Author: Alex Strauss

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    Study May Lead to Safer Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    New research conducted in Europe and at Harvard University may open the door to safer immunotherapy for mesothelioma patients.  Immunotherapy is one of the most promising approaches to fight malignant mesothelioma. But the potential side effects can be devastating.  Now, new data suggests there are ways to reduce the complications of immunotherapy for mesothelioma. The key is to target some of the white blood cells that trigger inflammation. Inflammation is the driver behind most of the serious side effects of immunotherapy.  Why Harness the Immune System? No one ever expects to contract mesothelioma. It is an extremely rare cancer. Most people who get it have spent time living or working around asbestos. Even among asbestos-exposed people, mesothelioma is rare. Scientists…

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    Early Data Show Promise for Galinpepimut-S and Opdivo in Mesothelioma Patients

    ByAlex Strauss

    A combination of the immunotherapy drugs galinpepimut-S and Opdivo may give mesothelioma patients a few extra months, according to newly-released data.  The clinical data is part of an ongoing study of galinpepimut-S and Opdivo. SELLAS Life Sciences Group, the makers of galinpepimut-S, released the latest findings this week.  Although the early data is based on just four mesothelioma cases, it appears to be promising. All of the study subjects had either relapsed after chemotherapy or failed to respond at all.  These patients had a median overall survival of 35.4 weeks on the combination of galinpepimut-S and Opdivo. Typical overall survival in relapsed patients with standard care is just 7 months.  Immunotherapy with Galinpepimut-S and Opdivo Galinpepimut-S and Opdivo are both…

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    New Cancer Blood Test May Bolster Mesothelioma Diagnostic Tools

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new cancer blood test may make boost the accuracy of current screening tools and allow doctors to detect malignant mesothelioma and other hard-to-find cancers earlier.  The test is called a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test. The US company Grail developed it and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic tested it on more than 3,500 patients. They found that it correctly identified cancer in more than half of cases. The test was even more accurate in rare cancer types for which no screening test is available.  Malignant mesothelioma was not specifically mentioned in the report. But it is an extremely rare cancer. The method used by the new cancer blood test suggests that it could be useful for finding mesothelioma, too. …

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    BAP1 Not the Only Gene to Raise Mesothelioma Risk

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study is further evidence that a mutation on the BAP1 gene is not the only genetic anomaly to raise mesothelioma risk. Scientists at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center along with a team of international researchers recently published a study of 13 malignant mesothelioma patients. All of these patients had close relatives who also had cancer. This suggested that something in their genetic makeup might raise mesothelioma risk.  Previous research suggests one gene that makes people more susceptible to mesothelioma is BAP1. People with a mutation on this gene are more likely to receive a mesothelioma diagnosis. They are also more susceptible to several other conditions.  But the people in the new study were chosen because none of them…

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    Treatment with Vinorelbine for Relapsed Pleural Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study suggests that treatment with vinorelbine may boost progression free survival for people with relapsed malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a virulent cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Chemotherapy is the primary first-line treatment. But this cancer almost always comes back within a few months.  Now, researchers at the UK’s University of Leicester say treatment with vinorelbine might keep mesothelioma at bay for several months longer. They presented their research at this months’ annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.  Second-Line Mesothelioma Treatments Needed Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma. Tumors grow on the membrane around the lungs. The symptoms often mimic lung cancer but can be even more deadly.  Some of the healthiest…

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    Japanese Researchers Discover ‘Novel Diagnostic Marker’ for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A protein called CDLN15 could be a novel diagnostic marker for malignant pleural mesothelioma, allowing doctors to pinpoint asbestos cancer earlier and boost the odds of survival. That is the message from a recently published Japanese study.  Pleural mesothelioma is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It rarely causes any symptoms at all until it is in a late stage. When the symptoms do show up, they are easy to confuse with other illnesses. Earlier diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma depends on finding things that set it apart from other diseases. This novel diagnostic marker could serve as a red flag for this rare but deadly cancer.  CDLN15 as a Novel Diagnostic Marker CDLN15 stands for claudin-15. Claudins are a family of proteins…

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    Artificial Intelligence Improves Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Study Finds

    ByAlex Strauss

    There is more evidence that artificial intelligence may have a role to play in helping doctors diagnose deadly malignant mesothelioma earlier.  A study conducted at Japan’s Hyogo College of Medicine used past patient records to test a deep convolutional neural network (CDNN). This is a complex computer program designed to evaluate diagnostic criteria.  Pleural mesothelioma is a difficult cancer for doctors to diagnose. Artificial intelligence can help by quickly comparing diagnostic data to hundreds of past cases. In the Japanese study, the AI produced the most accurate mesothelioma diagnoses when combined with all of the available patient data. The Challenge of Diagnosing Mesothelioma Mesothelioma tumors grow on the membranes around internal organs. They usually come from past exposure to asbestos….

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    Banning Asbestos Still Best Way to Prevent Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new Spanish report concludes that banning asbestos is the most effective way to prevent new cases of mesothelioma and asbestos-linked lung cancer.  Experts in epidemiology and occupational health conducted the research. Their report appears in a recent issue of the Spanish medical journal, Gaceta Sanitaria. The research shows that all types of asbestos raise the risk for lung cancer and mesothelioma and that some are extra dangerous. The study found that people exposed to needle-shaped amphibole asbestos fibers had the highest rates of illness.  They say the only way to fully protect people against both amphibole and serpentine asbestos (the other major category) is banning asbestos completely. Asbestos Restrictions in the US The US EPA, the Department of Health…

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    Does Pleural Fluid Exposure Affect Mesothelioma Survival?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A recent study found no link between mesothelioma survival and exposure to pleural fluid. But that does not necessarily mean the link doesn’t exist.  Pleural fluid is also called pleural effusions or “water on the lungs”. It is extra fluid that builds up around the lungs. It is common in people with heart failure, kidney or liver disease, pleural mesothelioma and some other kinds of cancer.  Pleural effusions are usually treated as an uncomfortable mesothelioma symptom. Draining the fluid can help patients breathe easier.  But researchers at Oxford University wondered whether the pleural fluid itself could shorten mesothelioma survival. In this study, the answer appears to be no. But the researchers warn this may not be the final word on…

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    Immunotherapy Treatment ONCOS-102: News Keeps Getting Better

    ByAlex Strauss

    The news just keeps getting better for the virus-based immunotherapy treatment ONCOS-102.  Norweigian drug maker Targovax recently released the final survival data from a two-year study of ONCOS-102 in people with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Eighteen months into the study, it looked like some of the patients on the immunotherapy treatment would live longer than two years. Now that the ONCOS-102 study has passed the two year mark, researchers say median survival may be even longer.  Average survival is a year or less on standard mesothelioma therapies. This makes the news about ONCOS-102 especially exciting.  Standard of Care Versus Immunotherapy Treatment Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Even patients in overall good health face a grim outlook….