Pleural Mesothelioma and Surgery
Source: CancerMonthly.com
In an interview with CancerMonthly.com, Dr. David Sugarbaker, a thoracic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, stated that the goal of every surgery for pleural mesothelioma should be a macroscopic complete resection (MCR), where all tumor tissue visible to the human eye is removed. According to Dr. Sugarbaker, if all of the visible tumor tissue can be removed, post-surgical drug treatment will have less tumor cells to eradicate, which should increase the likelihood of longer survival times.
Because mesothelioma can attack the pleural areas in multiple ways, different surgical techniques will be required for different malignancy types. If the tumors are limited to the surface of the lung then a pleurectomy, which is the surgical removal of tumors confined to the surface of the lung, can often achieve MCR. For those patients with a more invasive malignancy, where tumors have grown into the fissures of the lungs and other areas, an extrapleural pneumonectomy, where the affected lung, the covering of the heart, and the diaphragm are removed, may be required.
In all cases, Dr. Sugarbaker maintained, the needs of the mesothelioma patient — and not the services offered by the surgeon — should dictate the surgical methods utilized.
In an interview with CancerMonthly.com, Dr. David Sugarbaker, a thoracic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, stated that the goal of every surgery for pleural mesothelioma should be a macroscopic complete resection (MCR), where all tumor tissue visible to the human eye is removed. According to Dr. Sugarbaker, if all of the visible tumor tissue can be removed, post-surgical drug treatment will have less tumor cells to eradicate, which should increase the likelihood of longer survival times.
Because mesothelioma can attack the pleural areas in multiple ways, different surgical techniques will be required for different malignancy types. If the tumors are limited to the surface of the lung then a pleurectomy, which is the surgical removal of tumors confined to the surface of the lung, can often achieve MCR. For those patients with a more invasive malignancy, where tumors have grown into the fissures of the lungs and other areas, an extrapleural pneumonectomy, where the affected lung, the covering of the heart, and the diaphragm are removed, may be required.
In all cases, Dr. Sugarbaker maintained, the needs of the mesothelioma patient — and not the services offered by the surgeon — should dictate the surgical methods utilized.
Labels: mesothelioma
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