BACKGROUND: In this study all @entity1 observed between January 1993 and October 1997 with @entity3620 ( @entity3620 ) have been analyzed in order to describe the impact of treatment modality on survival. METHODS: Medical records of 56 @entity1 with @entity3620 (44 male, 12 female, median age = 59 yrs) were reviewed. In 34 cases the histotype was epithelial, in 4 sarcomatoid, in 4 mixed, in 3 desmoplastic, and in 11 not specified. Four treatment modalities were identified: 1) Surgery (subtotal pleurectomy) = 20 @entity1 ; 2) Chemotherapy = 19 @entity1 ; 3) Surgery+Chemo-therapy = 8 @entity1 ; 4) Supportive care = 9 @entity1 . RESULTS: The median survival was: 1) Surgery = 12.4 months; 2) Chemotherapy = 7.5 months; 3) Surgery+Chemotherapy = 12 months; 4) Supportive care = 11.4 months. Using univariate analysis, 8 prognostic factors were studied (age, sex, asbestos exposure, side, histotype, performance status, stage, treatment). Among these, only the stage and the performance status had shown a prognostic value on survival (p<0.05), while the treatment modality had not significantly influenced the prognosis. Using multivariate analysis only performance status showed to be significatively associated with survival (p=0.01 and odds ratio = 1.9, I.C. 1.2-3.2). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limits of a retrospective study, personal experience confirms the ineffectiveness of current therapeutical approaches to @entity3620 . A better understanding of @entity3620 is required to develop new therapeutical approaches and alter the dismal prognosis of this disease.

[Treatment of XXXX ].

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity3620 :: ('MESH:C562839', 'Disease') :: ['MPM', 'malignant pleural mesothelioma']
@entity3620 :: (MESH:C562839,Disease) :: ['malignant pleural mesothelioma']
