According to clinical research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, treating pleural mesothelioma with high-dose radiation right before aggressive surgery can double the average patient’s three-year survival rate. Unlike the traditional approach to treatment, which uses radiation therapy after surgery, SMART (Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy) uses radiation therapy before surgery, and the results have been remarkable.
Patients who participated in the study experienced fewer complications after surgery, a faster recovery, and a shorter treatment period overall. The study involved 25 patients tested from 2008 to 2012. All underwent the same procedure: a five-day course of high-dose intensity-modulated radiation therapy, followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) – an aggressive form of mesothelioma surgery that removes the entire lung, including the lining around it, parts of the diaphragm, and the pericardium.
Before the study, the three-year survival rate using the traditional trimodal method of mesothelioma treatment – chemotherapy before surgery, and radiation therapy after surgery – was 32%. Using the SMART approach, the rate jumped up to 72%. This rate includes subsequent patients who followed those involved in the study. In fact, patients suffering from the epithelial subtype of mesothelioma saw their survival rate jump to 82%.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you deserve the very best medical treatment available. Please contact The Law Office of Brown | Kiely, LLP today or call (410) 625-9330 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced Baltimore mesothelioma attorneys. We handle asbestos cases in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and nationwide.
