Open AccessManagement of malignant pleural mesothelioma
Author(s) -
Hürmüz Pervin
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
thoracic cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1759-7714
pISSN - 1759-7706
DOI - 10.1111/j.1759-7714.2010.00001.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mesothelioma , asbestos , radiation therapy , pleural disease , chemotherapy , pleural cavity , surgery , treatment modality , radiology , oncology , respiratory disease , lung , pathology , materials science , metallurgy
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm arising from the surface serosal cells of the pleural cavity. More than 80% of cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma have been attributed to asbestos exposure. In its natural course median survival is 4 to 12 months. If untreated most of patients die due to local complications of the disease. Surgery improves local control but is not sufficient as a single treatment modality. The recommended treatment strategy for a select group of patients is multimodal therapy that includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.