Recurrence for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma is extremely
high following surgery, most patients are ineligible for repeat surgery
and management of mesothelioma is among the most challenging of cancer
therapies. Many of our clients have experienced good results with post-surgery
cryoblation therapy. (including Martha Munoz, Patricia Crawford and Sylvia Ramirez)
Cryoablation for localized recurrent malignant pleural mesothelioma following
surgery can be performed safely as an outpatient procedure. It is a minimally
invasive procedure, which uses a needle to target argon gas directly to
the tumor killing the cells it touches in a relatively safe and quick
manner. It can be performed on multiple lesions at a time and is also
a safe and relatively quick method to control pain and improve the patient’s
quality of life.
Doctors at UCLA have published a promising study with the International
Mesothelioma Interest Group which identifies 24 UCLA patients who have
received one or more cryoablation treatments for localized recurrence
of malignant pleural mesothelioma following surgery with or without adjuvant
therapy. The patients in the study were found to have a minimal morbidity
rate of 5.6%, a very high efficacy rate of 95.3%, and an impressive overall
survival rate of 36.1 months.
Currently only a handful of centers specialize in the use of cryoablation
in the management of mesothelioma, most notably diagnostic radiologists,
Dr. Fereidoun Abtin and Dr. Robert Suh at UCLA.