Rare Mesothelioma Disease Combination
| |

Rare Mesothelioma Disease Combination

ByHolly Zink

Doctors in Italy treated a patient who was diagnosed with both primary gastric Burkitt lymphoma (PGBL) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This is a rare disease combination. The doctors in this case had a hard time reaching the correct diagnosis because the symptoms of these two cancers are very similar. The patient also did not have the usual risk factors for these cancers. For instance, the patient did not have any exposure to asbestos that might cause MPM. Two Rare Diseases MPM is a rare type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and chest wall. Signs and symptoms may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, chest pain, cough,…

Combination Therapy with Mesothelioma Surgery Leads to Longer Survival
| | | | |

Combination Therapy with Mesothelioma Surgery Leads to Longer Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new study finds almost a quarter of people who had combination therapy with mesothelioma surgery were still alive five years later. The study was published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Researchers at University Hospitals KU Leuven in Belgium studied nearly 200 mesothelioma patients from 2003 to 2014. Many people do not live beyond about 18 months after a mesothelioma diagnosis. But the Belgian team says, for the right patients, there is a way to improve the odds. They say combination therapy with radical mesothelioma surgery offers a 1 in 4 chance of surviving for 5 years or more. Two Types of Mesothelioma Surgery There are two major schools of thought about mesothelioma surgery. Some surgeons say it…