Bayman N, et al. - Whether prophylactic radiotherapy could be an effective option to lower the incidence of chest wall metastases (CWM) following a procedure in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) was investigated in this study. Patients with MPM underwent a chest wall procedure, after which they randomly received prophylactic radiotherapy (within 42 days of the procedure) (n=186) or no radiotherapy (n=189). This study excluded open thoracotomies, needle biopsies, and indwelling pleural catheters. At 6 months, the incidence of CWM was not significantly different between the two groups. In patients with MPM, routine use of prophylactic irradiation to chest wall procedure sites had no benefit.