The European Journal of Surgical Oncology recently published a study that claims intraperitoneal chemotherapy preceded by cytoreductive surgery is the most effective treatment method for peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about 10 to 20 percent of annual mesothelioma diagnoses, and is indicated by malignant tumors stemming from the abdominal cavity rather than the lungs. The study shows that the strategic combination of surgical and chemotherapy treatments tend to result in more encouraging recovery rates in patients than either treatment does alone. The study followed several British researcher’s analysis of the results of operative and chemical therapy treatments performed on seventeen different patients who underwent both surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
Mesothelioma is nearly exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease can take years or even decades to fully develop following asbestos exposure, which makes it very difficult to diagnose. Additionally, because of the long amount of time that the disease takes to develop, it is usually well advanced by the time it is discovered and treatments can begin. Peritoneal mesothelioma specifically effects the abdominal cavity; its symptoms include swelling or pain in the abdominal region, lumps under the skin in the abdominal region, a distinct change in bowel movements, nausea or fatigue.
After the study, the researchers stated that “Cytoreductive surgery combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy appears to be the optimal treatment for selected patients with peritoneal mesothelioma… …Increased familiarity with this condition’s presentation and natural history, and knowledge of available treatment options, will hopefully facilitate treatment of these patients.”
Treatments for peritoneal mesothelioma currently include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Clearly, no single treatment can be considered the most likely to succeed in any given case. It’s important that each case of mesothelioma is diagnosed and treated individually as a unique challenge; it is, however, encouraging that combination therapies are proving more effective in certain cases and that the battle against mesothelioma appears to be gaining momentum on some fronts.
