Author: Alex Strauss

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    Tracking Mesothelioma Recurrence: FDG-PET/CT Versus CT

    ByAlex Strauss

    FDG-PET/CT may be a more effective way to track malignant pleural mesothelioma recurrence than contrast-enhanced CT scanning.  That is the conclusion of cancer researchers with Japan’s Hyogo College of Medicine. The researchers focused on fifty patients who underwent radical surgery for pleural mesothelioma. Afterwards, doctors used both FDG-PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT scans to track mesothelioma progression. Two experienced examiners assessed the cases. They concluded that FDG-PET/CT was more accurate than CT for diagnosing mesothelioma recurrence. Mesothelioma Recurrence After Surgery Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. It arises in the layers of the pleural membrane that surrounds the lungs. Mesothelioma tumors tend to grow and spread quickly. Treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy can sometimes slow…

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    Drinking and Mesothelioma Risk: How Much is Too Much?

    ByAlex Strauss

    The findings of a major new study on cancer and alcohol suggest there may be an even stronger link between drinking and mesothelioma risk than previously thought. The Japanese study included more than 120,000 drinkers and non-drinkers. It tracked which participants got any type of cancer over a 15 year period. Cancer diagnoses were correlated with participants’ drinking habits.  The report found that even light drinkers faced a higher incidence of cancers like malignant mesothelioma. It is one of the largest studies to connect cancer incidence, drinking and mesothelioma risk.  Even Light to Moderate Drinkers Face Risk Scientists have known about the connection between drinking and mesothelioma risk for some time. But the problem of alcohol consumption and cancer had…

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    Is There a Risk for Depression Among Pleural Mesothelioma Patients?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Newly diagnosed pleural mesothelioma patients may be at higher risk for depression and that could be impacting their outcomes.   A new report finds that people diagnosed with advanced lung cancers are more likely to suffer from depression. Pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer.  This risk for depression appears to have an impact on patients’ quality of life, their pain, and even the number of complications they experience.  Assessing the Risk for Depression in Cancer Patients Researchers at Ohio State University directed the study. It included 186 patients with Stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer. The patients had not yet started their cancer treatment.  Although pleural mesothelioma is not the same as non-small cell lung cancer, the two diseases share…

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    Anti-Inflammatory Treatment for Mesothelioma Shows Long-Term Benefit

    ByAlex Strauss

    Doctors in London are reporting a case of long-term mesothelioma survival with anti-inflammatory treatment for mesothelioma. The 64-year-old pleural mesothelioma patient had been a heating engineer. When he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, he elected not to have standard cancer treatments.  His doctors advised him to start on a regimen of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs. On just the anti-inflammatory treatment for mesothelioma, the man was still alive four years after his diagnosis.  Mesothelioma and Inflammation Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the membrane around the lungs. It is most common in people who have worked or lived around asbestos.  When asbestos fibers get into the lungs, they stay there permanently. Studies suggest that the inflammation caused by these…

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    Drug May Make Mesothelioma Cells More Sensitive to Radiation

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scottish cancer researchers say they have found a way to make mesothelioma cells more sensitive to radiation.  Radiotherapy is one of the tools doctors can use to help slow progression of the asbestos cancer. It can also help alleviate mesothelioma symptoms.  But proteins expressed by mesothelioma cells can make them less sensitive to radiation. The Glasgow-based research team is getting around this protection with a sensitizing drug. The drug mimics a process that already happens in healthy people. Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Mesothelioma Radiotherapy is not usually the primary treatment for malignant mesothelioma. Most mesothelioma patients have chemotherapy as their first-line treatment.  But newer technology means that radiation can be more targeted than it used to be. This means…

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    9/11 Mesothelioma Death May be Tip of the Iceberg

    ByAlex Strauss

    The recent 9/11 mesothelioma death of a Pennsylvania man is probably just the tip of the iceberg of asbestos cancer cases related to the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001 created massive clouds of toxins across Manhattan. Asbestos was one of 2,500 contaminants in that cloud. Asbestos can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural mesothelioma, and other conditions.  Now, an EMT from Versailles, Pennsylvania has become one of the first to be labeled a 9/11 mesothelioma death. His death from pleural mesothelioma was recorded by the World Trade Center Health Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Why the First 9/11 Mesothelioma Death Now? Asbestos was a popular insulator and construction product additive at the time…

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    Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma: Transforming Growth Factor-Beta

    ByAlex Strauss

    A protein called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) might be an effective biomarker for pleural mesothelioma. New research shows it could help diagnose the asbestos cancer and distinguish it from other lung conditions.  The findings come from researchers at the West German Cancer Center in Essen, Germany.  They studied patients with malignant mesothelioma, non-malignant pleural diseases or lung cancer. TGF-β levels were different in mesothelioma patients than they were in people with other diseases.  They correlated with mesothelioma survival. This suggests that TGF-β could make a good biomarker for pleural mesothelioma. How Do Doctors Use a Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma? A biomarker for pleural mesothelioma is a substance whose presence indicates that a person has the disease. Some biomarkers occur in…

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    Asbestos Ban Moves One Step Closer to Reality in Congress

    ByAlex Strauss

    A congressional committee has granted bipartisan approval to a bill that would establish an asbestos ban in the US. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 47 to 1 to approve the bill. The vote took place on November 19th. Mesothelioma advocacy groups like the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization are praising the move. ADAO president Linda Reinstein is the widow of the mesothelioma patient for whom the bill is named. “This comprehensive bill will protect workers, consumers, and children from being exposed to the deadly threat of asbestos and stop hundreds of tons of asbestos from entering the United States,” said Reinstein.  Doesn’t the US Have an Asbestos Ban? Asbestos is a recognized toxin and carcinogen. It causes many serious…

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    Study Evaluates Breath Test to Detect Early Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Doctors in Michigan have launched a study to determine if volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath can detect early mesothelioma. They are also looking for a correlation between participants’ VOCs and biomarkers in the blood. VOCs can give doctors vital information about cellular metabolism. Previous studies of VOCs show that they can sometimes indicate the presence of mesothelioma.  But no one knows yet if VOCs can really detect early mesothelioma. None of the previous studies have been big enough for the technique to be universally recommended.  How VOCs Can Detect Early Mesothelioma Cancer causes biochemical changes in the body. These biochemical changes produce VOCs that a person exhales. Different types of cancer produce different combinations of VOCs. Breath testing…

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    Mesothelioma Registry Could Improve Outcomes, Prevent Future Cases

    ByAlex Strauss

    A distinguished team of scientists are calling for a national mesothelioma registry they say could improve outcomes. If the registry collects and provides the right information, they say it could even help prevent future mesothelioma cases. Experts from the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and several top US cancer centers participated in a workshop on the topic. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation convened the workshop. The group says existing tumor registries at some cancer centers are not as useful as a national mesothelioma registry. But coordinating a national registry will require government support. What is a Mesothelioma Registry? Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer which makes it hard to study. A national mesothelioma registry is…