title: Malignant pleural mesothelioma--an update.
abstract: Exposure to asbestos is the most frequent, but not exclusive, cause of malignant mesothelioma. Clinical features include dyspnea, cough, nonspecific chest pain, weight loss and night sweats. Diagnosis may be complicated by histologic difficulties. Thoracoscopic techniques are proving beneficial, but no one method of imaging has proven superior, and disease staging is inconsistent. Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy have had variable impacts, although chemotherapy is useful in palliation and can improve both survival and quality of life. There is hope for new antimetabolite agents. The role of radical surgery is yet to be evaluated in a large trial. New radiotherapeutic techniques to improve local control are promising. Multimodality treatments appear to be the most successful for management of potentially resectable disease. It is likely that biological markers will improve accuracy in staging and prognosis. With new treatments based on better understanding of the biology of the disease, there is cautious optimism for the future for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Oncology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Duncan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: W Roy
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Smythe
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: O'Byrne
mesh_terms: D001194:Asbestos / Q000633:toxicity; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D001194:Asbestos