On average, the life expectancy of peritoneal mesothelioma patients is 12 months. However, multiple studies have shown that patients who have cytoreduction with HIPEC experience significantly longer survival times. Many patients now survive up to 5 years and some even live beyond 7 years.
It was written by co-creator Mark Gatiss, who also portrays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother in the series, and was directed by Paul McGuigan. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's most famous works.
Sherlock co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reveal that when it came to sharing the writing responsibilities, Steven chose to do the twisted love story (Scandal) whilst Mark chose the Gothic horror (Baskerville) and Stephen Thompson (Silk, Dr Who) wrote the thrilling finale (Reichenbach).