Current chemotherapy strategies in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines indicate chemotherapy as an option for patients with ‘irresectable MPM’ who are not fit for major surgery (1-3). Only a minority of patients is fit enough to be a surgical candidate and the indication for surgery has become stricter in the last years