New Research Finds Mesothelioma Surgery Outcomes Can Be Improved, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) August 14, 2014 -- Research conducted at three major European and Canadian medical centers finds that the benefits of a controversial surgical procedure called extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) can outweigh the risks for mesothelioma patients, under the right conditions. Click here to read the full story, just posted on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Doctors with University Hospital Zurich, Medical University Vienna, and Toronto General Hospital studied the cases of 251 mesothelioma patients who were treated with EPP after chemotherapy.
“EPP after induction chemotherapy is a demanding procedure but can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality if patients are well selected and treated at dedicated high-volume malignant pleural mesothelioma centers,” writes lead study author Olivia Lauk, MD, of University Hospital Zurich.
The study, just published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, was conducted over a 10-year period and found a 30-day mortality rate of 3% for EPP.
“It’s important that mesothelioma patients have all the facts so that they can make informed treatment decisions,” says Alex Strauss. “This study is further evidence that the jury is very much still out when it comes to mesothelioma surgery.”
To read the survival results of patients in the new EPP study, see Study Defends Use of Radical Surgery for Mesothelioma, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Lauk, O et al, “Extrapleural pneumonectomy after induction chemotherapy: perioperative outcome in 251 mesothelioma patients from three high-volume institutions”, August 7, 2014, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Epub ahead of print, http://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(14)01269-7/abstract?cc=y?cc=y.
For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
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