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Journal Articles on Mesothelioma: Cancer Information for Patients and Families

A systematic review on the efficacy of cytoreductive surgery combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy for diffuse malignancy peritoneal mesothelioma

Thursday, November 30th, 2006.

Annals of Oncology.. 2006 Nov 27; [Epub ahead of print] [Link]

T. D. Yan 1, L. Welch 2, D. Black 3, and P. H. Sugarbaker 1 *

1 Program in Peritoneal Surface Oncology, Washington Cancer Institute, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
2 Center to Protect Worker’s Rights, Silver Spring, MD, USA
3 School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Background: In the past, diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) was regarded as a preterminal condition. The length of survival was dependent upon the aggressive versus indolent biologic behavior of the neoplasm. The overall median survival was ~1 year after systemic chemotherapy. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (PIC) has been used as a treatment alternative, but the efficacy of this combined treatment remains to be established.

Patients and methods: Searches for relevant studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals on CRS and PIC for DMPM before May 2006 were carried out on six databases. The reference lists of all retrieved articles were reviewed for further identification of potentially relevant studies. Expert academic surgeons in Washington, DC, USA were asked whether they knew about any important unpublished data. Two investigators independently evaluated each study according to predefined criteria. The quality of each study was assessed. Clinical effectiveness was synthesized through a narrative review with full tabulation of results of all included studies.

Results: Seven prospective observational studies from six tertiary institutions were available, allowing 240 DMPM patients for assessment. The median survival ranged from 34-92 months. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival varied from 60% to 88%, 43% to 65% and 29% to 59%, respectively. The perioperative morbidity varied from 25% to 40% and mortality ranged from 0% to 8%.

Conclusions: This systematic review evaluated the current evidence for CRS and PIC for DMPM. Seven observational studies were available for assessment, which demonstrated an improved overall survival, as compared to historical controls, using systemic chemotherapy and palliative surgery.

Keywords: asbestos; cisplatin; cytoreductive surgery; doxorubicin; intraperitoneal chemotherapy; peritoneal mesothelioma; peritonectomy.

Glossary

oncology
(on-call-o-jee) the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
neoplasm
(nee-o-plas-um) an abnormal growth (tumor) that starts from a single altered cell; a neoplasm may be benign or malignant. Cancer is a malignant neoplasm.
morbidity
a measure of the new cases of a disease in a population; the number of people who have a disease.
mortality
a measure of the rate of death from a disease within a given population.
chemotherapy
(key-mo-THER-uh-pee) treatment with drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used with surgery or radiation to treat cancer when the cancer has spread, when it has come back (recurred), or when there is a strong chance that it could recur.
cancer
malignancy; a group of diseases typified by abnormal, generally out-of-control, cell growth.
mesothelioma
a tumor derived from mesothelial tissue, such as the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) or pleura (lining the lungs). More on mesothelioma.
peritoneal
(pair-uh-tuh-nee-al) the serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen. (More on Peritoneal Mesothelioma.)
intraperitoneal chemotherapy
(IPC) a form of regional chemotherapy; the flooding of the abdominal cavity with chemotheraputic drugs to target the cancer cells directly. It is sometimes heated to improve absorption of the anticancer drugs by the cancerous cells and because heat itself can kill cancer cells.

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