BACKGROUND: The classification of diffuse malignant mesothelioma into epithelioid, biphasic, and sarcomatoid types is based on histologic patterns. The diagnosis is made on biopsies, and because of intratumoral heterogeneity, they may not be representative of the entire tumor. The number and volume of biopsies needed to reach diagnostic accuracy in … [Read more...]
Another Antiangiogenic Failure in Unresectable Mesothelioma
The addition of nintedanib (Ofev) to standard of care pemetrexed (Alimta) plus cisplatin failed to delay disease progression in patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to phase III results of the LUME-Meso study. After a median treatment duration of more than 5 months, median progression-free survival was 6.8 months … [Read more...]
50 Patients with Malignant Mesothelioma of Both the Pleura and Peritoneum: A Single-Institution Experience
Background: The most common sites of malignant mesothelioma are the pleura [ i.e., pleural mesothelioma ] and peritoneum [ i.e., peritoneal mesothelioma ], but little is known about the incidence, prognosis, or treatment of patients with disease in both cavities…. Despite limitations, this investigation is the only study to broadly examine … [Read more...]
Current treatments and trials in malignant pleural mesothelioma
Objectives This article aims to review the evidence from recent clinical trials in mesothelioma, and to provide an overview of relevant clinical trials that are currently in progress. Results Since the original trial that demonstrated the efficacy of pemetrexed and cisplatin in mesothelioma, multiple trials have been conducted that have … [Read more...]
Novel therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is typically associated with exposure to asbestos. Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma have poor outcomes with suboptimal therapeutic options and currently no treatment is curative. The standard frontline treatment, cisplatin plus pemetrexed chemotherapy, has only short and insufficient … [Read more...]
Management of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Current Treatment Guidelines
Purpose: To provide evidence-based recommendations to practicing physicians and others on the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Methods: ASCO convened an Expert Panel of medical oncology, thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, pulmonary, pathology, imaging, and advocacy experts to conduct a literature search, which included systematic … [Read more...]
Chemical profiling of primary mesothelioma cultures defines subtypes with different expression profiles and clinical responses
Finding new treatment options for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma is challenging due to the rarity and heterogeneity of this cancer type. The absence of druggable targets further complicates the development of new therapies. Current treatment options are therefore limited and prognosis remains poor. Experimental Design: We performed … [Read more...]
The role of intracavitary therapies in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma
Surgery is one of the steps of multimodality approach for the treatment of MPM. Due to anatomical features, microscopically radical (R0) resection is never possible and a Macroscopic Complete Resection (R1) is considered the target for mesothelioma surgeons. Recently, intracavitary therapies have been described with the aim of extending the … [Read more...]
Pleural effusion biomarkers and computed tomography findings in diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma: A retrospective study in a single center
In this study, we aimed to examine the clinical value of the pleural effusion (PE) biomarkers, soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21–1) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and the utility of combining chest computed tomography (CT) findings with these biomarkers, in diagnosing malignant pleural mesothelioma … [Read more...]
Surgery-based regimen improves survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma
Carefully selected patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma benefited from a surgery-based treatment modality, according to results from a propensity score matching analysis published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.Previous studies investigated whether surgery may extend survival among patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma; however, … [Read more...]