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Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

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Practical Medical Oncology Textbook

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Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare aggressive cancer whose prevalence is increasing worldwide, having as a major cause the exposure to asbestos fibres. Other causes of mesothelioma are endemic erionite exposure in Turkey, ionizing radiation and chronic inflammation in the pleura. In some patients there may be a genetic basis for developing mesothelioma. Clinical presentation mainly includes shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss. Differential diagnosis with other thoracic malignancies, radiological assessment and staging are often challenging, and multidisciplinary teams with expertise in this field should be encouraged. Life expectancy for MPM is scant. Treatment options potentially include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but only selected patients may be candidates for a multimodality treatment. Great expectations come from the ongoing studies on targeted agents and immunologic compounds, recommending to patients to join clinical trials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

    Enrica Capelletto & Silvia Novello

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  1. Enrica Capelletto
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  2. Silvia Novello
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Antonio Russo

  2. Oncology Department, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium

    Marc Peeters

  3. Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Lorena Incorvaia

  4. Center for Thoracic Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai System & Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, NY, USA

    Christian Rolfo

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Capelletto, E., Novello, S. (2021). Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. In: Russo, A., Peeters, M., Incorvaia, L., Rolfo, C. (eds) Practical Medical Oncology Textbook. UNIPA Springer Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56051-5_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56051-5_33

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