Patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma generally experience longer survival times than do those with malignant pleural mesothelioma, and much of the difference is attributable to the success of a surgical procedure called cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC, or Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy. The procedure’s success is partially determined by how invasive the patient’s cancer is, and a new study has revealed that the best tool for assessing this invasiveness is Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Mesothelioma Patients Included in Peritoneal Cancers Study
The study, whose results were published in the journal Clinical Colorectal Cancer, was aimed at comparing the usefulness of MRI and CT for measuring the invasiveness of several different peritoneal cancers, including colorectal cancer, appendiceal cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma.
The study was a collaborative effort in which physicians from multiple cancer centers across the United States participated. It included 488 patients, 8% of whom had been diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Every patient’s cancer was evaluated prior to cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC using either CT, MRI, or both. The researchers then compared the assessment of the cancer’s invasiveness predicted via the diagnostic imaging to what was seen within the surgery.
MRI and CT Have Different Levels of Usefulness for Different Peritoneal Cancers
Prior to surgery for mesothelioma and other peritoneal cancers, physicians use either MRI or CT to score the disease’s invasiveness using what is called the Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI). A higher PCI score is indicative of a more invasive cancer and is used to determine whether the patient is a good candidate for surgery.
The study revealed that while CT imaging provided the greatest accuracy for patients with colorectal cancer and appendiceal cancer, MRI provided the most accurate picture of the invasiveness of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. These results will likely be used to guide which tool is used for scoring mesothelioma patients in the future.
Having the most accurate information is essential to a good outcome for patients with malignant mesothelioma of any kind. For access to more essential resources, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
