The value of adriamycin in the treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Thirty-six patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma were seen over a period of 15 years. The median age was 60 years (range, 21 to 75 years), and the male to female ratio was 2.3 to 1. The most common symptoms were chest pain and shortness of breath and all patients presented with pleural effusion on chest x-ray. The diagnosis was established by tissue biopsy in all cases. The median survival time for all patients was 12.5 months. Twenty-one patients were treated with an adriamycin-containing regimen and in this group, the median survival time from histological diagnosis was 14 months. In contrast, the median survival time for the 15 patients, who did not receive adriamycin, was 6 months (p = 0.009). The median survival time from the initiation of chemotherapy was 9 months for the adriamycin group and 2 months for patients treated with other type of chemotherapy (p = 0.001). Adriamycin appears to be of benefit in the treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.