Intrapleural hyperthermo-chemotherapy - another modality for the treatment of malignant pleural effusions

Nicolae Galie, Emilia Tabacu

Institutul de Pneumologie „Marius Nasta" Bucuresti

Abstract

The high frequency and the severity of malignant pleurisies, despite their etiology, make the problem to be of great importance. At national level, the problem of neoplasic pleurisies was and still remains a medico-surgical problem with socio-economic implications, especially in the situation when cancer represents a major health problem for the national health system.

Treatments are mostly palliative aiming dyspnea and thoracic pain. The increasing incidence of malignant pleurisies enforde a better knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms that led to a new therapeutic approach with promising results - citoreductive surgery combined with intraoperative hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy.

Recent studies about compared results of different types of treatments, function of survival period and side-effects, demonstrate the advantages of association between surgical treatment with the intrapleural administration of hyperthemic chemotherapy, which may have control on pleurisy and pleural involvement. It is considered that hyperthermia represents a hope in increasing the quality of patient's life with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as surgical treatment, resistant neoplastic pleurisy. It is imperiously necessary to be made in accordance with classical oncological treatments.

Contact: nicolae_galie@yahoo.com