Author: Alex Strauss

  • | |

    Estrogen May Impact Mesothelioma Prognosis

    ByAlex Strauss

    Researchers in New South Wales, Australia may have found one of the reasons for survival differences in men and women with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The key may be in their hormones. The sex hormone estradiol is produced by the ovaries and the adrenal gland in women and is an active metabolic product of testosterone (though in much lower levels) in men. The most important form of estrogen in the body, estradiol has been shown to be involved in cellular proliferation of a number of cancers and acts mainly through estrogen receptors. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer than spreads across the thin membrane that lines the wall of the abdomen. Using immunohistochemical testing, the Australian team measured estrogen receptors in 42 patients…

  • | |

    Better Quality of Life from Lung-Sparing Mesothelioma Surgery

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma patients who undergo pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) may enjoy a better quality of life afterward than those who have extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). That is the message of a new study published in the Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals. Pleural mesothelioma arises most often in the thin lining that surrounds the lungs. Because of its close proximity to the lungs, it is not uncommon for pleural mesothelioma to eventually spread to the lung itself, reducing its function. Eventually, the diseased mesothelium also thickens and stiffens, preventing the lungs from expanding adequately with each breath. Pleurectomy/decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy are the two major types of surgical treatments for mesothelioma. There is great disagreement within the medical community as to which one is better for…

  • |

    “Net of Evidence” Supports Brake Dust/Mesothelioma Link

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new report seeks to put an end to the debate over whether or not asbestos-containing brake dust has the potential to cause mesothelioma cancer. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral used in manufacturing and linked to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious illnesses. The debate over the risk posed by its presence in brake dust has gone on for years. While asbestos brake linings were largely phased out after the arrival of front-wheel drive vehicles in the 1980s, industry experts say they are still sometimes used in higher-end vehicles and are available for aftermarket sale. The question is not whether or not some linings – past or present – contain asbestos, but whether or not that asbestos is sufficient to trigger…

  • |

    Sharp Rise in Mesothelin May Signal Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Another study has confirmed that the biomarker mesothelin may be a valuable warning sign ofmesothelioma in asbestos-exposed workers. In fact, it may rise sharply in the months preceding the onset of symptoms. Medical researchers have long known that exposure to the mineral asbestos dramatically increases the risk of developing malignant pleural mesothelioma. But doctors have struggled to find a way to identify which asbestos-exposed people are at highest risk. It is a significant problem because, as the authors of a new German study on the subject observe, “In patients developing malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) or lung cancer, using effective tumour markers is the quickest way to ensure early diagnosis and improve survival time.” But which biomarkers to focus on and how…

  • |

    Green Tea Component Fights Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Another study appears to confirm the idea that a compound found in green tea may be a powerful tool for combatting malignant pleural mesothelioma. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potent antioxidant found in abundance in green (though, not black) tea. It has long been thought to help fight cancer and other diseases by reducing the so-called free radicals produced during oxidative stress. Now, a new study conducted in Japan and published in Cancer Cell International finds that EGCG triggered cell death in five different human mesothelioma cell lines by doing just the opposite. “We found that EGCG induced apoptosis (cell death) in all five mesothelioma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner,” write the authors in a summary of their findings. “We further…

  • |

    New Prognostic Tools Could Improve Mesothelioma Treatment

    ByAlex Strauss

    A pair of cancer researchers from Rome say treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma could be improved if more clinicians considered the newest prognostic tools in their treatment planning. Pleural mesothelioma is a malignancy of the membranes that encase the lungs. It is caused by exposure to the mineral asbestos and is highly resistant to conventional cancer therapies. Many mesothelioma patients do not survive longer than 12 months from the onset of their symptoms. But Tommaso Mineo, MD, and Vincenzo Ambrogi, PhD, of the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at Policlinico Tor Vergata University say newly discovered biomarkers and other tumor factors could lead to more tailored treatment and, potentially, better outcomes. “Therapy is currently guided by gross tumor characteristics and patient…

  • |

    For Some Patients Chemo Cuts Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    Asbestos disease researchers in Australia say chemotherapy at the end of life may be doing some mesothelioma patients more harm than good. The team from the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Rhodes, Australia analyzed the cases of 147 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients who had received compensation from the government’s Dust Diseases Board. The focus of the study was to determine the association between a variety of factors such as age, gender, geographic location, disease stage, histological subtype, length of first-line chemotherapy, and the use of chemotherapy in the last month of their lives. Among the mesothelioma patients studied, most (77%) received more than one treatment modality while 56% received only one. Chemotherapy, which continues to be the most popular first-line treatment…

  • | |

    EPP No, Chemotherapy Yes, Suggests New Mesothelioma Study

    ByAlex Strauss

    A pair of thoracic oncologists from Belgium say it’s time to go a step further in the wake of a controversial study on mesothelioma surgery and examine the impact of perioperative chemotherapy. Based on mesothelioma research from around the world, the 2011 Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery (MARS) randomized feasibility study concluded that extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) was too risky and should be abandoned as a surgical approach for mesothelioma. EPP involves removing not only the diseased pleura containing the mesothelioma tumor, but also the nearest lung, the diaphragm, and other internal membranes.  The MARS study recommended, instead, that operable mesothelioma be treated with lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) or extended pleurectomy/decortication. But surgery alone, regardless of which method is used, has been shown to produce…

  • | |

    Challenges and Promises for Mesothelioma Gene Therapy

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new report in the medical journal Cancer Gene Therapy says treatments that are based on genetic manipulation with the aid of modified viruses may be the wave of the future for combatting malignant pleural mesothelioma. The report comes from scientists at the Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute and Chiba University Medical School in Japan, where the incidence of mesothelioma is still increasing. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-linked cancer for which there is currently no standard cure. The Japanese team’s analysis of current global research on gene and virotherapy suggests that treatments that impact a particular genetic abnormality in the DNA of mesothelioma cells may have the greatest impact on the disease. They explain the process this way: “Preclinical studies targeting the…

  • |

    Studies Highlight Global Mesothelioma and Asbestos Problem

    ByAlex Strauss

    Two new reports highlight the fact that mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are global issues. Reporting in a recent issue of Global Health Action, scientists from South Africa’s National Institute for Occupational Health and the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg say the country is facing an epidemic of environmentally-linked asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma because of abandoned asbestos mines. The same report also found that many of these mesothelioma patients are not receiving any compensation for their injuries. South Africa was once a top exporter of asbestos, which was used for thousands of industrial applications, including insulation, construction materials, asbestos cement, and friction products like brake and clutch pads. Although all of South Africa’s asbestos mines are now closed because of the…