Histopathological study and treatment results in management of pleural mesothelioma

Nineteen patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma seen at the Alexandria University Hospitals between 1987 and 1991 were the material of this study. The tumours were classified as epithelial, sarcomatous or of mixed type, also four samples from pleural effusion were subjected to routine cytological examination as well as electron microscopic studies. Most of the patients presented with locally advanced disease, the overall response to irradiation and chemotherapy was 55.3% with complete response rate of 33.3%. The response to treatment was correlated to some prognostic factors. The duration of response ranged between three and fifteen months and the median survival for responders was twenty months