The following comes from a December 2013 news article, “Chest wall resection effective for recurrent mesothelioma”, about some recent medical research findings published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery:
Salvage chest wall resection could lengthen survival in patients with isolated chest wall recurrence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), research indicates.
MPM is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis and few effective treatment options, the researchers note. But in their study, 47 patients who underwent chest wall resection for recurrence a median of 16.1 months after initial cytoreductive surgery, the median overall survival was favorable, at 44.9 months.
Survival was greatest in patients with prolonged time to recurrence and those with the epithelial cell type.
“[O]ur results have indicated that for select patients with isolated chest wall recurrence of MPM, salvage [chest wall resection] (performed with an intent to cure) is an effective strategy,” say the researchers David Sugarbaker (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and colleagues.
We will continue to monitor the medical journals and related news reports for developments concerning treatment of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma, Asbestos, and Legal Compensation: Basic Facts
Asbestos-Mesothelioma Case Evaluation Form
Free. Confidential. No Obligation.
