Surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma

The surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma is called a peritonectomy. An operation called laparotomy is generally performed which involves the opening up of the abdominal cavity to remove a part or whole of the tumor. It is usually only palliative.

Doctors have developed a technique known as cytoreductive surgery (CRS) in recent years for peritoneal mesothelioma. In this method, as much tumor as possible is removed surgically. Then chemotherapy is given straight into the peritoneal cavity. According to some studies, this can work better if it is heated initially to a few degrees above body temperature, which is known as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Promising results have been achieved using these techniques. In one recent study, the 5 year survival rate of patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery followed by HIIC was 63%. In another, the median survival rate for patients treated this way was 87.2 months, over 7 years.