Testicular Mesothelioma: New Research into Development and Causation

Testicular Mesothelioma: New Research into Development and Causation Thumb

The British Association of Urological Surgeons published in the Journal of Clinical Urology a case report pertaining to malignant mesothelioma found in the testicles.  Mesothelioma is a rare tumor, but is even more seldom found in the testicles.  In the history of reporting, fewer than 175 cases of testicular mesothelioma have been diagnosed, which consists of less than 5% of cases of total mesothelioma diagnosed. 

 

The case report described by authors Anwar Alesawi, Jerome Levesque and Vincent Fradet involved a 69 year old patient with no history of asbestos exposure or testicular trauma.  The patient expressed neither pain nor sexual or urinary difficulties at the time he was diagnosed, but presented with a testicular mass.  The testicular mass was monitored for a year before a right radical orchidectomy was performed.  For one year after surgery, there was no evidence of metastasis or recurrence of disease. 

 

The reported cases of testicular mesothelioma show recurrence in approximately 52% of patients within two years, with a median survival of 24 months.  While most patients are between 55 and 75 years of age, there are 10% of reported cases in patients less than 25 years of age.  The survival rate is higher in patients younger than 60 years of age.  Nevertheless, asbestos exposure has only been confirmed in 16 of the reported testicular mesothelioma cases, so the link between the disease and occupational exposure to asbestos has not been strongly established. 

Despite the rarity of the disease, there has been at least one case that was presented to a jury to decide whether testicular mesothelioma is compensable.  In September 2013, a South Carolina jury awarded $38 million to a former millwright who claimed exposure to asbestos from gaskets and packing.  

 

For more information, please refer to the text of the article at

 

http://uro.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/11/18/2051415813511082

 

Feb 02, 2015