Search Results for: cytoreductive surgery

Treatment Combination Used Most for Mesothelioma
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Treatment Combination Used Most for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is being used by doctors to treat malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) more often. This is the finding of a study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. This is promising news because research has shown the CRS-HIPEC can be an effective treatment for patients with MPM. Mesothelioma Caused by Asbestos Exposure MPM is caused by exposure to a toxic material called asbestos. Most doctors believe it is caused from ingestion of asbestos fibers and that microscopic asbestos fibers become embedded in the abdomen. After about 20-50 years, these fibers can cause inflammation and mutations that ultimately caused tumors to form. This cancer occurs in less than 1,000 people in the United States…

Surgical Treatment Options for Mesothelioma
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Surgical Treatment Options for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

For some patients with mesothelioma, aggressive surgical treatment can help them live longer than other treatment options. This is the finding of a study published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The authors focused on a specific type of surgery called “cytoreductive surgery” that is done in both the chest and belly area. Surgery Provides Hope for Cure Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The type of treatment for mesothelioma depends on many factors. The location of the cancer, the type of mesothelioma, and the health of the patient are some of these key factors. For patients who are healthy enough, surgery provides the best hope for a cure. Cytoreductive surgery is a type of…

Prognostic Factors Forecast the Future for Women with Mesothelioma
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Prognostic Factors Forecast the Future for Women with Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A new study in the World Journal of Surgical Oncology examines mesothelioma prognostic factors. Prognostic factors are measurable traits that can be used to estimate the chance of recovery. They can also measure the chance of mesothelioma recurring or coming back. In other words, prognostic factors can help predict the course of the disease and the future outcome. Prognostic factors are available at the time of diagnosis. They can include patient characteristics such as age, ethnicity, sex, or smoking status. And they also include disease characteristics such as disease stage or type. For mesothelioma, they may even involve the amount of asbestos exposure. The key to prognostic factors is that they must be measurable. Clinicians need a number, or a…

National Institutes of Health Reports on Advances in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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National Institutes of Health Reports on Advances in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A new article from the National Institutes of Health gives the latest advances in mesothelioma. CRS-HIPEC has offered improved survival for surgical candidates. But outcomes for inoperable malignant peritoneal mesothelioma remain poor. Advancements in technology have provided new treatment approaches. The NIH reports new clinical trials are arising and are imperative. The Numbers Behind Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. It is caused by the ingestion of asbestos fibers. Those microscopic asbestos fibers become embedded in the abdomen (peritoneum). After 20 to 50 years, these fibers can cause inflammation and mutations in the healthy mesothelial cells. These mutations can cause these cells to become cancerous thus, forming tumors in the peritoneum. Patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma…

Using CT Scans in Surgical Decision-Making in Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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Using CT Scans in Surgical Decision-Making in Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by asbestos. The peritoneum is the space in your abdomen that contains the intestines, the stomach, and the liver. The abdomen (peritoneum) is the second most common site of mesothelioma after the pleural (lungs and chest). Most doctors believe peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by the ingestion of asbestos fibers. Microscopic asbestos fibers become embedded in the abdomen (peritoneum). After about 20-50 years, these fibers can cause inflammation and mutations in the healthy mesothelial cells. These mutations may ultimately cause these cells to become cancerous. Thus, forming tumors in the peritoneum. Patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma may survive several or more years after diagnosis. There are long-term survivors, such as Paul Kraus. Using CT Scans to Avoid…

A Multimodality Treatment Plan may be Best for Pleural Mesothelioma
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A Multimodality Treatment Plan may be Best for Pleural Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A multimodality treatment plan may improve mesothelioma patient outcomes. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an invasive, locally aggressive tumor related to asbestos exposure. A new study shows that the best treatment plan for pleural mesothelioma may be when different types of therapy work together. The ideal combination of treatment therapies is still unknown. But a recent study encourages further studies on a multimodality treatment plan. This may include chemotherapy, surgery, and adjuvant radiotherapy. Current Clinical Guidelines: A History of Single or Multimodality Treatment Plans Despite a long history of clinical research, there is still no cure or any evidence of the best treatment. Many single-treatment plans, single-modality plans, have had disappointing results. Researchers have begun to evaluate different multi-modal treatment approaches….

Korean Cancer Doctors Embrace PIPAC for Mesothelioma
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Korean Cancer Doctors Embrace PIPAC for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Five out of ten Korean oncologists surveyed feel positive about using an aerosolized chemotherapy system called PIPAC for mesothelioma and other types of cancer. PIPAC stands for pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy. The system turns liquid chemotherapy drugs into a spray that can be applied with a nebulizer. It was developed to treat surface malignancies like peritoneal mesothelioma that can be hard to treat with standard methods.  PIPAC can be used in conjunction with mesothelioma surgery or by itself as either a palliative or curative treatment.  The technology is still very new. Many doctors have never used it. But research conducted by the Seoul National University College of Medicine shows Korean doctors are ready to embrace it. How Spray-on Chemotherapy Works…

Mesothelioma Surgical Decisions: New Method May Make Them Easier
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Mesothelioma Surgical Decisions: New Method May Make Them Easier

ByAlex Strauss

Cancer researchers in India and the UK have come up with a method for making better mesothelioma surgical decisions. The group focused on peritoneal mesothelioma, the second most common form of asbestos cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the membrane around the abdominal organs. It can spread throughout the abdomen.  Some peritoneal mesothelioma patients get good results with cytoreductive surgery. But success depends on a number of factors such as how far cancer has spread and where mesothelioma tumors are located. The new decision-making tool reminds doctors of five important factors to consider when making mesothelioma surgical decisions for the best outcomes. It is based on the acronym PAUSE. Peritoneal Mesothelioma and the Promise of CRS/HIPEC Malignant mesothelioma is an especially aggressive…

Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy Shrink Peritoneal Mesothelioma Tumors: New Case Reports
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Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy Shrink Peritoneal Mesothelioma Tumors: New Case Reports

ByAlex Strauss

Two new case reports appear to support the idea that immunotherapy and chemotherapy can work together to fight peritoneal mesothelioma.  The case reports appears in the newest issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy. It details the cases of two patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma – a lethal cancer of the lining of the abdomen.  Both patients relapsed on standard platinum-based chemotherapy. But adding an immune checkpoint inhibitor dramatically improved their results. In one case, a patient’s tumor nearly disappeared.  Doctors at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center say the cases suggest that immunotherapy and chemotherapy might offer an alternative for patients who have run out of options.  Alternative Treatments Needed for Peritoneal Mesothelioma About a fifth of patients who…

HITOC for Mesothelioma: Benefits May Outweigh the Risk
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HITOC for Mesothelioma: Benefits May Outweigh the Risk

ByAlex Strauss

The benefits of a localized chemotherapy regimen known as HITOC for mesothelioma outweigh the small risk of kidney failure for most patients.  That is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Cancers. German researchers conducted a retrospective review of the medical literature on HITOC (also called HITHOC) in pleural mesothelioma patients.  They were most interested in patients who developed kidney problems after the procedure. This is a known risk with HITOC for mesothelioma. But the study suggests that most patients benefit from this type of chemotherapy in spite of the risk. Localized Treatment Versus Systemic Treatment Pleural mesothelioma tumors start on the membrane around the lungs and are hard to treat. Once this cancer takes hold, most…