Advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma: Experience in 42 patients

Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare, difficult to diagnose neoplasm with poor prognosis. To determine the prognostic factors for survival in patients with this disease at advanced stages (Stages III and IV), the medical files of 42 patients with this diagnosis were assessed, and factors known to be prognostic of poor survival were statistically analyzed. Age >60 years and serum albumin levels <3.5 g/dL were highly significant (p < 0.001). The presence of fever, dyspnea, weight loss >10%, and platelets >400,000/muL was highly significant (p < 0.01) and, finally, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 3 or 4 and the presence of chest pain and cough were significant (p < 0.05). In contrast with reports in the literature, male gender, known exposure to asbestos, smoking, diabetes, leukocytosis, anemia, lactate dehydrogenase >500 IU/L in pleural fluid, presence of nodular pleural thickening on imaging studies, presence of pleural effusion >60%, mediastinal invasion, site of presentation, biphasic and sarcomatous lineage and forms of treatment showed no significant differences with regard to patient survival in our population. Mean survival was 8.1 months, with values ranging from 30 days to 1 year and 4 months.Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Mexicana de Oncologia.