Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2002 Aug;22(2):298-305. Links

Comment in:  Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2003 Feb;23(2):255; author reply 255-6.

Division of Thoracic Surgery, Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride G75 8RG, Scotland, UK.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos-related disease of the pleura with a survival time without treatment ranging from 4 to 12 months. The objective of this study is to review our experience in selection of MPM patients for various modalities of treatment.

METHODS: Between 1989 and 1998, 302 patients with MPM have been referred to our Centre for assessment. Majority (191 patients, 61%) of them received no specific treatment. Forty-seven patients were treated by decortication/pleurectomy and 64 had a radical extra-pleural pneumonectomy (EPP). Intrapleural chemotherapy and systemic post-operative chemotherapy was employed only in the last 51 patients following radical surgery.

RESULTS: The average survival was 8.9 months for those treated by palliative care only. The average survival was 13 and 14 months for patients treated by radical surgery only or by decortication/pleurectomy, respectively. However, survival has improved to a mean of 35 months for patients treated by radical surgery followed by systemic post-operative chemotherapy. In this group, the survival prevalence was 90 and 70% for T1 patients and 85 and 36% for T2 patients at 1 and 3 years, respectively (P=0.002). Survival was surprisingly, not affected by lymph node involvement (P=0.08) or pathological type of MPM (P=0.07). The operative mortality was 9% for EPP and 0% for decortication/pleurectomy.

CONCLUSION: In selected patients with MPM, complete surgical resection by EPP represents an important initial step in their management. Systemic chemotherapy improves survival in surgically treated patients. Further trials are needed to improve on the adjuvant treatment regimes.