Exploring the Effectiveness of PIPAC for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink
Exploring the Effectiveness of PIPAC for Mesothelioma

A type of treatment called PIPAC has shown promising results in treating mesothelioma in the abdomen. PIPAC is short for pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy. But, some patients stop the treatment before finishing the recommended number of sessions. This limits how effective PIPAC can be in treating the cancer.

Researchers in France decided to find out why patients might stop PIPAC treatment early.

Treatment for Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos. It develops in the lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body. There are approximately 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States every year. Signs of mesothelioma might include shortness of breath, chest pain, and weight loss.

Treating mesothelioma can be hard for doctors and patients. Conventional treatment usually includes chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. When these treatments are combined into one treatment plan, it is called multimodal therapy.

Addressing Patient Concerns in PIPAC

PIPAC treatment is a new type of mesothelioma treatment that has been developed over the last ten years. Patients who received PIPAC should receive at least three PIPAC procedures every four to six weeks.

To find out why patients might stop PIPAC early, researchers looked at 26 articles. Each described patients who chose to stop treatment.

The combined studies included data on 1,352 mesothelioma patients. Over half of these patients did not complete the recommended three sessions of PIPAC.

Most of the patients who stopped PIPAC early did so because their cancer was getting worse. Other reasons included death, personal preferences, and side effects. Some patients switched to a different type of treatment. Other patients were struggling with other medical issues like lung infections.

We need more research on PIPAC to find out how doctors can identify patients that are most likely to benefit from it. This will help improve the treatment and increase its effectiveness.

Source

Ezanno AC, Malgras B, Pocard M. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, reasons for interrupting treatment: a systematic review of the literature. Pleura Peritoneum. 2023;8(2):45-53. Published 2023 Apr 19. doi:10.1515/pp-2023-0004. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249753/

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