Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, an online journal, recently published a study entitled Cold-Plasma Coagulation in the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. The study discusses research which introduced a new component of multi-modal surgery, cold-plasma coagulation, in an attempt to improve survival rates in mesothelioma patients.
Mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos fibers, claims nearly one hundred thousand lives every year. The disease takes several years or even decades to develop in those who have been exposed to asbestos fibers, which has created a large lapse in the correlation between the prevalence of asbestos and new diagnoses of the disease.
The disease results from a peculiar scarring that asbestos causes on a specialized tissue known as the mesothelium. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they easily pass through many of the body’s tissues due to their microscopic size and strange, needle-like shape. Unfortunately, they easily become entangled in the mesothelium, a sticky tissue which helps to lubricate the body’s vital organs. The sharp asbestos fibers cause damage to the mesothelium, and the scarring which results can eventually develop into malignant tumors.
Mesothelioma treatment is palliative, meaning that it aims to increase the patient’s comfort rather than cure the disease. Generally consisting of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, treatments work to remove tumors, alleviate pressure caused by swelling and fluid build-up, and slow the spread of malignant cells.
In recent years, a method known as heated chemotherapy has joined the ranks of well known mesothelioma treatments. Heated chemotherapy consists of administering a heated chemotherapy solution directly to affected tissues during and after surgical procedures. While the heated chemotherapy has been shown to absorb more effectively into the affected tissues, it has also been known to cause mild damage to the diaphragm and pericardium – the tissue protecting the heart.
Cold-plasma coagulation, or CPC, was introduced by a German research team as an additional element of multi-modal therapy. Administering CPC before heated chemotherapy has shown promise in more thoroughly eliminating malignant cells in the diaphragm, pleura, and pericardium and limiting the damage which the heated chemotherapy can potentially cause.
The study’s authors were careful to limit the implications of their research, saying: “We consider our trial as a pilot study. To evaluate potential survival benefits using this [Cold Plasma] technique, larger trials are mandatory.”