Mesothelioma Survival Rates Advance with new SMART Approach

February 25, 2016 – Accelerated high-dose radiation just before extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) surgery – a reversal of the traditional order at most US specialty centers – continues to produce impressive results for pleural mesothelioma patients in Toronto.  Sixty-two patients were evaluated in the study with each receiving a five-day dose of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) followed with the aggressive EPP surgery.  Patients in the study generally experienced a quicker recovery, a shorter treatment period and fewer complications, which has been encouraging for future surgical candidates. 

Reason for skepticism in this procedure is justified.  Despite the best scans and diagnostic tools, a surgeon occasionally opens the chest and finds the cancer already metastasized, and taking the diseased lung serves no purpose.  Radiation before the EPP eliminates the option of leaving the lung, which tightens the surgical selection process.  The theory behind the radiation-first procedure is that it eliminates or decreases the cancer’s ability to seed or spill in the chest during the surgery.

Results have been promising, but further studies will confirm viability.

Read the full Scientific American post here.

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