Multimodality treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma

Abstract

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) is a challenging disease in all of its aspects, from presentation and diagnosis to staging and treatment. Single-modality therapy was the initial approach to this disease. It generally has not been effective in changing the natural history of DMPM. As a result, multimodality regimens involving surgery with radiation, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy delivered regionally or systemically have been evaluated. Randomized controlled studies comparing various strategies are lacking and, thus, the debate continues regarding the effectiveness of different treatment approaches.