# Modified RECIST for pleural mesothelioma

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/mrecist-mesothelioma/  
OnCo record `mrecist-mesothelioma` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Modified RECIST measures pleural mesothelioma as the thickness of the rind of tumour around the lung, because it grows as a sheet rather than a ball.

## Summary

Mesothelioma's growth pattern makes standard RECIST hard to use. Byrne and Nowak (Annals of Oncology 2004) measured tumour thickness perpendicular to the chest wall or mediastinum at two positions on three CT levels; the six measurements make a pleural measure, added to any other lesions measured as in RECIST. A fall of at least 30% on two occasions four weeks apart is a partial response, and a rise of 20% over the lowest measurement is progression. In 73 patients from two chemotherapy trials, response predicted longer survival (15.1 against 8.9 months) and improved lung capacity. The census notes a 2018 revision, mRECIST 1.1, not yet held separately.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Also known as: modified RECIST for mesothelioma; mRECIST mesothelioma

## Sources

- Byrne and Nowak, Modified RECIST criteria for assessment of response in malignant pleural mesothelioma (Ann Oncol 2004): https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdh059

## Connected records

- terms: [ITMIG modified RECIST for thymic tumours](https://onco.cc/terms/itmig-mrecist/), [Pleural mesothelioma staging (AJCC chapter 37)](https://onco.cc/terms/pleural-mesothelioma-staging/), [RECIST](https://onco.cc/terms/recist/)
- cancers: [Pleural mesothelioma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pleural-mesothelioma/)
- technologies: [CT (computed tomography)](https://onco.cc/technologies/ct/)

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