Breaking Ground in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treatment
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Breaking Ground in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

Researchers from Spain are trying to understand just how effective a multi-modal therapy is at treating mesothelioma in the abdomen. The treatment is called cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Or, CRS-HIPEC for short. Mesothelioma that is found in the abdomen is called peritoneal mesothelioma. It is caused by the ingestion of asbestos fibers. Those tiny asbestos fibers become stuck in the abdomen. After 20 to 50 years, these fibers can cause inflammation and mutations in the healthy cells in the abdomen. These mutations can cause these cells to form tumors in the abdomen. Patients diagnosed with MPM have longer life expectancy than those with other types of mesothelioma. Some studies report patients live up to 5 years after treatment….

Predicting Mesothelioma Survival with Advanced Techniques
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Predicting Mesothelioma Survival with Advanced Techniques

ByHolly Zink

A team of scientists is working on developing a way to predict the survival of mesothelioma patients. In particular, those who are treated with a specific type of surgery and chemotherapy. The prediction tool would work for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. This is a type of mesothelioma that grows in the lining of the abdominal cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in less than 1,000 people in the United States every year. Most of these people are over the age of 65, but it can also develop in people who are much younger. Symptoms associated with peritoneal mesothelioma may take decades after asbestos exposure to appear. They are usually noticed first in the stomach or intestinal…

Promising Results of CRS/HIPEC Treatment
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Promising Results of CRS/HIPEC Treatment

ByHolly Zink

A new treatment can lead to good short- and long-term outcomes for patients with mesothelioma. It’s called cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC). Research results came from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. They looked at the first 100 mesothelioma patients who had this treatment in their hospital. Advancing Mesothelioma Care Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that grows in the lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. There are approximately 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States every year. The standard treatment for mesothelioma usually includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The typical prognosis with standard treatment is survival between one and five years….

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…

Largest Study Shows HIPEC Treatment Effective for Mesothelioma
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Largest Study Shows HIPEC Treatment Effective for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) could be an effective treatment for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM). This is the finding of one of the largest and longest studies on the use of CRS-HIPEC to treat MPM. Researchers from the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center looked at data from 111 patients over 28 years. Diagnosed with MPM MPM is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos. Symptoms of MPM are usually noticed first in the abdomen or the gastrointestinal system. People might feel abdominal pain or swelling, fever, and night sweats. MPM occurs in less than 1,000 people in the United States every year and accounts for about 20-25% of all mesothelioma cases. Patients diagnosed with MPM have longer life expectancy…

Radical Surgery for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Boosts Survival
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Radical Surgery for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Boosts Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Patients who have radical surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma live longer than those who have non-surgical treatments.  That is the conclusion of a team of Virginia researchers. The study is based on peritoneal mesothelioma cases in the National Cancer Database. It spans more than a decade and includes over 2,000 patients.  Not everyone is a candidate for radical surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma. But the research shows that those who have surgery live an average of five times longer than those who do not.  Surgical Treatment of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is sometimes called diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. It is an aggressive cancer in the abdomen. It grows on the membrane around organs. Because mesothelioma tumors lie so close to these organs,…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems

ByAlex Strauss

More than half of patients who have peritoneal mesothelioma surgery with HIPEC develop problems with their blood cells afterward. That’s the finding of a team of cancer researchers from Singapore.  The group analyzed 15 years worth of data on peritoneal mesothelioma surgery outcomes. They found that, even though the procedure saves lives, it can be risky.  Older patients and those who had prior chemotherapy were most likely to develop hematological toxicities after peritoneal mesothelioma surgery.  Hematological Toxicities and Mesothelioma Treatment Hematological toxicities are problems with the cells that make up the blood. This can include white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and proteins involved in bleeding and clotting.  Several drugs that kill mesothelioma cells can cause blood cell problems….

CRS/HIPEC Treatment Helps Double Survival Among Swedish Mesothelioma Patients
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CRS/HIPEC Treatment Helps Double Survival Among Swedish Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

A new report suggests that CRS/HIPEC treatment has helped to double the odds of surviving peritoneal mesothelioma in Sweden.  Researchers collected data from the Swedish National Cancer Registry. A total of 102 peritoneal mesothelioma cases were included from two separate 5-year time periods. The report shows that, since CRS/HIPEC treatment was introduced in Sweden, overall survival of peritoneal mesothelioma increased from 7 to 15 months. At 5 years, twice as many peritoneal mesothelioma patients were still alive. The researchers conclude that this is likely due, at least in part, to CRS/HIPEC treatment.  Surviving Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that starts on the membrane lining the abdomen. It is almost always caused by accidental swallowing of microscopic asbestos…

Study Supports CRS/HIPEC for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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Study Supports CRS/HIPEC for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Another study supports the safety of a new treatment approach for peritoneal mesothelioma that combines cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC). The study finds the procedure safe, even when it is performed by surgeons who are new to the technique. HIPEC is a secondary treatment for mesothelioma and other cancers used in combination with open surgery. It involves bathing the open body cavity with a mixture of heated chemotherapy medicines. The drugs are designed to attack mesothelioma and other cancer cells left behind after cytoreductive surgery and to prevent new cancer cells from forming. The heat is believed to help the drugs more easily penetrate into tissue. Cancer researchers at the University of Arizona, which has recently begun using CRS/HIPEC,…