Study Finds Benefits to Second Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery

Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma cancer can survive considerably longer if they are willing and able to undergo a second aggressive surgery following tumor recurrence. History has proven that an incentive for a repeat surgery is there. A recent 30-year retrospective review at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has shown how beneficial the combination of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC, can be for several cancers with peritoneal metastasis. “People often think it’s a one-and-done procedure,” Wake Forest Baptist surgical oncologist Dr. Edward Levine told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “But it’s not always that way. For some, a repeat surgery can be a real life-extending event.” Annals of Surgical Oncology published the review in March. It was co-authored by members of Wake Forest’s surgical oncology and biostatistics and data science departments. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is one of the world’s most acclaimed facilities for the treatment of peritoneal malignancies. It was among the first to establish a HIPEC program, in 1991. Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Extends Survival Cytoreductive surgery is an aggressive and lengthy procedure designed to remove all visible tumor cells from the abdomen. It can include removing parts or all of the gallbladder, liver, pancreas, spleen and intestinal tract. HIPEC, used immediately after the surgery, involves circulating heated c...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news