Surgery

If you are diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, our doctors may recommend a procedure called a cytoreductive surgery (debulking) to remove the tumors and the parts of the membrane that line the abdomen and the abdominal organs. This mesothelial lining surrounds most of the abdominal organs, including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, stomach, small intestine, colon, ovaries, and uterus.

If the tumors are not coming through the surface of this lining, surgeons may be able to peel them off in a procedure called a peritonectomy. Some organs, such as the spleen and small intestine, might be too fragile for this procedure and surgeons will have to remove part, or all, of the organ. Organs such as the uterus and liver are sturdier and will heal well after the surface layer is removed. 

These operations can be very lengthy and may take more than ten hours in people with extensive disease. In many cases, our surgeons are able to look at a CT image and predict ahead of time which organs will need to be removed and how long the surgery is likely to take.