Mesothelioma Treatment Roadmap: Connecting Chemotherapy Response and Surgical Outcomes
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Mesothelioma Treatment Roadmap: Connecting Chemotherapy Response and Surgical Outcomes

ByHolly Zink

Mesothelioma patients who do not respond well to chemotherapy before surgery are likely to have poor outcomes after the procedure. This is the finding of a group of researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. How Chemotherapy Response Shapes Mesothelioma Surgery Outcomes Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is hard to diagnose and treat. It develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the body’s internal organs. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to a toxic mineral called asbestos. In most cases, doctors will use more than one type of treatment to remove as many cancer cells as possible from a patient’s body. The standard therapies include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Of all…

Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A type of radiation therapy called hemithoracic radiotherapy could be safely used as part of the treatment plan for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and chest wall. This cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in about 2,000 people in the United States every year. Diagnosis typically occurs in people over the age of 60, but pleural mesothelioma has occurred in people in their twenties. Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation A study conducted in Turkey looked at 11 patients with mesothelioma who received multimodal therapy. This type of treatment plan uses more than one type of therapy…

Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A type of radiation therapy called hemithoracic radiotherapy could be safely used as part of the treatment plan for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and chest wall. This cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in about 2,000 people in the United States every year. Diagnosis typically occurs in people over the age of 60, but pleural mesothelioma has occurred in people in their twenties. Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation A study conducted in Turkey looked at 11 patients with mesothelioma who received multimodal therapy. This type of treatment plan uses more than one type of therapy…

Understanding the New Multimodality Prognostic Score (MMPS) in Mesothelioma

Understanding the New Multimodality Prognostic Score (MMPS) in Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

The Multimodality Prognostic Score (MMPS) is a new tool for evidence-based mesothelioma treatment. It has given clinicians and surgeons a new guideline in multimodality treatment. The treatment options for mesothelioma are many. Often, one treatment alone cannot control cancer so many treatment types are required. Multimodal therapy can be tailored to each patient’s case. The Multimodality Prognostic Score (MMPS) has an update. It is a tool in the clinician’s toolbox for outlining a treatment plan. Surgical Options Surgery is a common treatment option for malignant pleural mesothelioma. There are two surgeries that are most common. The first is pleurectomy and decortication (P/D) surgery. The second is an extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). Pleurectomy and decortication surgery (P/D) is a common pleural mesothelioma…

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….

Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival: Follow-up is Critical
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Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival: Follow-up is Critical

ByAlex Strauss

A newly published French case report is a reminder that long-term mesothelioma survival requires long-term follow-up. The case comes from Aix-Marseille University in Marseille. In the Annals of Medicine and Surgery, doctors wrote about a man who survived mesothelioma for 14 years. In all that time, his cancer did not progress. The situation is unusual for mesothelioma. The life expectancy of most mesothelioma patients is about 18 months. Prolonged survival is two years or more. But the authors of the new report say their case shows that long-term mesothelioma survival is not impossible with the right approach. Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma usually occurs in people who have lived or worked around asbestos. Many do not know they have…

Multimodal Mesothelioma Treatment Doubles Survival in Mexican Study
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Multimodal Mesothelioma Treatment Doubles Survival in Mexican Study

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers at Mexico’s National Cancer Institute say multimodal mesothelioma treatment with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation can slow tumor growth and improve survival. Their new study of patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma produced a median survival of nearly two years. That is almost twice as long as average for pleural mesothelioma.  The researchers say the key is a multimodal mesothelioma treatment approach that attacks tumors from three different angles. Chemotherapy Alone is Rarely Enough Chemotherapy is still the main treatment for most patients with pleural mesothelioma. The FDA approved pemetrexed (Alimta) in 2004. Until the recent approval of a combination of Opdivo and Yervoy, Alimta was the only drug for mesothelioma. It is still the main component in mesothelioma chemotherapy. But…

Immunotherapy with Durvalumab: Record Survival in Inoperable Mesothelioma
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Immunotherapy with Durvalumab: Record Survival in Inoperable Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that the immunotherapy drug durvalumab may make chemotherapy more effective for people with inoperable pleural mesothelioma. Researchers recently achieved record mesothelioma survival times with this combination. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. Surgery can sometimes help if it is caught early. But only a small percentage of patients are candidates for mesothelioma surgery. Most have chemotherapy, which is only moderately effective.  But new research presented to the nation’s largest gathering of cancer doctors shows the immunotherapy drug durvalumab may help.  Doctors at Johns Hopkins combined durvalumab with standard mesothelioma chemotherapy. Study participants lived an average of 8 months longer than is typical with this disease.  If further studies confirm the benefit, it could…

Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer with Multimodal Treatment
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Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer with Multimodal Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

Another new study has confirmed that a multimodal approach – in which multiple treatments are used together – is the most reliable way to improve survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Doctors in England and Italy have just published their findings on a mesothelioma treatment combination that includes surgery, pleural lavage, radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy. The study included 102 mesothelioma patients treated between 2004 and 2013 at one of two London hospitals or at the University of Milan. About three quarters of the patients in the study had the epithelioid variety of mesothelioma, which is the most common form. Eighty percent were male. All of the patients underwent the lung-sparing mesothelioma surgery called pleurectomy/decortication (PD) during which the diseased…

Rare Form of Mesothelioma Appears after Multimodal Treatment
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Rare Form of Mesothelioma Appears after Multimodal Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

Advanced mesothelioma treatment approaches like multimodal therapy may not only prolong survival in some patients; they may also cause fundamental changes in the way the disease presents itself. Pleural mesothelioma is a malignancy of the thin lining that encases the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos. Typically, the prognosis is poor. But a multinational study in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology finds that more efficient chemotherapy protocols and aggressive management strategies are resulting in more longer-living patients. The researchers single out the powerful trimodal combination of induction chemotherapy, extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery, and adjuvant high-dose hemithoracic radiation for its impact on survival. Although this therapy combination may hold mesothelioma at bay in some cases, it usually returns eventually. The…