New Mesothelioma Trial to Test Tri-Modal Approach
| | | | | |

New Mesothelioma Trial to Test Tri-Modal Approach

ByAlex Strauss

Enrollment is open for a new mesothelioma trial run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to test a three-prong approach to treatment.  Pleural mesothelioma is a lung-related cancer caused by asbestos. It is notoriously difficult to treat and highly aggressive.  The new mesothelioma trial aims to recruit 150 pleural mesothelioma patients. Patients will receive lung-sparing surgery and chemotherapy. Some will also receive intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).  Researchers will test which group does better – those who only have surgery and chemotherapy or those who also have targeted radiation therapy. They plan to measure not only survival but also complications, quality of life, and how long it takes for the cancer to come back.  Tri-Modal Treatment to Fight Mesothelioma The…

Researchers Pinpoint Optimal Frequency Using TTFields for Mesothelioma Treatment

Researchers Pinpoint Optimal Frequency Using TTFields for Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

The makers of TTFields for mesothelioma treatment have released a new report that sheds light on how the therapy can be most effective.  TTFields stands for “Tumor Treating Fields”. It is a device that emits intermediate frequency alternating electrical fields. These fields are designed to disrupt cancer DNA and shrink tumors.  The FDA approved TTFields for mesothelioma treatment in 2019. At the time, it was the first new treatment for this intractable cancer since 2004. It is still the only non-invasive treatment for pleural mesothelioma.  The new report from researchers at Novocure may help doctors use TTFields more effectively for their patients with inoperable mesothelioma. TTFields for Mesothelioma Treatment The Tumor Treating Fields approach was first used to treat glioblastoma….

Mesothelioma Risk to War Survivors Highlighted by Journalist’s Case
| | | |

Mesothelioma Risk to War Survivors Highlighted by Journalist’s Case

ByAlex Strauss

A new Italian case study highlights the mesothelioma risk to war survivors, including journalists and bystanders.  In an article in BMJ Case Reports, researchers from Rome detail the case of a war journalist who contracted mesothelioma after more than ten years in the field.  The male journalist worked in war zones in the Far and Near East. He inhaled a range of toxic substances including asbestos in the dust and smoke from destroyed buildings.  The new case report is a sobering reminder that bombs and bullets are not the only deadly threats in war-torn regions. Asbestos dust poses an often-overlooked mesothelioma risk to war survivors. Asbestos and its Link to Mesothelioma Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral. It is inexpensive, plentiful,…

Targeting Nerve Cells Might Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma, Other Cancers
| | | |

Targeting Nerve Cells Might Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma, Other Cancers

ByAlex Strauss

Israeli scientists may have found a new way to fight mesothelioma and other cancers from the inside out by targeting nerve cells.  Researchers at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology conducted the new study. It appears in the journal Science Advances.  Nerve cells called neurons help promote tumor growth. The team reasoned that targeting these tumor nerve cells with a damaging drug might slow cancer progression.  They tested the theory on triple-negative breast cancer tumors in mice. The tumors still grew but they grew much slower than the untreated tumors. The findings could have implications for other hard-to-treat cancers like malignant mesothelioma.  New Options Needed for Malignant Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma is one of the rarest and most treatment-resistant cancers. Many…

CBD Oil for Mesothelioma? New Case Study Suggests It’s Possible
| | | |

CBD Oil for Mesothelioma? New Case Study Suggests It’s Possible

ByAlex Strauss

The case study of a UK lung cancer patient whose tumor shrunk while she was taking CBD oil could be a hopeful sign for mesothelioma patients, too.  pleural mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer are different disease but they share many commonalities. Both affect the lungs and cause similar symptoms. Sometimes, a treatment that works for NSCLC can help mesothelioma patients and vice versa. The subject of the new case study was a lung cancer patient in her 80s. She went to the doctor for a cough that would not go away. A CT scan showed the woman had a tumor in her right lung.  Later, she developed more lung tumors.  The patient decided not to have surgery because of…

Relapsed Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer on Opdivo in Phase 3 Trial
| | | | |

Relapsed Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer on Opdivo in Phase 3 Trial

ByAlex Strauss

A multi-center British study suggests that the cancer drug Opdivo (nivolumab) may be a solid second-line treatment option for relapsed mesothelioma patients.  The Phase-3 trial involved mesothelioma patients from 24 UK hospitals. All had an ECOG score of 0 or 1, meaning they were in reasonably good health overall.  All of the patients had first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. Then their cancer came back. There is no approved treatment for relapsed mesothelioma patients. So these patients enrolled in the nivolumab trial.  Although Opdivo is not a cure for mesothelioma, the results of the news trial show it could extend survival for the right patients.  How Does Opdivo Work? Nivolumab is sold under the brand name Opdivo. It is an immunotherapy…

Asbestos Deaths in Italy Top 4,000 Per Year Decades After Ban
| |

Asbestos Deaths in Italy Top 4,000 Per Year Decades After Ban

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in Italy say there were 4,400 asbestos deaths in the country between 2010 and 2016 – more than two decades after the country banned the substance.  Italy was one of the main European producers of asbestos until the 1992 ban. The new report shows the destructive legacy asbestos can have on a country. Most of the asbestos deaths were from lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma. Some people also died of asbestosis or ovarian cancer. The research team says the numbers “suggest the need for appropriate interventions” to protect people from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.  Mesothelioma is Not the Only Fatal Asbestos-Related Disease Asbestos is the primary cause of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is even sometimes referred to…

Quinacrine for Mesothelioma? Anti-Malaria Drug May Help Patients with This Gene Mutation
| | |

Quinacrine for Mesothelioma? Anti-Malaria Drug May Help Patients with This Gene Mutation

ByAlex Strauss

Another study on quinacrine for mesothelioma suggests that the once-popular anti-malaria drug might help a subset of patients with a particular gene mutation. Quinacrine is sold under the brand name Atabrine. It used to be the main anti-malaria drug but most doctors now prefer chloroquine.  Last fall, Penn State research on quinacrine for mesothelioma showed the drug has a “high degree of cytotoxicity” on its own. The newest study initially focused on the potential for synergistic effects of quinacrine and chemotherapy. It turns out that the drug can make cisplatin more lethal to mesothelioma cells. Further tests showed that cells with inactivated NF2 mutations were even more sensitive to quinacrine. As many as 60 percent of mesothelioma patients may have…

Empyema After Mesothelioma Surgery: Avoiding a Serious Complication
|

Empyema After Mesothelioma Surgery: Avoiding a Serious Complication

ByAlex Strauss

A new study of a rare condition called empyema after mesothelioma surgery shows it can dramatically lengthen hospital stay and shorten survival.  Empyema refers to pockets of pus in the pleural space around the lungs. It is the result of a lingering bacterial infection. Empyema is a serious complication in people who have surgery for pleural mesothelioma.  The new study comes from the International Mesothelioma Program at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. It finds that patients with empyema after mesothelioma surgery live half as long as those without it. They also spend a lot more time in the hospital.  The researchers say air leaking from the lungs can raise the risk for this complication. In their new report, they offer…

Misdiagnosis of Mesothelioma More Common with Cytology Alone
| | |

Misdiagnosis of Mesothelioma More Common with Cytology Alone

ByAlex Strauss

A new set of case reports illustrates how easily misdiagnosis of mesothelioma can happen when the diagnosis is based on cytology alone.  Cytology tests look at the cells in body fluids. For peritoneal mesothelioma patients, this is often the fluid that collects in their abdomen called ascites.  But doctors from India’s Dayanand Medical College and Hospital say using ascites samples alone to diagnose mesothelioma is a risky practice. Misdiagnosis of mesothelioma may delay proper treatment and negatively impact survival. The Difficulty of Diagnosing Peritoneal Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma only impacts about 2,500 people in the US every year. It is most common among people who have lived or worked around asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma is even rarer. About a fifth of patients…