Dr. Pass on the Challenges of Treating Mesothelioma

Harvey I. Pass, MD, Stephen E. Banner Professor of Thoracic Oncology, Vice-Chair Research, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Division Chief, General Thoracic Surgery, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the challenges of treating patients with mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a notorious disease of elderly people, Pass says, and symptoms may go unnoticed or develop slowly. Additionally, a delay in treatment could arise. Pass says that only about 20% of patients with mesothelioma are seen that may be good surgical candidates for a multimodality treatment.

It remains important to find the disease earlier, when effective treatment may have a chance.