Extrapleural pneumonectomy proves successful for select malignant pleural mesothelioma patients

Sep 6, 2009

A study conducted by researchers in Sydney, Australia investigated the outcomes associated with extrapleural pneumonectomy in patients who have malignant pleural mesothelioma. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is an invasive surgical procedure in which the diseased lung, part of the pericardium, part of the diaphragm, and part of the parietal pleura – the lining of the chest – are removed.

The average age of the 70 patients in the study was 55 years old, and most of the patients had epithelial tumors. Some patients also received chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The median survival for patients in the study was 20 months, with a three-year survival rate of 30%. The study found that asbestos exposure, radiation, chemotherapy, and a lack of lymph node involvement were associated with improved survival, and supports the use of multimodal therapy that includes extrapleural pneumonectomy for carefully selected patients who have malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a technique that has been used in the United States for some time. Doctors at the International Meothelioma Program in Boston, Massachusetts, led by Dr. David Sugarbaker, are developing ways to combine extrapleural pneumonectomy with other innovative treatments, like intracavity, heated chemotherapy, where the patient’s chest cavity is flushed with high-dose heated chemotherapy while still in the operating room.

To learn more about the Australian study of extrapleural pneumonectomy, go to The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. To find out more about the International Mesothelioma Program and its innovative use of thoracic surgery in combination with other treatments, go to www.impmeso.org.

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