Vera Eunice Robles-Pérez, Department of Surgical Oncology, Hospital Regional 1° de Octubre, ISSSTE, Mexico City, Mexico
Jeannette Liliana Córdova-López, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Hospital Pediátrico de Azcapotzalco, SS CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Ricardo López-Rodríguez, Department of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology, Juarez Hospital in Mexico, SS, Mexico City, Mexico
Francisco Javier Meza-Vargas, Department of Neuroanesthesiology, Juarez Hospital in Mexico, SS, Mexico City, Mexico
Víctor Hugo Ramos-Cano, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital Juárez de México, SS, Mexico City, Mexico
Eurídice Robles-Pérez, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hospital Juárez de México, SS, Mexico City, Mexico
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare, difficult to diagnose neoplasm with poor prognosis. To determine the prognostic factors for survival in patients with this disease at advanced stages (Stages III and IV), the medical files of 42 patients with this diagnosis were assessed, and factors known to be prognostic of poor survival were statistically analyzed. Age >60 years and serum albumin levels <3.5 g/dL were highly significant (p < 0.001). The presence of fever, dyspnea, weight loss >10%, and platelets >400,000/µL was highly significant (p < 0.01) and, finally, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 3 or 4 and the presence of chest pain and cough were significant (p < 0.05). In contrast with reports in the literature, male gender, known exposure to asbestos, smoking, diabetes, leukocytosis, anemia, lactate dehydrogenase >500 IU/L in pleural fluid, presence of nodular pleural thickening on imaging studies, presence of pleural effusion >60%, mediastinal invasion, site of presentation, biphasic and sarcomatous lineage and forms of treatment showed no significant differences with regard to patient survival in our population. Mean survival was 8.1 months, with values ranging from 30 days to 1 year and 4 months.
Keywords: Malignant mesothelioma. Mortality. Risk factor.
