The impact of surgical approach on quality of life for pleural malignant mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND

A comprehensive review of quality of life (QoL) after surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) was conducted to assess differences between pleurectomy decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP).

METHODS

Original research studies on quality of life after mesothelioma surgery were identified through June 2016; 15 articles and 12 distinct datasets, for a total of 523 patients, were retrieved.

RESULTS

QoL data was available for 102 patients treated with EPP and 296 with P/D. Two studies directly compared QoL outcomes between the two techniques. Symptoms, lung function parameters, and physical and social functioning were still compromised 6 months following surgery. However, P/D patients fared better than EPP patients across QoL measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life is generally better for patients undergoing P/D compared to EPP, for an extended period following surgery. Given the need for multimodality therapy and the aggressive nature of MPM, QoL outcomes should be strongly considered when recommending type of surgery for patients with this disease.