PATHOLOGIC COMPLETE REMISSION OF MALIGNANT PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA AFTER COMBINED MODALITY TREATMENT: A CASE REPORT

Abstract A 50-year-old patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma (epithelial subtype, clinically staged cT1bN0M0) underwent a combined modality treatment, including induction chemotherapy, followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and radical radiotherapy. After pathologic examination of the surgical specimen, a complete remission (pT0N0) was observed. The complete disappearance of solid tumour tissue after induction chemotherapy is a rarely observed and documented finding in the combined modality treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. The real prognostic value of the pathologic complete remission of a malignant pleural mesothelioma definitely needs to be further evaluated in a larger series of patients.

[1]  V. Rusch,et al.  The role of surgical cytoreduction in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma: meeting summary of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group Congress, September 11-14, 2012, Boston, Mass. , 2013, The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

[2]  P. Baas.  Primum non nocere? Does this also apply to mesothelioma? , 2012, Lung cancer.

[3]  A. Parisi,et al.  Complete response and long-term survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma: case report. , 2012, Anticancer research.

[4]  L. Chirieac,et al.  Clinical and pathological features of three-year survivors of malignant pleural mesothelioma following extrapleural pneumonectomy. , 2011, European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery.

[5]  J. Peto,et al.  Extra-pleural pneumonectomy versus no extra-pleural pneumonectomy for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: clinical outcomes of the Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery (MARS) randomised feasibility study , 2011, The Lancet. Oncology.

[6]  B. McCaughan,et al.  A Systematic Review of Extrapleural Pneumonectomy for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma , 2010, Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

[7]  J. Sørensen,et al.  Chemotherapy Induced Pathologic Complete Response in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Review and Case Report , 2010, Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

[8]  F. Galateau-Sallé,et al.  Guidelines of the European Respiratory Society and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons for the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma , 2009, European Respiratory Journal.

[9]  V. Seshan,et al.  Extrapleural pneumonectomy versus pleurectomy/decortication in the surgical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma: results in 663 patients. , 2008, The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.