Conversation with Travis Grotz, MD, surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic who specializes in the treatment of peritoneal malignancies. Dr. Grotz serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. He is interviewed by Shannon Sinclair, RN, BSN, OCN, who serves as the patient services director at the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. www.curemeso.org.
Before diving into treatment options for peritoneal mesothelioma, they begin by defining and describing the different types of this cancer. For some patients with multi-cystic or well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma, a more conservative treatment approach may be advised. “I always try to make sure that treatment is not worse than the actual disease,” said Dr. Grotz in the interview. For the more classic malignant mesotheliomas, surgery with intraperitoneal (heated or not) chemotherapy, such as HIPEC, is a fairly standard option. Peritoneal mesothelioma, due to its rarity, does not have official standards set, but general best practices are followed among experts.
In conclusion, Dr. Grotz discusses currently-available clinical trial that are not only a good option for patients to receive state of the art treatment, but are also a way to advance research.
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