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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2007;31:770-771. doi:10.1016/j.ejcts.2007.03.004
Copyright © 2007, European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Editorial comment

Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115-6195, USA

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 617 7325004; fax: +1 617 5666434. (Email: dsugarbaker@partners.org).

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At this time, the rationale for aggressive surgical resection in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is established. The role of extrapleural pneumonectomy in resecting patients with tumors confined to the hemithorax appears to be established, at least as an initial consideration in patients presenting with MPM. A controversy arises over which is the best to perform operation—extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) or pleurectomy and decortication (P/D). Suffice it to say the expectation for both procedures is limited to the removal of gross disease. The goal of achieving a macroscopic complete resection, in my view, has become the central focus of surgeons in assessing the role of surgery in mesothelioma [1]. The impact of node status is no longer open to question. In 1993, we identified lymph node involvement . . . [Full Text of this Article]