expert commentary

Valerie Rusch, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has released a new opinion commentary. It examines the evolution of surgical resection for pleural mesothelioma in light of changing treatments and patient selection. Historical Perspective: From Mainstay to Multimodality Therapy Dr. Rusch notes that in the past, surgery was key for treating pleural mesothelioma without effective drugs. Then, in 2003, chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed emerged. This marked a shift to using multiple treatments, challenging surgery’s dominance. The article discusses important moments in treating pleural mesothelioma. For example, it covers how pleurectomy decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy became more popular once they showed better survival rates. Then, immune checkpoint inhibitors in 2021 shook things up, sparking debates about the need for…