The most common and easiest form of mesothelioma to treat is pleural epithelioid and even the most common form of mesothelioma is considered a rare cancer, impacting approximately 3,500 people per year. Bi-phasic peritoneal mesothelioma is far rarer. Bi-phasic means that the cell type is a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid. Peritoneal means that the cancer is in the lining of the abdomen rather than in the lungs. In the past those with a bi-phasic cell type didn’t have a hope of
There has been an exciting new development in the treatment of bi-phasic peritoneal mesothelioma. The treatment protocol is called cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The new treatment involves surgically removing as much of the peritoneal mesothelioma tumor as possible, then rinsing the body cavity with chemotherapy drugs to prevent new tumors from forming.
While 5 year post-surgical survival outcomes are still more common in epithelioid cell type patients, it no longer impossible for bi-phasic cell type patients to achieve the same results.“Long-term survival is achievable in patients with low-volume biphasic mesothelioma after complete macroscopic cytoreduction,” writes lead study author Konstantinos I. Votanopoulos MD, PhD, FACS, of Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina. “Biphasic peritoneal mesotheliomas should not be considered as an absolute contraindication for CRS/HIPEC if there is low-volume disease and if complete cytoreduction can be achieved.”
With the more complete resection of the abdominal lining, 64.5 percent of epithelioid mesothelioma patients were still living 5 years later contrasted with the of 50.2 percent of biphasic patients who were alive.
To read the full article check it out here in the Journal of Surgical Oncology.
The Paul Law Firm advocates for victims of asbestos-related diseases. If you or a loved one is suffering from mesothelioma, call the Paul Law Firm. With over 2.5 billion dollars collected for victims of asbestos exposure, we have the knowledge and the experience to fight for you. We also understand that fighting doesn’t just happen in the courtroom. It also happens in a lab where we are fighting for a cure. Check out the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America here.
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