Treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma with chemotherapy preceding versus after surgical resection.

OBJECTIVES: There are 2 main treatment paradigms recognized by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network for resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM): induction chemotherapy followed by resection (IC/R), and up-front resection with postoperative chemotherapy (R/PC). These paradigms are being compared in an accruing randomized phase II trial. In the absence of such completed trials, in this study we evaluated overall survival (OS) and postoperative outcomes of IC/R and R/PC. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for newly diagnosed epithelioid/biphasic MPM. Metastatic, node-positive, and/or cT4 disease was excluded, along with nondefinitive surgery and lack of chemotherapy. Multivariable logistic regression ascertained factors independently associated with induction chemotherapy delivery. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate OS between cohorts; multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess factors associated with OS. Survival was also evaluated between propensity-matched populations. Last, postoperative outcomes were assessed between groups. RESULTS: Overall, 361 patients (182 IC/R, 179 R/PC) were analyzed. Temporal trends revealed that IC/R is decreasing over time. Survival of the IC/R cohort was similar to that of R/PC patients (20.9 vs 21.7 months; P = .500); this persisted after propensity matching (20.8 vs 22.0 months; P = .270). However, patients who underwent IC/R experienced longer postoperative hospitalization (median 7 days vs 6 days; P = .001) and higher 30-day mortality (3.3% vs 0%; P = .020). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the only comparative investigation of the 2 major management paradigms of operable MPM. IC/R regimens are decreasing over time in the United States. Although associated with survival similar to R/PC, IC/R might be associated with worse postoperative outcomes. Careful induction chemotherapy patient selection is thus highly recommended.

Intubación con tubo de doble luz mediante laringoscopio Airtraq® en dos pacientes despiertos con vía aérea díficil prevista / Double lumen tube insertion in awake patients through the AirTraq laryngoscope in 2 cases of expected difficult airway

La posibilidad de hallar un paciente con vía aérea difícil (VAD) en cirugía torácica aumenta por la coexistencia de patología oncológica faringo-laríngea asociada. El uso de tubos de doble luz para el aislamiento pulmonar supone una dificultad añadida en estas situaciones. Diversos dispositivos ópticos diseñados en los últimos años, aportan nuevas soluciones disponibles para el manejo de estos casos. Presentamos dos pacientes con VAD conocida, programados para resección pulmonar, en los que se utilizó con éxito el laringoscopio Airtraq® para la inserción de tubo de doble luz con el paciente despierto. Este laringoscopio no requiere desplazamiento de la lengua, ni tracción de la vallécula, lo que facilita su tolerancia en pacientes despiertos(AU)

The likelihood of difficult airway in thoracic surgery increases in the presence of associated cancer of the pharynx or larynx. The difficulty is greater when a double lumen tube must be inserted in these conditions, and various newly developed optical devices offer solutions for managing such cases. We report on 2 patients with expected difficult airway who were scheduled for lung resection. In both cases, intubation was accomplished through the AirTraq laryngoscope while the patient remained awake. Awake patient tolerance is facilitated by this laryngoscope, because the tube can be inserted without changing the position of the tongue or placing pressure on the vallecula(AU)