RATIONALE: Video-assisted surgery to remove part of the tissue layer covering the inside of the chest cavity may be effective in treating pleural effusion and cause less damage to normal tissue. Talc pleurodesis may keep fluid from building up in the chest cavity. It is not yet known which therapy is more effective in treating pleural effusion caused by malignant mesothelioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying video-assisted surgery to see how well it works compared with talc pleurodesis in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma.
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Survival at 1 year after treatment
Timeframe: 1 year