MARS

Disease site: Other Cancers

Treatment Modality: Surgery

Status: Closed to recruitment

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is now a common disease, particularly in Britain, but the role of radical surgery had never been examined in a randomised trial.

The objective of MARS was to establish the possibility of allocating patients at random to have either extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) followed by radical radiotherapy or no surgical resection. The target of randomising 50 patients to the feasibility stage was met in late 2008.

Outcomes are expected to be published in 2010.

Chief Investigator: Professor T. Treasure, UCL

Source of funding: Cancer Research UK

ISRCTN: 95583524.

Publications

Treasure T, Waller D, Tan C, Entwisle J, O’Brien M, O’Byrne K, Thomas G, Snee M, Spicer J, Landau D, Lang-Lazdunski L, Bliss J, Peckitt C, Rogers S, Marriage (nee Denholm) E, Coombes G, Webster-Smith M, Peto J, The MARS Trialists. The Mesotheliolma and Radical Surgery randomised controlled trial; the MARS feasibility study.  J Thorac Onc 2009; 4 (10): 1254-8.

Peto J; Denholm EE; Waller D; O'Byrne K; O'Brien E; Bliss J; Swift S; Treasure T, 2003. Annual National Meeting of British Thoracic Oncology Group. The MARS (mesothelioma and radical surgery) Trial.