According to an article in Oncology Practice, the partial pleurectomy significantly improved quality of life and control of pleural effusion compared with talc pleurodesis. Both treatments are used for pleural effusion. Up to this point, no studies have shown which therapy is more effective in treating pleural effusion caused by malignant mesothelioma, but pleurectomy is often favored.
Pleural effusion is an accumulation of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity. In healthy adults the body produces pleural fluid in small amounts to lubricate the surfaces of the pleura. This fluid is normally removed by lymphatics in the parietal pleura, which have the capacity to absorb 20 times more fluid than is normally formed. When this capacity is overwhelmed, a pleural effusion develops. Pleural effusion is found in 95% of all pleural mesothelioma cases.
The MesoVATS trial, conducted by Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust of the UK, included 175 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and pleural effusion. Half of the patients received a partial pleurectomy, and the other half were treated with talc pleurodesis with slurry or poudrage. While the survival rates were similar for the patients (57% in talc patients, 52% in pleurectomy), the differences in the control of the pleural effusion were significant. The effusion was controlled in one month in 59% of the pleurectomy group, but in just 37% of the pleurodesis group.
“Quality of life in those last 12-13 months of life is very important, and [surgery] is something that is fairly well tolerated and doesn’t require a lot longer hospital stay,” said Dr. Robert Rintoul, lead researcher and consultant respiratory physician at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, England.
Pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-caused pulmonary cancer found in the outer lining of the lungs called the mesothelium. Mesothelioma patients typically suffer from pleural effusion that can seriously restrict the lung’s ability to expand, even collapsing its supportive tissues, resulting in pain and shortness of breath. Prior to receiving treatment for mesothelioma, patients must have the excess fluid build-up associated with pleural effusion drained and managed.
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Nancy Meredith is a blog and web content writer with more than 20 years of professional experience in the Information Technology industry. She has been writing about Mesothelioma for 4 years. Follow Nancy on Google+
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