Pleurectomy and Decortication the ‘ Way to Go ’ for Mesothelioma

Dr. Pietro Bertoglio and his colleagues at the University Hospital of Pisa stopped performing the aggressive extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) surgery for mesothelioma more than a decade ago. They believe it’s long overdue for everyone else to do the same and instead use the less-debilitating pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) procedure. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery recently published the University Hospital of Pisa’s 10-year experience using P/D and hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC). Two editorial commentaries from thoracic surgeons in the U.S. accompanied the study from Italy, supporting it to varying degrees. “I’m sure this [P/D surgery] is the way to go now with mesothelioma,” Bertoglio told Asbestos.com. “It just gives the patient the better chance.” Two Contrasting Mesothelioma Surgeries EPP was commonly used by mesothelioma specialists two decades ago, but prevalence of the approach has fallen significantly. The surgery involves removing an entire diseased lung, the lining around it, much of the diaphragm and the lining of the heart. EPP is one of the most aggressive surgeries for any cancer, and its mortality and morbidity rates are considerably high. P/D, by comparison, leaves the lung, diaphragm and heart lining intact. The procedure removes the lining around the lung and any diseased tissue. It also removes any visible tumor cells throughout the chest cavity, including those on the lung. P/D is a much more detailed, me...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news