Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive malignant tumor that occurs on the surface of the pleura and serosa. This is a rare tumor. The current incidence rate is increasing globally, and it may become a common disease in the future. This may be related to the extensive exposure of the relevant population to the asbestos environment, which is a high-risk factor for the occurrence of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

　　Clinical staging Method

In stage Ⅰ, the lesion was localized in the pleural cavity. In stage Ⅱ, the lesions invaded tissues other than the pleura, including chest wall, lung, and mediastinum. In stage Ⅲ, the lesion invades the abdominal cavity through the diaphragm or the contralateral pleura. Stage Ⅳ, distant bloody metastasis. It is widely used clinically.

　　Before performing extrapleural pneumonectomy, we can learn as much as possible of mediastinal lymph node involvement through mediastinoscopy. The prognosis of stage pleural mesothelioma is significantly better than that of the more advanced ones. In general, because the incidence is relatively small, the exact survival information for different stages is limited.

　　 The status of surgery in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma remains uncertain. The purpose of surgery is to remove atelectasis caused by compression by removing tumor tissue from the visceral layer. Removal of malignant tumor tissue can relieve restrictive ventilation and chest wall pain. This process can be completed by open thoracotomy or closed video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and VATS should be given priority. Partial pleural resection/dissection does not achieve the goal of cure, but it can relieve symptoms, especially for patients who are not effective with chemical pleurodesis and have atelectasis syndrome.