Abstract
Between October 1998 and May 2004, 7 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma received multimodality therapy. These patients were all men aged 50 ∼ 72 years (mean age: 60.6 ± 7.0 years). The left pleura was affected in 4 patients and the right side was involved in 3. The treatment consisted of extrapleural pneumonectomy, postoperative chemotherapy (ADM 60 mg/m2, CPA 600 mg/m2, and CDDP 70 mg/m2), and radiotherapy (54 ∼ 60 Gy to the entire hemithorax). The tumors were of the epithelial type in 5 patients and were sarcomatous in 2. The International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) clinical stage of the disease was stage III in 5 patients and stage IV in 2 patients. Macroscopically the tumor was resected completely in all patients. The only postoperative complication was heart failure in 3 patients. Grade 4 toxicity of chemotherapy was seen in 5 patients; neutropenia in 5, anemia in 1, thrombocytopenia in 1, and anorexia in 1. 5 patients completed the treatment, but 2 patients discontinued chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy because of decrease in the performance status or the general condition. The 2- and 5-year survival rates of the 7 patients were 68.6% and 45.7%, respectively, and the median survival was 29.0 months. Multimodality therapy is promising for improving the prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
