Hintergrund
Whenever tumor infiltration of the lung parenchyma is present, anatomical or atypical
resections are often required to achieve macroscopic complete resection for the
surgical treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). In the current work, the
single-surgeon experience with the application of diode-pumped laser for surgical
treatment of MPM is reported.
Material und Methode
Between 12/2014 and 12/2020, all patients with MPM undergoing surgical therapy, where
a diode-pumped laser for lung-sparing resection was utilized, were included in the
current analysis. Data was collected prospectively and analyzed in a retrospective
fashion.
Ergebnis
A total of 18 patients (four female) with a mean age of 66 (40–84) years were
included in the analysis. All patients underwent standardized extended
pleurectomy/decortication with systematic radical lymph node dissection. In all
patients, tumor infiltration of the basilar lower lobe was present. Here, a
diode-pumped neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser was utilized for
parenchyma-sparing lung resection. Macroscopic complete resection could be achieved
in all patients. Heated-intraoperative chemotherapy was not performed in any
patient. Laser-related morbidity or mortality did not occur. Despite the
pre-surgical diagnosis, 5 out of 18 histologies were classified as non-epitheloid
(4
biphasic, 1 sarcomatoid). The most common postoperative stages were IA in nine and
stage IIIB in five patients, respectively. All patients underwent adjuvant
chemotherapy with cisplatin/carboplatin and pemetrexed. Seven patients received
immunotherapy in event of recurrence. Patients with epitheloid histology (n=13) had
superior outcomes in terms of median survival (35 [95%CI 23-47] vs. 10 months [95%CI
8-12], P=0.012), median progression-free survival (15 [95%CI 4-26] vs. 9 months
[95%CI 3-15], P=0.067]), respectively.
Schlussfolgerung
The above-mentioned surgical technique applying the diode-pumped laser represents
a
safe and effective method for parenchyma-sparing lung resection during surgery for
MPM when lung infiltration is present. The outcomes are promising for patients with
epitheloid histology. However, pre-surgical tissue diagnosis should be more reliable
to avoid futile surgery in patients with non-epitheloid MPM.