Published on February 02, 2023

Every day, researchers and physicians are working to find new and better ways to care for mesothelioma patients. A recent report reveals that renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Sugarbaker has identified a new surgical technique that may yield longer survival for patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Renowned Mesothelioma Surgeon Reveals Success with New Technique

Dr. Paul Sugarbaker is a surgeon with the Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, DC. A recent study published in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports details the case of a female patient with peritoneal mesothelioma who has experienced significant long-term survival following use of a new surgical technique that removed both tumorous tissue and a body part called the colonic mesentery. 

Though removal of this tissue is not generally removed when mesothelioma patients undergo tumor resection surgery, Dr. Sugarbaker wrote that in this patient’s case it was necessary, and proved effective. “This required visceral resections, parietal peritonectomy, peritonectomy of the small bowel and its mesentery, and a peritoneal resection of the colonic mesentery with sparing of the major vasculature of the large bowel.” At the time that the study was written, the patient had survived for four years with an “excellent” quality of life. 

New Technique May Become Standard for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery

Patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma generally survive longer than patients with pleural mesothelioma but the condition is still considered terminal. The use of this new surgical approach, combined with the use of heated chemotherapy, may lead to significantly prognosis for patients diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related disease.

Writing of the success realized by adding the removal of this small membrane, Dr. Sugarbaker said, “Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma was in the past a disease of limited survival without effective treatment options. A sequence of cytoreductive surgical procedures and regional chemotherapy treatments has made long-term survival possible.”

Options for people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma are improving every day. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.

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Written by Terri Oppenheimer

Terri Heimann Oppenheimer is the head writer of our Mesothelioma.net news blog. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in English. Terri believes that knowledge is power and she is committed to sharing news about the impact of mesothelioma, the latest research and medical breakthroughs, and victims’ stories.

Learn more about and contact Terri