title: Management of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
abstract: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm arising from the surface serosal cells of the pleural cavity. More than 80% of cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma have been attributed to asbestos exposure. In its natural course median survival is 4 to 12 months. If untreated most of patients die due to local complications of the disease. Surgery improves local control but is not sufficient as a single treatment modality. The recommended treatment strategy for a select group of patients is multimodal therapy that includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Trabzon Numune Education and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pervin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hürmüz
keywords: Extra pleural pneumonectomy; malign pleural mesothelioma; multimodal treatment; three dimensional conformal radiotherapy