Study Suggests Surgery Provides Mesothelioma Patients Better Quality of Life

Pleurectomy and Decortication Surgery may provide mesothelioma patients with a better quality of life. Aggressive cancers brought on by asbestos exposure like mesothelioma can be debilitating in more ways than one. Often times, patients may forgo surgery with the belief their quality of life may suffer after going under the knife. However, a recent study by Loyola University Health System revealed that some patients can benefit greatly from undergoing specialized surgery.

Known as pleurectomy and decortication (PD), the surgery helped increase the quality of life score for mesothelioma patients across the health spectrum. Utilizing the EORTC QLQ-C30 (performance status score) questionnaire, physicians graded the health of the 114 patients prior to undergoing treatment for mesothelioma.

31% of patients were classified as fully functional (score 0), 65% were in good enough health to perform light housework or office duties (score 1), and 4% were able to take care of themselves but could not work at all (score 2). The average age of the patient involved in the study was 70-years old but ranged in age from 50 to 88-years old.

The surgery involved removing the pleura (a thin layer of tissue around the lungs where tumors associated with mesothelioma grow). The surgery does not treat mesothelioma but rather the debilitating symptoms associated with it like shortness of breath, fluid build up, and pain. Following the surgery, patients were evaluated and assigned a quality of life score.

The quality of life score used in the study included physical, emotional, and cognitive function, general symptoms of the disease, individuals symptoms of the patients, and the overall health of the participant. Following the surgery, patients were evaluated after 1 month, 4 to 5 months, 7 to 8 months, and 10 to 11 months.

Physicians conducting the study found that patients in all classification groups experienced an improved quality of life score in the first month following surgery and maintained this higher rating in follow up evaluations. Furthermore, none of the patients with a performance status score of 1 or 2 had their quality of life score adversely affected.

Filing an Asbestos Cancer Lawsuit Can Help You Get the Treatment You Need

Mesothelioma is a rare type of malignant cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Often times, victims diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed while working industrial and construction jobs like ship building, automotive maintenance, and manufacturing.

For decades, employers and asbestos manufacturers knew or should have known about the dangers associated with the material but did nothing to warn or protect their employees. For those reasons, individuals who developed mesothelioma because they worked in areas where they may have been exposed to asbestos may have certain legal options to get medical treatment and financial compensation for their injuries.

For a free and confidential consultation about your legal rights, contact our office and speak to an experienced mesothelioma attorney. Our practice has years of experience helping victims in their times of need and work tirelessly to help them and their families get the compensation they deserve.