Published on January 30, 2023
Pleural mesothelioma is a notoriously challenging disease. Always considered an incurable diagnosis, the rare form of asbestos-related cancer is also extremely aggressive, claiming the lives of its victims in a painfully short time. To counteract this, researchers around the world are working to find therapies that prolong life while improving the quality of life. Recently, researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy published encouraging results from a study of chemotherapy applied directly to the affected area.
Heated chemotherapy limits regrowth of mesothelioma tumors
Heated chemotherapy is a protocol that has been used successfully to treat malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: Surgeons have administered the special solution after surgically removing tumors from the abdominal cavity, hoping to kill any remaining microscopic cancer cells. This procedure is known as HIPEC or Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.
HITHOC, or hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy, is a similar procedure used to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma, which occurs in the chest cavity on the membrane that surrounds the lungs. The benefit of direct application of chemotherapy is that it avoids the negative systemic effects of chemotherapy taken orally or intravenously. The Italian researchers reviewed the results of procedures performed for almost thirty years and found that it works successfully to limit tumor regrowth and prolong patients’ lives.
Study Reports HITHOC delivers “safe, feasible and effective” results for patients with pleural mesothelioma
writing in Journal of Clinical Medicine, dr Vitorrio Aprile and colleagues wrote: “From 1994 to the present, various authors have experimented [with] HITHOC after cytoreductive surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma, in most cases with good local control and an associated better overall survival [with a] very low complication rate.” Their closing words on the procedure were “safe, feasible and effective”, although they also acknowledge that further studies need to be conducted.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and need more information about the resources and solutions available to you, call 1-800-692-8608 to speak with Mesothelioma Patient Advocates today. not to speak.
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Written by Terri Oppenheimer
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