A new study has demonstrated that there may be more value in a little-researched treatment option for mesothelioma patients.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) involves the removal of the cancerous lung and the surrounding tissue. The procedure was originally considered by experts to be too risky, with heart attacks, kidney failure, fluid buildup and pulmonary embolisms resulting. There are some sources that claim a 60 percent complication rate associated with the procedure.
A recent study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Tor Vergata University in Rome, shows that the quality of life improvement from the procedure may be worth it for some patients.
In a study that went from 1997 to 2007, researchers looked at 29 patients who received the treatment. Seventeen of those patients were alive at the one-year mark, with 10 alive at the two-year mark. With a median survival rate of 19.5 months, the results outdid the mesothelioma survival rate average of 12 months. One of the patients died as a direct result of the surgery.
As with many treatments, research suggests that the best results from EPP come for those who discover their mesothelioma earliest.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – mesothelioma lawyers