A retrospective analysis of malignant pleural mesothelioma patients treated either with chemotherapy or best supportive care between 1990 and 2005 A single institution experience

Clinical prognostic factors in pleural mesothelioma: best supportive care and anti-tumor treatments in a real-life setting

BACKGROUND

This study aims to investigate patient- and disease characteristics associated with survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients with anti-tumor treatment or with best supportive care (BSC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Consecutive MPM cases diagnosed in North Denmark Region from 1972 to 2015 were reevaluated and verified by two pathologists using modern immunohistochemical techniques. Danish registries and hospital records were used to gather patient-, asbestos exposure-, and disease information.

RESULTS

Of the 279 patients, anti-tumor treatment was administered to 184 patients (66.0%). All of those received chemotherapy alone or as part of a multimodal treatment, where pemetrexed was given to 126 (68.5%) patients. Asbestos exposure was documented in 92.5% of all patients. In the treated group, mean age was lower (66 years versus 74 years, p < 0.01), rate of occupational asbestos exposure was higher (74.5 versus 54.7%, p < 0.01), more patients had better performance score (98.4 versus 60%, p < 0.01) and stage was lower (81 versus 63.2%, p < 0.01) compared to the BSC group. Multivariate analysis showed that epithelioid subtype was the only common prognostic factor for OS in both groups. In BSC patients, good PS and female gender was associated with improved OS. Median overall survival (OS) was 17 versus 4 months (p < 0.01), and independently of the histopathological subtype, the median and 2-year survival was higher in the treated versus the BSC group (p < 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study showed that epithelioid subtype is the only independent positive prognostic factor of survival in treated patients with MPM. For BSC patients, the epithelioid subtype, good PS, and female gender were positive prognostic factors, while age and comorbidities were not significant. This study with long-term follow-up of treated and BSC MPM patients can contribute to the clinical stratification of patients. Further validation is appropriate to verify these findings.

Prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of malignant pleural mesothelioma in Eastern Asian patients - A Taiwanese study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

There are scarce reports on the prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in Asia. This study aimed to address these matters in a real-world setting.

METHODS

Medical records of patients with histologically proven MPM diagnosed between 1977 and 2016 at the National Taiwan University Hospital were reviewed. Variables including age, gender, performance status, asbestos exposure, smoking history, histology subtype, staging, and treatment received were recorded. All patients were followed until death or March 1st, 2017. Survival and prognostic factors were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meir method and the Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

A total of 93 patients was identified, including 65 men and 28 women. An increasing trend of MPM cases diagnosed was observed in the past 40 years. Stage I/II disease (HR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13-0.46) and epithelioid histology (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.23-0.75) were associated with favorable prognosis, whereas age ≥70 years (HR 2.66, 95% CI 1.36-5.22) and ECOG ≥2 (HR 5.03, 95% CI 2.69-9.4) were poor prognostic factors. After adjustment for prognostic factors, surgery in stage I-III MPM (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15-0.83) and systemic therapy in stage III/IV disease (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.19-0.94) conferred a survival benefit.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the largest case series of MPM reported in Asia outside of Japan. Prognostic factors in the study population included age, performance status, stage, and histology subtype. Surgery in potentially resectable disease and systemic therapy in advanced MPM confer a survival benefit in Asian patients.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma: A retrospective analysis of clinicopathological and survival data

BACKGROUND

  The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological features of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and evaluate the therapeutic measures offered to patients with MPM and their impact on survival.

METHODS

  Data was retrospectively collected from the medical records of 304 patients who presented to the Department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Ain Shams University between January 2003 and December 2008.

RESULTS

  The mean age of patients was 52.1 years (range 24-87 years). One hundred and ninety patients (62.5%) came from endemic areas and/or gave history of occupational asbestos exposure. One hundred and sixty-nine patients received chemotherapy. There was a significant difference between the median survival for patients who received chemotherapy (9 months, 95% CI 7.69-10.30) and those who were offered best supportive care (2 months, 95% CI 0.09-3.91). Other factors that affected the survival negatively were: non-epithelial pathology (P= 0.001); age >50 years (P= 0.012); bad performance status (P= 0.001); non-platinum based chemotherapy (P= 0.0001); and progressive disease (P= 0.000). Cox regression analysis revealed that the factors that predicted shorter survival were patients being offered best supportive care rather than chemotherapy and progressive disease.

CONCLUSION

  MPM is a growing health problem in Egypt that needs more attention. The current analysis of data reflects the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion to allow for early diagnosis, especially for cases that live in areas with high asbestos exposure and for people who work in occupations that expose them to asbestos as well as their family members. Prospective randomized trials comparing multimodality approaches to other forms of treatment and including quality of life assessment are warranted.

Prophylactic radiotherapy for procedure tract metastases in mesothelioma: a review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy with a very poor prognosis. The majority of patients require pleural procedures for diagnostic or fluid management purposes. Damage to the pleura during these procedures can lead to procedure tract metastases (PTMs), with increasing risk from larger interventions. Prophylactic radiotherapy to these sites is a controversial topic with conflicting results from trial data. In this review, we summarize the recent evidence.

RECENT FINDINGS

Four RCTs have been published on this topic, with another in follow-up. The earliest, from a cohort of 40 patients, strongly advocated the use of prophylactic radiotherapy. More recent trials, most notably the Surgical and large bore procedures in Malignant pleural mesothelioma And Radiotherapy Trial (SMART) (which randomized over 200 patients) did not demonstrate any benefit, especially when patient report symptoms and cost-effectiveness are considered. Certain subgroups demand further investigation, such as those not receiving systematic chemotherapy or with surgical intervention sites. The soon to be published Prophylactic Irradiation of Tracts (PIT) trial may help to further clarify best practice.

SUMMARY

Recent studies have shown that prophylactic radiotherapy should not be routinely used to prevent PTMs in mesothelioma. Instead patients should undergo careful clinical follow-up to ensure PTMs are identified and treated promptly to minimize symptoms.

Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline

Purpose To provide evidence-based recommendations to practicing physicians and others on the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Methods ASCO convened an Expert Panel of medical oncology, thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, pulmonary, pathology, imaging, and advocacy experts to conduct a literature search, which included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and prospective and retrospective comparative observational studies published from 1990 through 2017. Outcomes of interest included survival, disease-free or recurrence-free survival, and quality of life. Expert Panel members used available evidence and informal consensus to develop evidence-based guideline recommendations. Results The literature search identified 222 relevant studies to inform the evidence base for this guideline. Recommendations Evidence-based recommendations were developed for diagnosis, staging, chemotherapy, surgical cytoreduction, radiation therapy, and multimodality therapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/thoracic-cancer-guidelines and www.asco.org/guidelineswiki .

Malignant pleural mesothelioma: incidence, etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and occupational health

BACKGROUND

The incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Germany is about 20 cases per million persons per year. Its association with asbestos exposure, usually occupational, has been unequivocally demonstrated. Even though the industrial use of asbestos was forbidden many years ago, new cases of mesothelioma continue to appear because of the long latency of the disease (median, 50 years). Its diagnosis and treatment still present a major challenge for ambulatory and in-hospital care and will do so for years to come.

METHODS

This article is based on a selective review of the literature, along with data from the German Mesothelioma Register.

RESULTS

1397 people died of mesothelioma in Germany in 2010. A plateau in the incidence of the disease is predicted between 2015 and 2030. Most mesotheliomas arise from the pleura. The histological subtype and the Karnofsky score are the main prognostic factors. Only limited data are now available to guide treatment with a combination of the available methods (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy). The prognosis is still poor, with a median survival time of only 12 months. Symptom control and the preservation of the patient's quality of life are the main aspects of care for patients with mesothelioma.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of mesothelioma is not expected to drop in the next few years. The available treatments are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Specialized treatment centers now increasingly provide multimodal therapy for treatment of mesothelioma.

Local recurrence of tumor at sites of intervention in malignant pleural mesothelioma

In malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients, local dissemination (LD) of the tumor is frequently observed at the sites of intervention where diagnosis/treatment are performed. We evaluate the factors affecting LD frequency and discuss the use of PR in MPM patients. Histopathologically diagnosed 212 MPM patients who had not received PR were evaluated in terms of development of LD. Of the 212 patients, 29 received supportive therapy, 157 received chemotherapy and 26 received multi-modal therapy. The LD frequency was 13.2% for all patients. The median survival rate was 9 or 10 months in patients with or without LD, respectively. A higher LD frequency was observed in patients receiving thoracotomy. The LD appearance time in supportive care is short. The LD frequency in patients treated with chemotherapy that revealed progressive disease was higher than the patients who revealed stable disease or objective response. LD developed in 2 months in patients with sarcomatous and mixed cell type, and the survival rate was low. LD was not associated with the stage of the disease. The most suitable candidate groups for PR are patients receiving supportive therapy, thoracotomy without multi-modal therapy or patients with sarcomatous and mixed cell type tumors.