BACKGROUND: The silent epidemic of mesothelioma in Australia is steadily increasing, and 30% of cases occur in New South Wales (NSW). AIM: To describe the patterns of care and outcomes of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in NSW. METHODS: MPM patients in NSW applying for compensation at the NSW Dust Diseases Board from 2007 to 2009 were included. Survival from time of diagnosis was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Chi-squared test was used to determine if there was an association between utilisation of treatment and geographical location. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients was included: median age was 72.5; 91.3% male; 60.1% epithelial subtype; and 65.2% lived in major cities. All patients had at least one chest X-ray and computed tomography scan, and 21% had a positron emission tomography scan; 93.5% and 4.3% had histological or cytological confirmation respectively. Thoracoscopy (59.4%) was the most commonly used diagnostic procedure. Treatment utilisation: 53.6% chemotherapy; 35.5% radiotherapy; 9.4% extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP); and 72.5% had palliative care involvement. There were no major differences in treatment utilisation between patients living in major cities and those in regional NSW (chemotherapy P = 0.42; radiotherapy P = 0.13 and palliative care P = 0.60), except for a higher rate of EPP in regional patients (16.7% vs 5.6%; P = 0.03). Median survival was 9.7 versus 12.3 months for city and regional patients respectively (P = 0.22). CONCLUSION: Survival and treatment utilisation was not significantly different between MPM patients living in major cities and regional NSW, except for a higher rate of EPP in patients in regional NSW.
BACKGROUND: The silent epidemic of mesothelioma in Australia is steadily increasing, and 30% of cases occur in New South Wales (NSW). AIM: To describe the patterns of care and outcomes of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in NSW. METHODS: MPM patients in NSW applying for compensation at the NSW Dust Diseases Board from 2007 to 2009 were included. Survival from time of diagnosis was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Chi-squared test was used to determine if there was an association between utilisation of treatment and geographical location. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients was included: median age was 72.5; 91.3% male; 60.1% epithelial subtype; and 65.2% lived in major cities. All patients had at least one chest X-ray and computed tomography scan, and 21% had a positron emission tomography scan; 93.5% and 4.3% had histological or cytological confirmation respectively. Thoracoscopy (59.4%) was the most commonly used diagnostic procedure. Treatment utilisation: 53.6% chemotherapy; 35.5% radiotherapy; 9.4% extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP); and 72.5% had palliative care involvement. There were no major differences in treatment utilisation between patients living in major cities and those in regional NSW (chemotherapy P = 0.42; radiotherapy P = 0.13 and palliative care P = 0.60), except for a higher rate of EPP in regional patients (16.7% vs 5.6%; P = 0.03). Median survival was 9.7 versus 12.3 months for city and regional patients respectively (P = 0.22). CONCLUSION: Survival and treatment utilisation was not significantly different between MPM patients living in major cities and regional NSW, except for a higher rate of EPP in patients in regional NSW.
Authors: Steven C Kao; Nico van Zandwijk; Peter Corte; Christopher Clarke; Stephen Clarke; Janette Vardy Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2013-02-14 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Anna C Bibby; Duneesha De Fonseka; Anna J Morley; Emma Keenan; Alfredo Addeo; Sarah Smith; Anthony J Edey; Nick A Maskell Journal: BMC Palliat Care Date: 2017-12-08 Impact factor: 3.234