The role of extrapleural pneumonectomy for malignant pleural mesothelioma: reviewing 20-years of experience

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a very aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis, requiring a complex treatment. Despite the fact that asbestos, the main etiologic factor, has been banned in most industrial countries for several decades, its global incidence is still increasing and MPM is expected to become a significant problem in third world countries in the next decades (1). In an adequately selected group of patients with resectable disease, a multimodality approach including neoadjuvant chemotherapy with platinum and anti-folate doublet, followed by surgical resection is part of the most recent guidelines (2-5). Due to the tumor’s anatomical restraint with proximity to the heart and the big vessels, the chest Original Article