Search Results for: cytoreductive surgery

Minimally-Invasive CRS/HIPEC: Could it Revolutionize Mesothelioma Surgery?
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Minimally-Invasive CRS/HIPEC: Could it Revolutionize Mesothelioma Surgery?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study out of Spain suggests that it might be possible to perform the surgery that has become the standard of care for peritoneal mesothelioma in a much less invasive way. Cytoreductive surgery with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) has dramatically changed the survival odds for people with the abdominal form of malignant mesothelioma, also known as asbestos cancer. Now, researchers at the University Hospital Reina Sofia in Cordoba, Spain say they have successfully performed this extensive multi-part procedure through tiny incisions using an internal camera for guidance. After treating eight abdominal cancer patients this way—including two with a benign form of peritoneal mesothelioma—the research team concludes that this minimally invasive mesothelioma surgery approach is “feasible and safe” in the…

Protein May Help Predict Complications After Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery
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Protein May Help Predict Complications After Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center say they may have found a way to help predict which peritoneal mesothelioma patients are most likely to develop complications after cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Cytoreductive surgery to remove as much of a mesothelioma tumor as possible, followed by a rinse of heated chemotherapy drugs in the abdomen is known as CRS + HIPEC. It has become a standard treatment for people with the abdominal form of the asbestos cancer known as malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. In a new study, researchers analyzed cases of all patients who underwent CRS + HIPEC at MD Anderson between June of 2014 and February of 2016 to find commonalities among those who did not do well. Their findings…

Surgery for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Surgical Treatments for Pleural Mesothelioma There are a variety of surgical procedures and treatments for pleural mesothelioma. Below is an overview of a few of the most frequent ones used in patients. Pleurocentesis This procedure is used to minimize pleural effusion, the build-up of fluid in the pleural space surrounding the lungs. The fluid can make it difficult for a mesothelioma patient to breath. The procedure involves the surgical puncture and drainage of the thoracic cavity and is usually performed in an outpatient setting with a long, thin needle that is inserted into the pleural space. Pleurodesis Pleurodesis is a surgical procedure that uses chemicals, talc or drugs to scar the space between the layers of the pleura. First, fluid…

Platelet Count Linked to Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery
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Platelet Count Linked to Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Peritoneal mesothelioma patients whose bodies produce too many blood platelets may not be good candidates for the treatment combination known as CRS with HIPEC. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a process for removing as much peritoneal mesothelioma from the abdomen as possible and killing any cancer cells left behind with a wash of heated medication. It has become the preferred treatment protocol for select mesothelioma patients and has been linked to longer survival. However, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine finds that having a condition called thrombocytosis prior to surgery can have a negative impact on mesothelioma survival after CRS/HIPEC. CRS/HIPEC and Mesothelioma Survival During CRS, surgeons…

Fluorescent Nanoprobes Improve Visualization During Mesothelioma Surgery
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Fluorescent Nanoprobes Improve Visualization During Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

A technique that uses minute fluorescent particles could light the way for surgeons to see and remove even tiny peritoneal mesothelioma tumors, potentially improving the odds of survival. In a study published in the American Chemical Society journal Nano, researchers with Boston University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital loaded fluorescent rhodamine into microscopic expansile nanoprobes (eNPs), tiny particles designed to expand and release their contents in the presence of cancer. The theory is that when these nanoprobes are injected into a cancer patient and then exposed to a certain wavelength of light, they will illuminate any tumors they have found, making them much easier for the surgeon to thoroughly remove. The team reports that the technique was successfully tested in rats with pancreatic…

Surgeons Disagree on Definition of Mesothelioma Surgery
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Surgeons Disagree on Definition of Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

When surgery is indicated for mesothelioma, doctors typically turn to one of two procedures: extrapleural pneumonectomy or pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). Of the two, extrapleural pneumonectomy is the most extensive and risky, involving removal of a lung, the lining of the lung, and parts of the diaphragm. Though somewhat controversial, this mesothelioma surgery is well-defined in most centers. In contrast, a new study finds that surgeons vary widely in their definition of pleurectomy/decortication. To get a better understanding of what mesothelioma surgeons mean when referring to P/D, members of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the International Mesothelioma Interest Group conducted a web-based survey of 62 surgeons from 39 medical centers who had performed at least one mesothelioma…

Completeness of Surgery in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival

Completeness of Surgery in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

How thoroughly surgeons are able to remove a peritoneal mesothelioma tumor appears to be the most influential factor in mesothelioma survival.   That is the conclusion of a team of surgical oncologists in Baltimore. Their study on peritoneal mesothelioma surgery was just published in The American Surgeon. The Challenge of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of malignant mesothelioma that occurs on the lining of the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it is caused by exposure to asbestos and is notoriously resistant to systemic chemotherapy. But peritoneal mesothelioma survival rates have climbed in recent years thanks to a combination cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) that is rinsed through the open abdominal cavity to kill remaining mesothelioma…

New Method Could Help Identify Best Candidates for Mesothelioma Surgery
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New Method Could Help Identify Best Candidates for Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Peritoneal mesothelioma patients with high levels of a certain protein may not be good candidates for mesothelioma surgery. Italian researchers came to that conclusion after evaluating the medical records of 117 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. The patients had all undergone the gold standard mesothelioma treatment of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Characteristics of Mesothelioma Surgery Candidates Most of the mesothelioma patients included in the study (102) had the epithelioid type of peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer that spreads across the lining of the abdomen. The rest had either sarcomatoid or biphasic mesothelioma. More than 80 percent of the patients were “optimally cytoreduced”, meaning that their mesothelioma surgeries removed as much of the disease as possible. All of…

Older Mesothelioma Patients Not Necessarily at HIgher Risk from Surgery
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Older Mesothelioma Patients Not Necessarily at HIgher Risk from Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

A new study from the University of Chicago has a positive message for older people with malignant pleural mesothelioma: Lung-sparing surgery may be no more risky for you than it is for younger patients, even if you have other health problems. The team performed a retrospective review of 117 consecutive mesothelioma patients who underwent the lung-sparing surgical procedure known as extended pleurectomy and decortication between 2008 and 2013. While extended pleurectomy stops short of removing a lung, it does include the entire pleural membrane (where mesothelioma starts), all or part of the diaphragm, the lining around the heart, and other at-risk tissues. It is a major thoracic surgery with a goal of keeping mesothelioma from regrowing from residual cells. For…

Predicting Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery
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Predicting Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Most mesothelioma  patients and their families have heard the poor survival statistics associated with this aggressive cancer. But two new studies on two different types of mesothelioma suggest that long term survival is possible with surgery and can even be predictable. The first study was a multi-center analysis conducted in Italy between 2000 and 2010. Researchers retrospectively reviewed the cases of 468 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients who underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy – a radical surgery that involves removing the diseased pleural lining as well as the closest lung. Since most pleural mesothelioma patients die within a year of diagnosis, the research team classified those who lived three years or longer as “long term survivors.” A total of 107 mesothelioma patients (22.9%) fell into…