Belgian EPP Study Shows Mesothelioma Surgery Extends Survival

Using proper patient selection, doctors in Leuven, Belgium, are extending mesothelioma survival times significantly with the controversial extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery. Despite a growing reluctance to perform the surgery within the United States and throughout much of Europe, mesothelioma specialists at University Hospitals KU Leuven have continued performing it with great success. Their 2018 single-center study of the extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for pleural mesothelioma produced a 33.2-month median survival and a 24.2 percent five-year survival. “With our dedicated team, a patient can do well with this surgery,” Dr. Anna Frick, department of thoracic surgery and lead author of the study, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “Although it is a very demanding surgery — and it is not for every patient — it can be done with much success.” The European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery in December 2018 published the study that started with 97 pleural mesothelioma patients who qualified for the EPP as part of a multidisciplinary treatment regimen between 2003 and 2014. Of the 56 patients who underwent the EPP surgery, three have survived 10 years or more. Another four, who are still alive today after more than five years, have the potential to reach the 10-year mark. “There is an advantage with the EPP for mesothelioma patients,” Frick said. “We believe that here.” Patient Selection Critical to Success The EPP is one of the most aggressive s...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news