A specific type of surgery performed as a component of a treatment plan designed for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma was deemed effective prior to chemotherapy treatment by a study presented at the 2009 European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology.
The surgical procedure known as a pleurectomy/decortication (a type of surgery involving the removal of the outermost lining surrounding the lungs) was evaluated in the study. The study examined the procedure in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation in a trimodal treatment approach.
A team of professionals including Dr. Servet Bölükbas and Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken designed the study to test the effectiveness of pleurectomy/decortication as the surgical component in malignant pleural mesothelioma treatment rather than pneumonectomy (removal of a lung).
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Patients with the disease typically demonstrate symptoms several decades after initial exposure occurred, allowing the cancer to progress to later developmental stages. A multimodal therapy approach using two or more methods of treatment is often recommended for mesothelioma patients.
Thirty-five patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were enrolled in the study over a five-year period from November 2002 through October 2007. Patients underwent the pleurectomy/decortications procedure prior to four chemotherapy sessions (using cisplatin and pemetrexed) and radiation to the chest wall and mediastinum (a group of structures in the thorax) approximately four to six weeks following the surgery. Approximately 94 percent of the patients completed the treatment regimen.
The results from the study were reported May 3, 2009. The one-year survival rate was 75 percent with a median survival rate of 33.2 months. The two-year survival rate was 61 percent with the three-year survival rate reported at 43 percent.
The researchers concluded that the use of pleurectomy/decortication as the surgical component in a multimodal treatment plan using chemotherapy and radiation demonstrated positive survival results and morbidity and warrants additional testing.
Additional information about mesothelioma and treatment options may be found through the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.
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