New concepts in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive solid malignancy with a median overall survival of 8 months (1). First line combination therapy of cisplatin and pemetrexed has brought an overall survival benefit of only 11 weeks compared to cisplatin alone (2,3). Despite the limited efficacy of this regimen, it has continued as standard MPM therapy 14 years after its acceptance, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatments that improve the lives of MPM patients. Within this focused review (4), Wald and Sugarbaker elaborate on novel advanced classification and prognostication methods that shine a light on the path to personalized medicine, possibly matching the right therapy with the right patient. Several key principles and evolving concepts in the care of MPM patients are discussed.