Extrapleural pneumonectomy in the setting of multimodality therapy for diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare disease, is characterized by an aggressive local behavior and scant response to therapy. The first series using single modality therapy showed failure in terms of survival and local control. More recently, multimodality therapy has been used against this disease with better results, but still with more room for substantial improvement. The current multimodality series reported are isolated, single-institutional experiences with different treatment schemes, using different staging systems, most of which have not been validated. There is an enormous need for multiinstitutional prospective trials to evaluate the current treatment schemes in light of the steady increase in the incidence of this lethal tumor. The trimodality therapy used at the Brigham and Women's Hospital for selected patients is described.