Peritoneal Mesothelioma

There is a lot of depressing information on the internet about
peritoneal mesothelioma and the survival associated with this cancer.
Reading it you would think that no one has ever survived peritoneal
mesothelioma beyond a year or so. This information is far from
comprehensive. To help balance some of the negative information that
is so prevalent on the Web, we present some case histories of
long-term peritoneal mesothelioma survival as published in the peer
reviewed medical literature. 9 Years +

In November 1979, a 73 year-old man had abdominal pain and distension
and was found to have an abdominal mass. A laparotomy was performed
that revealed peritoneal malignancy with ascites. A biopsy
demonstrated that the tumor was malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. No
special treatment was recommended other than draining of the ascites.
In spite of the continuing ascites and the gradually-enlarging
abdominal masses, the patient enjoys good health, and lives
independently at home. How many more years (in excess of 9) this
patient lived with peritoneal mesothelioma is not known.

See: Norman, P.E. and Whitaker, D., Nine-Year Survival in a Case of
Untreated Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Med J Aust 1989; 150: 43-44.

15 Years +

A woman was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. She had surgery
("total excision"). Seven years later the peritoneal mesothelioma
recurred and she had another surgery ("reexcision"). She remains well
15 years after the initial diagnosis. The patient did not receive
chemotherapy.

See: Asensio, J.A., et al., Primary Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma:
A Report of Seven Cases and a Review of the Literature, Arch Surg; Nov
1990, 125, 1477-1480.

17 + Years

In 1962, a 31 year-old woman had abdominal pain for several months and
a mass was detected. She underwent exploratory laparotomy which found
tumor nodules spread throughout her abdomen. The diagnosis of
peritoneal mesothelioma was made. Complete surgical removal of the
tumor was not possible. She was treated with radioactive phosphorus,
radiation, and oral chemotherapy (cytoxan). She remained well for 17
years. In 1979 she had recurrent peritoneal mesothelioma. She was
treated with cytoxan again and continued to live as of the writing of
the published medical report.