Empyema After Mesothelioma Surgery: Avoiding a Serious Complication
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Empyema After Mesothelioma Surgery: Avoiding a Serious Complication

ByAlex Strauss

A new study of a rare condition called empyema after mesothelioma surgery shows it can dramatically lengthen hospital stay and shorten survival.  Empyema refers to pockets of pus in the pleural space around the lungs. It is the result of a lingering bacterial infection. Empyema is a serious complication in people who have surgery for pleural mesothelioma.  The new study comes from the International Mesothelioma Program at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. It finds that patients with empyema after mesothelioma surgery live half as long as those without it. They also spend a lot more time in the hospital.  The researchers say air leaking from the lungs can raise the risk for this complication. In their new report, they offer…

Some Mesothelioma Surgery Complications May be Predictable
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Some Mesothelioma Surgery Complications May be Predictable

ByAlex Strauss

It is not always possible to predict which patients will suffer from mesothelioma surgery complications. But a new study suggests there is way to make an educated guess about one particular kind of complication. A lung-removing operation called EPP used to be the preferred surgery for pleural mesothelioma. Most surgeons now favor a more conservative procedure called P/D.  But surgeries do not always work out the way patients and surgeons hope they will. In some cases, mesothelioma surgery complications require the surgeon to convert a planned P/D procedure into an EPP operation instead.  A team of Japanese researchers recently analyzed which patients had the highest risk for these mesothelioma surgery complications and what kinds of outcomes they experienced.  Converting P/D…

Complications After PD Surgery for Mesothelioma
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Complications After PD Surgery for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Durable air leak is one of the most common complications after PD surgery for pleural mesothelioma, according to the authors of a new study. People with overall better health are less likely than others to experience the problem.  Air leaks happen when inhaled air does not stay in the alveoli in the lungs. Instead, it leaks into the area around the lungs. This can cause breathing problems and put pressure on the heart. Too much leaked air can even collapse a lung. A new Japanese study found that more than half of mesothelioma patients analyzed experienced serious complications after PD surgery. One in three patients suffered from air leak for more than ten days.  Pleurectomy/Decortication for Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is…

Skin Side Effects of TTFields Mesothelioma Treatment

Skin Side Effects of TTFields Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A new report has some advice for dealing with the possible skin side effects of the newest FDA-approved mesothelioma treatment, Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields). TTFields, or Optune Lua, is an antimitotic treatment for asbestos cancer. It generates alternating electrical fields that disrupt the cancer cells’ ability to divide. TTFields is also approved for a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma.   The new report says skin side effects like itching, sweating, and dry skin, can cause people to stop the treatment. Dealing with those problems effectively could improve survival for mesothelioma patients.  How TTF Works Pleural mesothelioma tumors grow on the membrane around the lungs. Alimta is the only FDA-approved medicine for mesothelioma. It received approval in 2004.  The Optune Lua…

Rare But Dangerous Side Effects of Opdivo for Mesothelioma
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Rare But Dangerous Side Effects of Opdivo for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Australian researchers are warning of some rare but deadly side effects of Opdivo (nivolumab) for pleural mesothelioma.  They have just published a case report of a mesothelioma patient on nivolumab, a drug often used to treat lung cancer. The patient developed swelling of the heart and other muscles. The swelling lasted for months, even after they stopped taking the drug.  The case report details the healthcare teams’ effort to manage these potentially lethal side effects of Opdivo. They caution that other immune checkpoint inhibitors might cause similar complications. How Opdivo Fights Mesothelioma The primary treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy with pemetrexed (Alimta). Eventually, most patients stop responding to chemotherapy. At that point, doctors may turn to an immunotherapy drug like…

Predicting Thyroid Disease After Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Predicting Thyroid Disease After Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in Italy say it is possible to predict which mesothelioma patients are likely to develop thyroid disease after immunotherapy. They are advising their colleagues to use the technique for better management of malignant mesothelioma. Immune checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda are improving the outlook for people with asbestos cancer. But immunotherapy is not without risk. Certain people are prone to develop thyroid disease after immunotherapy. If doctors know ahead of time which mesothelioma patients are at risk, they can be better prepared to manage problems later.   Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Thyroid Disease after Immunotherapy Pleural mesothelioma is extremely difficult to treat. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have given many mesothelioma patients new hope. Recent studies suggest that some of these drugs…