Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Multi-modal therapies are increasingly becoming the standard for frontline mesothelioma treatments.  While the primary method of treatment still involves some form of surgery in addition to chemotherapy and possibly radiation, a growing number of studies have shown support for adding photodynamic therapy (PDT) to surgical procedures to increase postoperative longevity. 

A recent study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is just the latest to suggest that lung-sparing surgery combined with PDT can increase survival, sometimes for a period of years, compared to traditional treatments.

The results of the study, conducted by Doctor Joseph Friedberg and published in the newest issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, detail efforts to “find a way to further improve and refine this multimodality treatment approach for mesothelioma."

Though survival rates depend greatly on a number of factors including the type of mesothelioma, treatment, and the patient’s individual medical history, the average lifespan of a mesothelioma victim is just about a year.  In fact, roughly 40% survive just 12 months after diagnosis.  However, Friedberg has shown in his previous research that PDT and select surgeries can actually double or even triple that average.

PDT is a treatment option during which chemicals are introduced to mesothelioma cells which greatly increase their sensitivity to light.  After the chemicals are absorbed, doctors then introduce specific wavelengths of light to help destroy the cancer at the cellular level.

This latest research examined the individual cases of 38 mesothelioma patients, 37 of which were diagnosed with stage III or stage IV mesothelioma.  All underwent lung-sparing surgery and PDT in accordance with recommendations from their individual doctors.  Lung sparing surgery (such as pleurectomy decortication) is designed to be as aggressive as possible with the cancer without decreasing the quality of life the patients will enjoy post operatively.  Friedman, like many doctors, is working under an assumption backed by multiple studies that show mesothelioma patients who retain both lungs not only live longer but report a much higher quality of life than those who agree to have a lung removed.

Friedman discovered that the median overall survival for the entire group of 38 mesothelioma patients was 31.7 months – that’s nearly three times the previous average.  Friedman acknowledges that the individual type of mesothelioma had a very significant factor in determining the longevity of the patients.  Indeed, 31 of the patients diagnosed with epithelial mesothelioma -regarded as the most treatable subtype of the cancer- enjoyed post-operative longevity on average 41.2 months.

While this data is extraordinary and does inspire hope, it does not represent a cure.  All of the 38 patients in the study suffered from cancer recurrence.  However, because these patients retained both lungs, they were better able to tolerate future treatments.

Source:  Penn: Photodynamic Therapy Added to Lung-Sparing Surgery Improves Survival for Mesothelioma Patients