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Review
. 2016 May 3:7:63-72.
doi: 10.2147/LCTT.S83338. eCollection 2016.

Modern management of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Shivani C Patel  1 , Jonathan E Dowell  2
Affiliations
Review

Modern management of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Shivani C Patel et al. Lung Cancer (Auckl). .

Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a deadly disease that produces a significant worldwide health care burden. The majority of cases are associated with prior asbestos exposure, but recent studies have identified a possible genetic predisposition in a minority of patients. Historically, obtaining a pathologic diagnosis of MPM was challenging, but with current pathological techniques, a secure diagnosis is possible in the majority of patients. Curative therapy for MPM remains elusive, and the primary treatment option for fit patients is platinum-based chemotherapy. Encouraging recent reports suggest that there may be a benefit to the addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy as well as with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in MPM. Selected patients may be considered for aggressive surgical approaches, but there is considerable controversy regarding the true benefit of surgery and multimodality therapy in this disease.

Keywords: asbestos; chemotherapy; mesothelioma; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Jonathan Dowell has disclosed that he has received research support from MedImmune, LLC and Verastem, Inc. Shivani Patel has no relevant financial interests to disclose. The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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