Peritoneal mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the lining of the abdomen (the peritoneum). It is caused by the ingestion of asbestos fibers.
What is Peritoneal Mesothelioma?
Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for 20 to 25 percent of all mesothelioma cases. It is the most common diagnosis after pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal patients have longer life expectancies than those with other types of mesothelioma. Some studies report patients living upwards of 5 years after cytoreductive surgery.How Is Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treated?
Cytoreductive Surgery
This is the only surgical option available to those with a peritoneal diagnosis. This surgery has high success rates when it is combined with chemotherapy.
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Chemotherapy
This is the most common treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma. It is sometimes administered directly to the abdomen during surgery.
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Radiation
This is the least invasive treatment option for peritoneal mesothelioma patients. Radiation may be delivered during surgery as well.
Causes
Similar to pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is most common in males between the ages of 50-69 years old. Men who have the highest rates of peritoneal mesothelioma are veterans and those with occupational exposure to asbestos.Peritoneal mesothelioma does not usually spread to the lymphatic system (lymph nodes) or blood stream. It usually metastasizes in large masses in the same areas where it originated.
How Does Peritoneal Mesothelioma Develop?
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1Asbestos fibers are ingested. This can happen after being inhaled, coughed up, and then swallowed.
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2The body attempts to filter and remove them, but the sharp fibers can lodge into the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum). The fibers irritate the peritoneum and can cause genetic damage to cells.
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3Genetic damage can keep cells from receiving important signals about when to stop replicating. This causes unchecked cell division and the formation of a malignant tumor. It can take decades for this process to happen.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Diagnosis
CT scans or MRI test results may not show the presence of mesothelioma. It is often confused with abdominal distension (gas). X-rays are the most commonly used imaging tool to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma.Doctors may also use a technique called peritoneoscopy. During this procedure, a surgeon makes a small incision on the patient’s abdomen and uses a small camera to explore the abdomen. There is also a tool on the camera that helps to extract tissue on the peritoneum to test for mesothelioma.
Doctors do not use a standard staging system when diagnosing peritoneal mesothelioma.Generally, before the tumors start to spread, peritoneal mesothelioma is centralized to the abdomen. As it progresses to stage 2, the mesothelioma may spread more but is still contained in the peritoneum. In the final stage, stage 4, the mesothelioma has spread to other organs, such as the liver and colon.
Top Doctors
1Dr. David Sugarbaker
Focus: Pleural Mesothelioma
2Dr. Paul Sugarbaker
Focus: Peritoneal Mesothelioma
3Dr. Robert B. Cameron
Focus: Pleural Mesothelioma
Treatment
Treatment options are dependent on the stage a peritoneal mesothelioma patient is diagnosed with. There are more curative treatment options, like cytoreduction surgery, for patients with earlier stages.Patients in the later stages may receive palliative treatments, like radiation or chemotherapy. Another palliative treatment option may be a paracentesis to drain the fluid buildup in the abdomen.
The most successful treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma has been the combination of cytoreduction surgery and HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy). The cytoreduction removes most of the cancerous tumor, and HIPEC is used to kill the remaining cells.
This treatment has been successful in patients with good general health. Some patients have lived as long as 7 years after having this surgery.Find a mesothelioma specialist offering this treatment option using our free Doctor Match programoi.
Read Survivor Stories
Jodi Page
Pleural Mesothelioma survivor for 14 years.
Paul Kraus
Peritoneal Mesothelioma survivor for 17 years.
Alexis Kidd
Peritoneal Mesothelioma survivor for 8 years.
Surgery
Cytoreduction Surgery
Cytoreduction is also referred to as “debulking.” The goal of cytoreduction is to remove as much of the tumor as possible, though it is often not possible to remove the entire tumor. The peritoneum (lining of the abdomen) and/or some other organs may need to be removed. It is usually performed in patients with stage 1 or 2 peritoneal mesothelioma.
Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)
Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is used in patients who have cancers of the abdomen. High doses of chemotherapy are intended to kill any remaining mesothelioma cells left after a cytoreduction surgery. HIPEC is a heated and sterilized chemotherapy treatment.
Dr. Paul Sugarbaker led the way in innovating cytoreduction with HIPEC for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.
The side effects of this chemotherapy are less than those of regularly administered chemotherapy. At the end of the 60-90 minutes, the chemotherapy is washed out of the body.
- Also referred to as “hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemo” or simply “hot chemo”
- Usually done after cytoreduction
- Administered both during surgery (most effective) and after using an abdominal catheter
Top Cancer Centers
1Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Boston, MA
2Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
3University of California Los Angeles Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Secondary Treatment
Chemotherapy
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients may be given a combination of Alimta and cisplatin, the same treatment given to pleural patients.
In 2009, a patient went in for an unrelated procedure and signs of peritoneal mesothelioma were found. The patient was given a combination of Alimta (500 mg) and cisplatin (80 mg).
After six cycles of chemotherapy, all signs and markers of the peritoneal mesothelioma were gone. Six months later, CT scans showed no changes or reoccurrence regarding the mesothelioma. After 4 years, the patient was alive with no signs of disease progression.
Studies show the normal survival rate of patients with peritoneal mesothelioma is around 7.6 months if they do not receive chemotherapy. Forty-one percent of patients who were given the combination experienced improvement, while 17% showed satisfactory results with cisplatin alone.
On average, patients who received the combination of Alimta and cisplatin lived 12.1 months longer compared to 9.3 months on just cisplatin.Studies are also testing the effectiveness of the drugs vinorelbine and gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin.
Radiation
For many peritoneal mesothelioma patients, radiation is not usually effective. Radiation may shrink tumors before or after a cytoreduction, but there have been no reported cases of eradicated mesothelioma by solely using radiation. A mesothelioma specialist can determine if radiation is appropriate based on their patient’s specific diagnosis.
Recruiting Clinical Trials
Blocking Mesothelioma Enzymes
Focus: All Types of Mesothelioma
Placebo Controlled Study of VS-6063 in Subjects With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (COMMAND)
Focus: Pleural Mesothelioma
Triple-Combo Pleural Treatment
Focus: Pleural and Pericardial Mesothelioma
Prognosis
Although there isn’t currently a cure for peritoneal mesothelioma, many patients have a hopeful prognosis. The median survival time for patients who have not had the cytoreductive surgery is about a year; however, in patients who have had the surgery, survival times increase by up to five years. There have been cases of long-term survivors who have been in remission for over fifteen years. The most successful cases are those whose mesothelioma is detected in the earlier stages and begin treatment immediately. Most of theses cases include a cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC.Learn how mesothelioma survivors beat the odds in our free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide.
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