Clinical presentation of peritoneal mesothelioma.

Aim: To describe the clinical presentation of peritoneal mesothelioma and its impact on survival.

Methods: Data was collected from 51 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma treated at the Washington Cancer Institute. The demographic, clinical and pathologic information were analyzed.

Results: Pain was the most common symptom (recorded in 33% of patients); increased abdominal girth occurred in 31%, increased abdominal girth and pain in 5%, and a new onset hernia in 12%. In an additional 14% of patients, a variety of other clinical findings led to the diagnosis. There was a statistically significant difference in survival by gender, weight loss and volume of disease.

Conclusions: Pain was the most common initial presenting symptom, with increased abdominal girth as a second. A more favorable prognosis occurred in women with a small disease volume.