Journal of Clinical Case Reports

A Case of Malignant Mesothelioma of the Peritoneum with Sporadic Weak Positivity to TTF-1

Abstract

De Santis S, Armentano R, Cavalcanti E  

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor with a challenging diagnosis. Its histological diagnosis is gradual and should be based on morphological assessment, supported by clinical and radiological evidence and immunohistochemistry (IHC). There are many immunohistochemical markers known to distinguish between a malignant mesothelioma and a carcinoma, but, none of the potential antibodies exhibit absolute specificity or sensitivity for both tumors.
Case presentation: We report a case of diffuse mesothelioma of the peritoneum with a misleading diagnosis of colon carcinoma, opened to different possibilities of differential diagnosis among the advanced stages of neoplasms with peritoneal dissemination. We highlighted a very weak sporadic nuclear positive for thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) expression in malignant mesothelioma.
Conclusion: The aim of the present study is to demonstrate the important role of TTF-1 in the diagnosis of mesothelioma. A positive tissue expression of TTF-1 may not exclude a malignant mesothelioma and could help the clinicians to improve its diagnosis and treatment.