishna, Morris David L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-01-01
• Series: Journal of Medical Case Reports
• Online Access: http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/36

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare cancer with poor patient survival. Female gender has been identified as a positive prognostic factor. Recently, it has been suggested that the expression of estrogen receptor β in malignant mesothelioma leads to tumor suppression and a better prognosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 48-year-old Caucasian woman who is alive and disease-free seven years after the initial diagnosis and treatment of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This patient's long survival may be attributable to a combination of factors, including minimal disease, complete cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy plus the estrogen receptor β positivity of the tumor.</p>