In what is a first in North America, Northern California’s Stanford Medicine has announced that thoracic surgeon Dr. Leah Backhus performed the first PITAC procedure for mesothelioma. The groundbreaking minimally invasive operation offers real hope for patients who are not candidates for more aggressive surgery.
PITAC Offers New Treatment Approach for Mesothelioma
Among the many reasons that mesothelioma is so challenging to treat is that it presents a procedural dilemma: it grows as a thin layer that envelops the lung rather than as a discrete tumor, making surgical removal extremely difficult, especially because many patients’ disease is either too advanced or other medical conditions place them at higher risk for complications. This has left many patients with only palliative treatment to alleviate their symptoms as an option
That’s why PITAC, or pressurized intrathoracic aerosol chemotherapy, offers so much hope for patients diagnosed with the rare asbestos-related disease. It delivers chemotherapy drugs in the form of a pressurized fine mist sprayed directly into the patient’s chest. It coats the lining of the lungs and is absorbed directly by cancer cells. Dr. Backhus performed her first PITAC procedure last March, and a second in May, and she describes it as “spray paint chemo” because of how it lays chemotherapy across mesothelioma tumor surfaces throughout the chest cavity.
In describing PITAC’s advantages, Dr. Backhus says, “It treats the tumor, but not radically so, and it also provides palliation for symptoms. It’s less risky for patients, and we can offer it to more people.” Notably, PITAC enables high concentrations of chemotherapy to be delivered to an isolated area. This substantially reduces exposure to the rest of the body and limits the systemic side effects that mesothelioma patients often face.
PITAC for Mesothelioma Provides Faster Recovery
To treat mesothelioma, Dr. Backhus creates two small ports to deliver the chemotherapy mist and inserts a small camera between the ribs to monitor progress. This minimally invasive approach creates less trauma than traditional open surgeries involving tumor removal. Dr. Backhus’s first patient had previously undergone treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma and subsequently developed pleural mesothelioma. She was able to return home within two days after the procedure. “I saw her recently, and her scans were good. She had little disease burden to start with, and we don’t see any evidence of disease now,” Dr. Backhus said.
PITAC treats the mesothelioma tumor itself rather than just managing fluid buildup, and that’s what distinguishes it from purely palliative interventions. The procedure is similar to PIPAC, or pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, a procedure that has been used successfully in the abdomen. Dr. Backhus noted that more studies are needed to determine PITAC’s long-term effectiveness for pleural mesothelioma specifically. In the meantime, Stanford Medicine is offering PITAC to mesothelioma patients through a registry study that also tracks improvement in quality of life.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
