Clinical Trial Note A Feasibility Study of Induction Pemetrexed Plus Cisplatin Followed by Pleurectomy/Decortication Aimed at Macroscopic Complete Resection for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

A prospective multi-institutional study has been initiated in Japan to evaluate the feasibility of induction chemotherapy using pemetrexed plus cisplatin, followed by pleurectomy/decortica-tion aimed at macroscopic complete resection in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study was initiated on September 2012, for which 24 patients will be recruited over a period of 2 years. The primary endpoint is the macroscopic complete resec-tion rate, regardless of the surgical technique employed (i.e. pleurectomy/decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy). The secondary endpoints are the pleurectomy/decortication rate, macroscopic complete resection rate by pleurectomy/decortication, pulmonary function at 3 months after surgery, adverse events, treatment-related mortality, response rate to chemotherapy and 3-year overall survival rate. Key words: extrapleural pneumonectomy – induction chemotherapy – malignant pleural mesothelioma – macroscopic complete resectio