Extended Pleurectomy-Decortication–Based Treatment for Advanced Stage Epithelial Mesothelioma Yielding a Median Survival of Nearly Three Years

Joseph S. Friedberg, Charles B. Simone, Melissa J. Culligan, Andrew R. Barsky, Abigail Doucette, Sally McNulty, Stephen M. Hahn, Evan Alley, Daniel H. Sterman, Eli Glatstein, Keith A. Cengel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

101 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study was to assess survival for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), epithelial subtype, utilizing extended pleurectomy-decortication combined with intraoperative photodynamic therapy (PDT) and adjuvant pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. Methods From 2005 to 2013, 90 patients underwent lung-sparing surgery and PDT for MPM. All patients had a preoperative diagnosis of epithelial subtype, of which 17 proved to be of mixed histology. The remaining 73 patients with pure epithelial subtype were analyzed. All patients received lung-sparing surgery and PDT; 92% also received chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 5.3 years for living patients. Results Macroscopic complete resection was achieved in all 73 patients. Thirty-day mortality was 3% and 90-day mortality was 4%. For all 73 patients (89% American Joint Commission on Cancer stage III/IV, 69% N2 disease, median tumor volume 550 mL), the median overall and disease-free survivals were 3 years and 1.2 years, respectively. For the 19 patients without lymph node metastases (74% stage III/IV, median tumor volume 325 mL), the median overall and disease-free survivals were 7.3 years and 2.3 years, respectively. Conclusions This is a mature dataset for MPM that demonstrates the ability to safely execute a complex treatment plan that included a surgical technique that consistently permitted achieving a macroscopic complete resection while preserving the lung. The role for lung-sparing surgery is unclear but this series demonstrates that it is an option, even for advanced cases. The overall survival of 7.3 years for the node negative subset of patients, still of advanced stage, is encouraging. Of particular interest is the overall survival being approximately triple the disease-free survival, perhaps PDT related. The impact of PDT is unclear, but it is hoped that it will be established by an ongoing randomized trial.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)912-919
Number of pages8
JournalAnnals of Thoracic Surgery
Volume103
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

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