Though malignant mesothelioma is known to be a terminal illness, a recently completed Australian study has provided an optimistic conclusion for those diagnosed with the peritoneal form of the disease. According to a study of more than 1,200 patients who had both cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the combination of the two protocols provides long-term survival.
One in Five Peritoneal Patients Alive Ten Years Later
Though mesothelioma patients are generally advised that the median survival time for those diagnosed with their disease is less than two years, studies have shown that those diagnosed with the peritoneal form of the disease – which forms in the abdominal cavity – tend to live longer than those diagnosed with the pleural type, which forms in the chest.
This latest study showed that when peritoneal mesothelioma patients undergo surgery to remove their tumors combined with having heated chemotherapy solution dosed directly into the surgical site, they have a much higher chance of living ten years. Of those studied between 1996 and 2018, one in five were still alive ten years after the procedure.
Study Reviews Multiple Diagnoses
The Australian study was not limited to malignant mesothelioma patients. It also included a large group that had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, appendix cancer and ovarian cancer. In all cases, their tumors were surgically removed and then the chemotherapy solution was applied into the open surgical site to give it the greatest chance of killing any malignant cells that the surgery had missed.
The result for those diagnosed with mesothelioma was a clear improvement in survival time over the one-year survival time that is expected for those who do not undergo the treatment. Nearly half of those in the study survived five years past their surgery, and one in five were still alive after ten years.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the best way to improve your survival chances is by making sure that you have all the information that you need. The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
