Mesothelioma Surgeries Carry Similar Mortality Risk, Study Finds
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Mesothelioma Surgeries Carry Similar Mortality Risk, Study Finds

ByAlex Strauss

The two major types of mesothelioma surgeries carry similar risk of death, according to a new study from cancer researchers in Japan.  One surgery involves removing the diseased pleural lining and one of the lungs. The other surgery removes many of the same tissues but leaves the lungs intact.  Surgeons around the world are divided as to which of these mesothelioma surgeries is best. Mesothelioma patients have more complications with lung-removing surgery. But some studies suggest it could lead to longer survival.  The 4-year Japanese study included more than 600 patients. It suggests that the likelihood of dying is similar with either of these mesothelioma surgeries.  Surgical Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of asbestos…

CRS/HIPEC Procedure Has Improved Over Time, Study Finds
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CRS/HIPEC Procedure Has Improved Over Time, Study Finds

ByAlex Strauss

A new French study contains some good news for people considering the CRS/HIPEC procedure for peritoneal mesothelioma.  The CRS/HIPEC procedure combines surgical resection with localized chemotherapy. Its aim is to remove or destroy as many mesothelioma cells as possible in the abdomen.  French researchers studied the evolution of the procedure over time. They discovered that it has improved. As a result, people with peritoneal cancers like malignant mesothelioma are living longer.  Cytoreductive Surgery for Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma causes tumors on the peritoneal membrane that lines the abdomen. Like other forms of mesothelioma, the cause is usually asbestos exposure.  Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is an operation to remove tumors from the abdomen. Mesothelioma tumors may be confined to the peritoneal membrane, or…

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Mesothelioma is “Viable Alternative” to Standard Approaches
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Minimally Invasive Surgery for Mesothelioma is “Viable Alternative” to Standard Approaches

ByAlex Strauss

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York suggests that minimally invasive surgery for mesothelioma is a “viable alternative” to open-chest procedures.  Both of the two main surgical procedures for pleural mesothelioma are usually done through a large incision in the chest. Both procedures also carry a high risk of post-surgical complications.  But the New York researchers found that minimally invasive surgery for mesothelioma may produce fewer serious problems in the short-term. It may also give mesothelioma patients a better quality of life after surgery. Surgical Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma tumors occur on tissue that surrounds the lungs. These tumors tend to spread out across the tissue in irregular shapes. Their…

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…

Still No Clear Answer on SMART Protocol for Pleural Mesothelioma
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Still No Clear Answer on SMART Protocol for Pleural Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Another study is out and there is still no clear answer about the value of the SMART protocol for mesothelioma.  SMART stands for surgery for mesothelioma after radiotherapy. After studying nearly a hundred patients, doctors in Toronto say radical surgery after RT can be effective. But they also say it is still very hard to prevent serious complications, even in an experienced center like theirs.  The team at Princess Margaret Cancer Center tested the SMART protocol on previously-untreated pleural mesothelioma patients.  As with previous studies of the SMART protocol for mesothelioma, some of the patients did very well. Many lived longer than they would normally expect to live. But there was also a high incidence of serious surgery-related complications.  The…

CT Scans Fail To Identify Metastatic Mesothelioma Prior to Surgery
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CT Scans Fail To Identify Metastatic Mesothelioma Prior to Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

CT scans are not a reliable way to detect the spread of mesothelioma into certain lymph nodes between the ribs. This is important because people with mesothelioma cells in their posterior intercostal lymph nodes (PILN) do not tend to get good results from P/D surgery. Surgeons need a good way to find mesothelioma cells in these lymph nodes before they decide to perform this risky operation. But University of Pennsylvania researchers say CT scans are not the best method.  CT Scans in Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis CT stands for computerized tomography. A CT machine uses a series of X-ray images from different angles to create a 3D picture of a mesothelioma tumor. Most hospitals have a CT scanner. They are…

High PD-L1 Levels Could Be Bad News for Mesothelioma Surgery Candidates
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High PD-L1 Levels Could Be Bad News for Mesothelioma Surgery Candidates

ByAlex Strauss

Yet another new study has found a link between PD-L1 levels and mesothelioma survival – this time in people slated to have surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma.  PD-L1 stands for programmed cell death ligand 1. It is a protein expressed by some cancer cells that helps them avoid immune system attack.  Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine are the latest to show that higher PD-L1 levels may lead to a worse mesothelioma prognosis. Their study focused specifically on mesothelioma surgery candidates.  The results were published recently in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.  PD-L1 Levels and Mesothelioma Prognosis Even healthy people express some amount of PD-L1. Its job is to suppress the part of the immune system that attacks foreign tissues….

Age is a Factor in Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery
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Age is a Factor in Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Age appears to be one of the biggest predictors of mesothelioma survival after surgery. This holds true no matter which kind of surgery a patient has.  A new study from the University of Pennsylvania compared the outcomes of more than 2,000 mesothelioma surgery patients. They compared them by surgical type. They also compared their survival with that of people who did not have surgery. Mesothelioma survival after surgery was consistently longer for younger patients. The risk of death within a few months went up a little bit with each year of age. The news could help patients and doctors make better treatment decisions. Surgical Procedures for Mesothelioma Operating on mesothelioma patients is controversial. Mesothelioma tumors are irregularly shaped and difficult to…

Mesothelioma Staging: Laparoscopy May Find Tumors PET-CT Misses
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Mesothelioma Staging: Laparoscopy May Find Tumors PET-CT Misses

ByAlex Strauss

Cancer researchers at Baylor College of Medicine say diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) improves the accuracy of pleural mesothelioma staging prior to surgery. It is especially valuable for patients with cancer in both the chest and abdomen. Staging is a way for doctors to determine how widespread cancer is. Accurate staging is critical for the best surgical outcomes. For the right patients, mesothelioma surgery can be a life saver.  Many mesothelioma patients undergo PET/CT as part of the staging process. But the Baylor study suggests that adding a tool called a laparoscope to the process may find tumors that PET-CT misses. What is Mesothelioma Staging? Malignant mesothelioma is a type of cancer that grows on internal membranes. It usually occurs on the…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival Not Shortened by Organ Resection
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival Not Shortened by Organ Resection

ByAlex Strauss

A new study finds that organ resection during CRS/HIPEC surgery does not shorten peritoneal mesothelioma survival and may even help prolong it.  The new research included 174 peritoneal mesothelioma patients from cancer centers across the country. These patients had cytoreductive surgery followed by heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC).  About half of the patients also had at least one organ removed to help prevent mesothelioma recurrence. The goal of the new study was to determine what impact, if any, this practice has on peritoneal mesothelioma survival. The answer appears to be, not much.  CRS/HIPEC and Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival About 20 percent of mesothelioma patients have the peritoneal variety. This type of mesothelioma occurs on the lining of the abdomen and can easily…