| | | | | | |

Blood Test Could Aid in Mesothelioma Treatment Planning

ByAlex Strauss

24145636_testtubesMesothelioma patients with elevated levels of a particular enzyme in their blood prior to the start of mesothelioma treatment may not live as long as those with lower levels.

Afters years of mixed messages from researchers on this topic, scientists in China believe they have finally confirmed the value of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a prognostic factor in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

LDH has been assessed multiple times in the prognosis of mesothelioma but the results have been inconsistent. To settle the matter once and for all, a team of Chinese doctors performed a meta-analysis to look at all of the studies on LDH levels and mesothelioma outcomes to come up with a clear answer.

Their conclusion is that the LDH level in blood serum is a “significant prognostic factor” in mesothelioma and could help clinicians predict mesothelioma outcomes and plan for the most effective mesothelioma treatments.

What is LDH?

LDH is a hypoxia regulator found in small amounts in nearly all body tissues and released in larger amounts when tissue is damaged. It is involved in tumor initiation and metabolism and has been used to help indicate the presence of cancer.

Unfortunately, other conditions such as heart disease can also raise LDH, so it cannot be used to definitively diagnose cancer. It also cannot distinguish one cancer from another.

LDH as a Prognostic Factor in Mesothelioma

To finally determine whether LDH could be used as a prognostic indicator in people with malignant mesothelioma, researchers at Fujian Medical University combed the medical literature for related studies.

They found a total of 9 studies on LDH in mesothelioma prognosis involving a total of 1977 mesothelioma patients. Although results varied, when pooled, the data pointed to one conclusion:

“A negative association was observed between high LDH levels and poor overall survival in the current study,” writes lead author Dr. Yi Zhou. “Our finding suggest that pretreatment LDH level could serve as a useful predictor of prognosis in patients with malignant mesothelioma.”

Simplifying Mesothelioma Prognosis

Mesothelioma is rare and difficult to treat. Only about 2,500 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the US each year, but the majority of those face a life expectancy of a year or less.

But certain factors can impact outcomes and are valuable for planning mesothelioma treatment, which typically involves a combination of different therapies.

Because it is fast and easy to measure with a blood test, LDH level could help make the mesothelioma treatment planning process faster and more efficient.

Not the Only Mesothelioma Prognostic Tool

LDH level is just one possible tool for helping doctors determine mesothelioma prognosis.

Earlier this year, the same Chinese team performed a similar meta-analysis to assess the value of elevated pretreatment platelet count (thrombocytosis) as a predictor of malignant mesothelioma outcomes.

Their analysis of 18 different published studies found a correlation between high blood platelet count prior to mesothelioma treatment and poor overall mesothelioma survival. Like LDH level, platelet count can be determined with a blood draw.

Sources:

Zhou, Y, et al, “Pretreatment elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase as a significant prognostic factor in malignant mesothelioma: a meta-analysis”, December 2016, Medicine, ePub ahead of print

Zhuo, Y, et al, “Pretreatment thrombocytosis as a significant prognostic factor in malignant mesothelioma: a meta-analysis”, November 16, 2016, Platelets, Epub ahead of print

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus, alive and well 19 years after writing “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers

    ByAlex Strauss

    Paul Kraus is considered the longest documented mesothelioma survivor in the world. He was diagnosed in 1997 with mesothelioma so widespread that he was given little hope of survival. Not willing to give up, he worked with a team of doctors to create his own tailored treatment protocol. This protocol included dramatic life style change, experimental therapies, dietary changes, mind-body medicine, and other modalities. Paul was fortunate. The protocol he and his doctors created helped him keep the mesothelioma in check. His book “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide” details his cancer voyage, the decisions he made, and his philosophies about health and healing. This book is now the best-selling mesothelioma book in the world and has inspired…

  • | |

    Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A team of medical researchers in Italy have achieved what they are calling “excellent” tumor control and survival results in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients using a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma typically spreads quickly across the lung-encasing membrane called the pleura. There is no known cure but treatments are improving. In the current prospective study, 20 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients underwent radical pleurectomy/decortication followed by high doses of radiation. After surgeons removed as much of the visible mesothelioma tumor and surrounding tissue as possible, patients received 50Gy of radiation to the effected side of their chest, delivered in 25 fractions. Regions of particular concern for mesothelioma regrowth got an extra radiation “boost” to…

  • |

    Mesothelioma Still Rising Despite Ban in Ireland

    ByAlex Strauss

    A study in Ireland confirms that it can take many years for a ban on asbestos to have a measurable impact on a country’s rates of malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most serious of a list of diseases – including lung cancer, pleural plaques, asbestosis, and others – linked with exposure to asbestos dust. Affecting the linings around the lungs and other organs, mesothelioma is often resistant to most cancer treatments and may be fatal within a year of diagnosis. According to the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Ireland is one of 55 countries that have enacted some type of asbestos ban. However, although Ireland banned asbestos in 2000, a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology shows that incidence of the…

  • | |

    Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study says there is not enough evidence to support the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of pain associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland reviewed a range of past studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy by searching databases that date back as far as 1974. To be eligible to be included in their review, the study had to focus on malignant pleural mesothelioma and radiotherapy given “with the intent of improving pain”. The study also had to report doses and fractionation of the radiotherapy and how the pain responded. In all, the researchers found eight studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy that met the criteria. Two of the studies were prospective…

  • |

    Website Aims to Protect Homeowners from Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia’s Cancer Council is trying to educate home renovators about their risk for mesothelioma with a new e-learning course. Australia has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world, largely because of several asbestos mining operations that were once located there. Although asbestos has been banned from building products in Australia since 1989, asbestos-linked diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis continue to pose a serious health concern. While mesothelioma has traditionally occurred among people exposed to asbestos on the job, Australia is now bracing for another “wave” of mesothelioma victims among homeowners who encounter asbestos while doing their own renovation projects. Cancer Council Australia has launched “kNOw asbestos in your home” in an effort to…

  • |

    Ape Virus Shrinks Mesothelioma Tumors in Lab

    ByAlex Strauss

    A virus that causes leukemia in gibbon apes may have the power to help fight malignant mesothelioma in people. Gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) has been tested for years as a viral vector, a carrier of therapeutic genetic information, in the treatment of various human illnesses, including cancer. A new study in Japan compared GALV with a leukemia virus derived from mice to see which carrier communicated most efficiently with mesothelioma cells. While both types of viruses replicated in most of the mesothelioma cell lines tested, the mouse-derived virus was not effective in a mesothelioma cell line called ACC-MESO-1. In this cell line, only the GALV spread efficiently both in culture and in mice that had been given human mesothelioma…