| | | |

Biphasic Mesothelioma Survival Possible in Select Patients

ByAlex Strauss
biphasic mesothelioma survival

A new report contains some hopeful news about biphasic mesothelioma survival. 

Biphasic mesothelioma is the rarest subtype of a rare cancer. It is also the subtype that is hardest to treat. 

Biphasic mesothelioma survival is typically shorter than other subtypes. But Italian researchers say, with the right combination of mesothelioma treatments, patients with this subtype can achieve long-term survival.

Subtypes and their Impact on Biphasic Mesothelioma Survival

All pleural mesothelioma tumors grow on the membrane that surrounds the lungs. When this membrane is healthy, it is flexible and expands naturally with each breath. 

When a mesothelioma tumor grows on this membrane, it can restrict the lungs and make it hard to breathe. As tumors grow, mesothelioma can spread to other parts of the body. 

The three mesothelioma subtypes are distinguished by subtle differences in the tumor cells. Epithelioid mesothelioma is the most common type and is most responsive to treatment. Sarcomatoid is second most common. 

Biphasic mesothelioma contains both types of cells. Biphasic mesothelioma survival depends largely on early and accurate diagnosis and aggressive treatment. 

Assessing Longevity in Biphasic Patients

For the current study, researchers examined the records of 213 patients with biphasic pleural mesothelioma. Patients received treatment at one of four hospitals between 2009 and 2016. 

The average age of the patients in the study was 68. The ratio of men to women was five to one. Almost 60 percent of the patients had Stage I mesothelioma.

The research team reviewed the clinical, pathologic, and surgical information for each patient. Then they looked for connections between the various factors and biphasic mesothelioma survival. The goal was to see what had the biggest impact on longevity.

Fifty-eight study subjects (27.2%) had pleurectomy/decortication surgery. Chemotherapy alone was the treatment choice for 99 patients (46.5%). Fifty-six patients only had best supportive care.

Improving BIphasic Mesothelioma Survival

The median overall survival of patients in the study was 11 months. The factors that had the biggest impact on long-term biphasic mesothelioma survival were:

  • How much air a patient could exhale in one second
  • Overall health (performance status)
  • Cancer stage
  • Multimodal treatment that included surgery

Not all biphasic mesothelioma patients are eligible for surgery. But the new study suggests that biphasic mesothelioma survival may hinge on correct identification of the patients who are. 

“Despite the overall poor prognosis of biphasic histology, a multimodal approach, including cancer-directed surgery, is associated with improved long-term results in very selected patients with biphasic malignant pleural mesothelioma,” concludes the report. 

Source:

Lococo, F, et al, “Survival results in biphasic malignant pleural mesothelioma patients: A multicentric analysis”, September 9, 2019, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Epub ahead of print, https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022522319317519

Similar Posts

Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma
| |

Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A team of medical researchers in Italy have achieved what they are calling “excellent” tumor control and survival results in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients using a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma typically spreads quickly across the lung-encasing membrane called the pleura. There is no known cure but treatments are improving. In the current prospective study, 20 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients underwent radical pleurectomy/decortication followed by high doses of radiation. After surgeons removed as much of the visible mesothelioma tumor and surrounding tissue as possible, patients received 50Gy of radiation to the effected side of their chest, delivered in 25 fractions. Regions of particular concern for mesothelioma regrowth got an extra radiation “boost” to…

Mesothelioma Still Rising Despite Ban in Ireland
|

Mesothelioma Still Rising Despite Ban in Ireland

ByAlex Strauss

A study in Ireland confirms that it can take many years for a ban on asbestos to have a measurable impact on a country’s rates of malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most serious of a list of diseases – including lung cancer, pleural plaques, asbestosis, and others – linked with exposure to asbestos dust. Affecting the linings around the lungs and other organs, mesothelioma is often resistant to most cancer treatments and may be fatal within a year of diagnosis. According to the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Ireland is one of 55 countries that have enacted some type of asbestos ban. However, although Ireland banned asbestos in 2000, a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology shows that incidence of the…

Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?
| |

Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study says there is not enough evidence to support the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of pain associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland reviewed a range of past studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy by searching databases that date back as far as 1974. To be eligible to be included in their review, the study had to focus on malignant pleural mesothelioma and radiotherapy given “with the intent of improving pain”. The study also had to report doses and fractionation of the radiotherapy and how the pain responded. In all, the researchers found eight studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy that met the criteria. Two of the studies were prospective…

Website Aims to Protect Homeowners from Mesothelioma
|

Website Aims to Protect Homeowners from Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Australia’s Cancer Council is trying to educate home renovators about their risk for mesothelioma with a new e-learning course. Australia has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world, largely because of several asbestos mining operations that were once located there. Although asbestos has been banned from building products in Australia since 1989, asbestos-linked diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis continue to pose a serious health concern. While mesothelioma has traditionally occurred among people exposed to asbestos on the job, Australia is now bracing for another “wave” of mesothelioma victims among homeowners who encounter asbestos while doing their own renovation projects. Cancer Council Australia has launched “kNOw asbestos in your home” in an effort to…

Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited
| |

Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited

ByAlex Strauss

A form of highly-targeted radiation therapy for mesothelioma is better than it used to be, but is still risky. That is the message of a recent article on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Author Kenneth E. Rosenzweig, MD, a Radiation Oncologist with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reviewed recent studies on IMRT and mesothelioma. He concludes that, while the “troubling toxicity” associated with IMRT when it was first introduced has not been entirely eliminated, the fact that clinicians now have more experience with it is making a positive difference for mesothelioma patients. Before targeted therapies like IMRT were available, high-dose radiation was not usually a feasible option for mesothelioma since the irregular shape…

Mesothelioma Nurses Ready for New Cases in Australia
| | |

Mesothelioma Nurses Ready for New Cases in Australia

ByAlex Strauss

Australia is bracing for an expected new wave of mesothelioma cases in the next decade and the Lung Foundation of Australia is taking action now to get ready. The Foundation has paid for ten nurses from around the country to receive specialized training in helping patients and families cope with mesothelioma. The nurses, who have recently completed the training, are now equipped to lead treatment planning for these complex cancer patients and to help other nurses do the same. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that occurs in the lining around the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos dust, a toxin that was once alarmingly prevalent in Australia where it was mined and heavily used in construction. Because…