Adjuvant Radiotherapy Most Effective for Pleural Mesothelioma in Early Stages
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Adjuvant Radiotherapy Most Effective for Pleural Mesothelioma in Early Stages

ByAlex Strauss

New research shows adjuvant radiotherapy is most likely to help pleural mesothelioma patients in the early stages of the disease. By the time mesothelioma is at Stage III or Stage IV, adjuvant radiotherapy is unlikely to improve survival. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas conducted the study on more than 2,500 pleural mesothelioma patients. Their results appear in the most recent issue of the Journal of Thoracic Disease. The study could help mesothelioma patients and doctors make more informed choices about their care. Defining the Stages of Pleural Mesothelioma The four stages of mesothelioma relate to the severity of the cancer and how far it has spread. In Stage I mesothelioma, the tumor is confined to the pleural…

Mesothelioma Quality of Life Improves After Surgery
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Mesothelioma Quality of Life Improves After Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

New research confirms that surgery followed by HIPEC improves mesothelioma quality of life for people with peritoneal disease. Every mesothelioma surgery carries risks and can cause serious side effects. These problems often have a negative impact on mesothelioma quality of life in the short term. But researchers at Wake Forest University say cytoreductive surgery followed by intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) boosts life quality for most mesothelioma patients over time. Evolving Management of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer with a very low cure rate. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about a fifth of all mesothelioma cases. With peritoneal mesothelioma, tumors start on the membrane that surrounds the abdominal organs and can spread to other parts of the body. Fatigue, pain,…

Post-Surgery Mesothelioma Treatment: Key to Survival for Elderly Patients?
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Post-Surgery Mesothelioma Treatment: Key to Survival for Elderly Patients?

ByAlex Strauss

Ability to tolerate post-surgery mesothelioma treatment is one of the most important survival factors for elderly mesothelioma patients. That is according to a new article in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. The article says surgery alone will not help older mesothelioma patients live longer. It says they need post-surgery mesothelioma treatments like chemotherapy to get the survival benefits of surgery. But, as a recent mesothelioma study demonstrated, surgery can weaken some older patients. These patients may then be too fragile to have other treatments that could extend their lives. Few Older Patients Have Post-Surgery Mesothelioma Treatment As Surviving Mesothelioma recently reported, many mesothelioma patients over 80 get no treatment at all. In more than 60 percent of cases, mesothelioma doctors…

Many Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Get No Treatment
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Many Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Get No Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

The majority of elderly mesothelioma patients are observed rather than treated and this can have a negative impact on their survival. That is the finding of a new study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. The study included more than 4,500 mesothelioma patients. Less than a quarter of these patients received any treatment for their mesothelioma. As a result, most of these patients lived less than six months. Treatment Options for Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Exposure to asbestos causes pleural mesothelioma. It can take decades after exposure for mesothelioma symptoms to occur. The median age for a malignant pleural mesothelioma diagnosis is 72. The older a patient is at diagnosis, the more likely they are to have other health problems….

Needle Procedure Could Prevent Unneeded Surgery for Malignant Mesothelioma
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Needle Procedure Could Prevent Unneeded Surgery for Malignant Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A minimally invasive method for cancer staging could prevent unnecessary surgery for malignant mesothelioma. The method involves putting a needle into the chest behind the breast bone. This area is called the mediastinum. The mediastinum contains critical lymph nodes. The presence or absence of cancer cells in these nodes can help determine whether a patient needs surgery for malignant mesothelioma. Now, a group of Canadian doctors say an ultrasound-guided needle biopsy procedure can provide as much information as more invasive options with less risk and pain. Staging Helps Direct Surgery for Malignant Mesothelioma Most mesothelioma patients receive chemotherapy. If the patient is healthy enough and the cancer has not spread, the patient may also have surgery for malignant mesothelioma. Some…

New Tool Could Replace TNM for Predicting Pleural Mesothelioma Survival
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New Tool Could Replace TNM for Predicting Pleural Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new visual tool could offer a better way to predict pleural mesothelioma survival after surgery than the current TNM staging system. That is the message from cancer researchers at China’s Peking University. The group conducted a study using a large US government database of information on pleural mesothelioma survival and treatment. They used the data to create a visual representation of pleural mesothelioma survival called a nomogram. Testing of the nomogram showed it was more accurate at predicting survival in patients who have mesothelioma surgery than the tool doctors normally use. Pleural Mesothelioma Survival and TNM The most popular method for “staging” cancer is called the TNM staging system. TNM stands for tumor node metastasis. With TNM, the further…

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy
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Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

There is evidence that repeatedly rinsing the abdomen with medicine might lead to longer mesothelioma survival after surgery. A rinse of heated chemotherapy drugs during surgery has become standard of care for peritoneal mesothelioma. Unfortunately, mesothelioma usually comes back. But a top mesothelioma doctor says longer mesothelioma survival might be possible if patients got regular chemotherapy “rinses” through a catheter. Studies show the drugs may not even have to be heated to work. Longer Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery Peritoneal mesothelioma is a type of asbestos cancer. It starts on the lining around the abdomen and can spread to other parts of the body. About a fifth of mesothelioma patients have this type. Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has led to longer…

Chemotherapy During Mesothelioma Surgery: Is it Dangerous?
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Chemotherapy During Mesothelioma Surgery: Is it Dangerous?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study finds that chemotherapy during mesothelioma surgery does not raise the risk for complications. That could be good news for pleural mesothelioma patients who want to keep cancer at bay as long as possible. A group of Indian doctors compared the cases of thoracic cancer patients who had surgery with or without intraoperative chemotherapy. Only one of the “surgery + chemotherapy” patients developed a serious complication. Patients in this group also lived longer than those who did not receive intraoperative chemotherapy. When Do Doctors Use Chemotherapy During Mesothelioma Surgery? The two primary types of mesothelioma surgery are extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) or lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). Patients often have chemotherapy prior to surgery to shrink their mesothelioma tumor. Many have…

Conservative Surgery Leads to Better Mesothelioma Survival After Recurrence
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Conservative Surgery Leads to Better Mesothelioma Survival After Recurrence

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma survival after recurrence may be better with lung-preserving P/D surgery than with more radical EPP. Japanese researchers recently analyzed the cases of 44 mesothelioma patients who underwent either EPP or P/D. It took about the same amount of time for mesothelioma tumors to start growing again, no matter what type of surgery the patient had. The difference was in survival. Both overall survival and mesothelioma survival after recurrence were longer in the P/D patients. EPP vs. P/D: The Ongoing Debate Mesothelioma surgeons around the world are still divided about which type of mesothelioma surgery is best. On one hand, extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) removes more diseased tissue, including a lung. Some say this improves the odds of long term mesothelioma…

Staging of Mesothelioma Could Change with Discovery of New Lymph Nodes
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Staging of Mesothelioma Could Change with Discovery of New Lymph Nodes

ByAlex Strauss

A recent discovery at the University of Maryland could dramatically change how doctors handle the staging of malignant pleural mesothelioma. More accurate staging could lead to better mesothelioma treatment outcomes and longer survival. More than three quarters of people diagnosed with mesothelioma have the pleural variety. Pleural mesothelioma is the deadliest form of asbestos cancer. Most patients do not live longer than 18 months, even with aggressive treatment. Cancer staging is the process doctors use to determine how advanced the cancer is. Staging of mesothelioma is important because it directly impacts treatment decisions. But staging of mesothelioma – just like diagnosis and treatment – can be difficult. Lymph Nodes May Help in Staging of Mesothelioma The discovery was made by…