Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma
Source: PubMed.com
Pericardial mesothelioma is an exceedingly rare cancer, with less than 150 cases in the literature fully describing its occurrence. It is a highly aggressive tumor and the anecdotal evidence suggests a survival time of less than six months from initial diagnosis. However, a recent case has shown that pericardial mesothelioma may be treated in a manner similar to the more common versions of mesothelioma, such as pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. A forty-four year-old man with primary pericardial mesothelioma was treated with pemetrexed and carboplatin, which is the standard chemotherapy regimen for the main forms of mesothelioma, and then radiotherapy afterwards. The man survived until 16 months after his initial diagnosis and the study suggests that new cytotoxic agents can improve the prognosis of this disease.
Pericardial mesothelioma is an exceedingly rare cancer, with less than 150 cases in the literature fully describing its occurrence. It is a highly aggressive tumor and the anecdotal evidence suggests a survival time of less than six months from initial diagnosis. However, a recent case has shown that pericardial mesothelioma may be treated in a manner similar to the more common versions of mesothelioma, such as pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. A forty-four year-old man with primary pericardial mesothelioma was treated with pemetrexed and carboplatin, which is the standard chemotherapy regimen for the main forms of mesothelioma, and then radiotherapy afterwards. The man survived until 16 months after his initial diagnosis and the study suggests that new cytotoxic agents can improve the prognosis of this disease.
Labels: mesothelioma
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