Author: Alex Strauss

Chemotherapy | Immunotherapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Immunotherapy Drug Produces ‘Exceptional and Sustained Response’ in Mesothelioma Patient
ByAlex Strauss July 5, 2018July 5, 2018

As part of what they call the “new era” of mesothelioma immunotherapy research, doctors in Ohio and Florida have just published the case report of a man whose pleural mesothelioma was stopped in its tracks with the drug nivolumab. The case is detailed in the latest issue of the American Journal of Case Reports by researchers at the University of Florida and The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. Details of the Mesothelioma Case Report The patient in question had been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that typically carries a poor prognosis, even with aggressive treatment. In fact, even though chemotherapy with a combination of cisplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta) is considered the standard-of-care for malignant mesothelioma, fewer than 4…

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Asbestos | Europe | Genetics | International | Research

BAP1 Not the Only Genetic Risk Factor for Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss July 3, 2018

A new study suggests that the BAP1 gene, which has been linked to several kinds of cancer including malignant mesothelioma, may not be the only genetic risk factor for the asbestos cancer. Mesothelioma, a fast-growing membrane cancer, typically only occurs in people who have a history of asbestos exposure. But scientists have long wondered why some asbestos-exposed people go on to develop pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma while others don’t. Extensive mesothelioma research, much of it focused on a mesothelioma “epidemic” among extended families in a particular region in Turkey, discovered that many family members who contracted mesothelioma shared a mutation on the BAP1 gene. This genetic anomaly has also been associated with an increased risk for uveal melanoma, renal cell carcinoma…

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Updates

New Staging Method May Improve Accuracy of Mesothelioma Prognosis
ByAlex Strauss July 1, 2018

Pleural mesothelioma patients may be less likely to get a true picture of their prognosis when their cancer is “staged” using the standard TNM method. Harvard researchers came to that conclusion after comparing the actual clinical status of 472 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients (their cTNM stage) with their TNM stage as determined by pathological analysis (pTNM). They found a significant discrepancy between clinical and pathological mesothelioma stage – and, as a result, in mesothelioma prognosis – in 6 out of 10 patients. TNM Staging for Malignant Mesothelioma The TNM staging criteria is a method for determining how extensive a patient’s cancer is by evaluating three parameters: tumor size (T), involvement of the lymph nodes (N), and the extent of…

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Australia | Biomarkers | Diagnosis | International | Mesothelioma | Prognosis

Mesothelioma Diagnosis: Lung Fluid Testing Has its Limits
ByAlex Strauss June 27, 2018June 21, 2018

Lung fluid tests for malignant mesothelioma are accurate less than half the time according to cancer researchers at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Hospital. The production of excess lung fluid (pleural effusions) is a common side effect of mesothelioma, as well as a number of other malignant and non-malignant conditions. In mesothelioma patients, this buildup of fluid often leads to breathlessness and chest pain. Because this fluid can contain cells from a growing tumor, doctors have used lung fluid testing, also known as cytologic analysis, to identify certain types of cancer, including pleural mesothelioma. But a new study published in the Internal Medicine Journal suggests that, especially with mesothelioma, lung fluid testing is only moderately effective and must be combined with other…

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Europe | International | New Studies | Prevention | Research | Statistics | Updates

Does Alcohol Increase Mesothelioma Risk?
ByAlex Strauss June 25, 2018June 21, 2018

A new study suggests that drinking too much could raise the risk for developing malignant mesothelioma or another type of cancer. Surprisingly, not drinking quite enough appears to do the same thing. The study was conducted by public health researchers in Northern Ireland and at the National Cancer Institute in the US. It included data from nearly 100,000 adults between 55 and 74 participating in the US Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. To better understand how alcohol impacts cancer development, researchers assessed the overall risk of death among the study subjects, as well as the risk of death specifically from cancer, and compared it with reported average lifetime alcohol consumption. “In comparison to lifetime light alcohol…

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Alternatives | Australia | Holistic | International | Mesothelioma | New Studies | Research

Exercise Can Help Patients Manage Mesothelioma Symptoms
ByAlex Strauss June 23, 2018June 21, 2018

Fatigue, poor sleep, and reduced appetite are common complaints among people undergoing treatment for malignant mesothelioma. But new guidelines from Australia suggest that there is a powerful, natural way to address many of these problems: exercise. In an official position statement published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the country’s Clinical Oncology Society encourages cancer patients and their doctors to see physical exercise as a vital part of staying healthy and managing symptoms during treatment. In the COSA statement, the authors point to the significant amount of clinical research showing that exercise is “a safe and effective intervention to counteract the adverse physical and psychological effects of cancer and its treatment.” The authors say the intention of the statement is…

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Alternatives | Holistic | New Studies | Research

Medical Marijuana No Longer Tabu Among Mesothelioma Doctors
ByAlex Strauss June 21, 2018June 20, 2018

A new survey suggests that medical marijuana is gaining acceptance among doctors who treat malignant mesothelioma and other types of cancer, opening the door for more patients to explore its potential to manage their disease. The survey of 400 oncologists conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology found that as many as 80 percent of the 237 respondents have discussed medical marijuana with their patients. The survey found this was usually because a patient brought it up. Unfortunately for mesothelioma patients, the survey also revealed that fewer than one in three doctors felt knowledgeable enough about medical marijuana to make a recommendation. “We need to bridge this gap so oncologists have the unbiased information they need to assist with…

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Glocal | Immunotherapy | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Nivolumab a ‘Rising Star’ for Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment?
ByAlex Strauss June 19, 2018

There may be a new treatment option on the horizon for mesothelioma patients whose cancer has come back again after treatment. Researchers in the UK are even predicting that this drug could become the new standard of care for relapsed malignant mesothelioma. The drug is nivolumab, a PD-1 inhibitor sold under the brand name Opdivo. Already approved for the treatment of recurrent non-small cell lung cancer, nivolumab has been shown in recent clinical trials to reduce the size of mesothelioma tumors and may even extend mesothelioma survival. Opdivo in the News If you think you have been hearing more about nivolumab in the news lately, you are right. Laboratory results have suggested that this immunotherapy drug could be one of…

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Biomarkers | Diagnosis | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Surgery | Treatments

Surgery-Related Inflammation and Mesothelioma Outcomes
ByAlex Strauss June 15, 2018

A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say they have come up with better way to measure the effects of surgery-related inflammation on subsequent mesothelioma therapies. Their results could help other scientists predict the effectiveness of new and existing adjuvant mesothelioma treatments. Combination Therapy for Mesothelioma Because malignant mesothelioma is so difficult to treat, most patients are treated with a combination of different therapies. While not all patients are candidates for surgery, a number of studies have suggested that mesothelioma patients who do have surgery as one of their treatments tend to live longer than those who only have other types of treatments. The challenge is that surgery itself can be so disruptive to the body that…

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Australia | Diagnosis | International | Mesothelioma | New Techniques | Scans | Surgery | Treatments

CT Discovery May Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Diagnosis
ByAlex Strauss June 13, 2018

Researchers in Western Australia believe they may have found a way to overcome one of the biggest challenges in the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma—making the diagnosis earlier. Malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer that starts on the membrane, or pleura, that surrounds the lungs. Because the seeds for this disease can exist for decades before symptoms develop, and because the early symptoms of mesothelioma tend to be vague and similar to those of other conditions, the so-called “asbestos cancer” often goes undetected until it is in an advanced stage. As a result, the survivability of this disease is typically very low. But scientists at the University of Western Australia in Perth say there may be a simple way to…

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Author: Alex Strauss

Immunotherapy Drug Produces ‘Exceptional and Sustained Response’ in Mesothelioma Patient

BAP1 Not the Only Genetic Risk Factor for Mesothelioma

New Staging Method May Improve Accuracy of Mesothelioma Prognosis

Mesothelioma Diagnosis: Lung Fluid Testing Has its Limits

Does Alcohol Increase Mesothelioma Risk?

Exercise Can Help Patients Manage Mesothelioma Symptoms

Medical Marijuana No Longer Tabu Among Mesothelioma Doctors

Nivolumab a ‘Rising Star’ for Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment?

Surgery-Related Inflammation and Mesothelioma Outcomes

CT Discovery May Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Diagnosis

United States Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNITED STATES

Creighton University School of Medicine, UNITED STATES

David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, UNITED STATES

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, UNITED STATES

Mayo Clinic, UNITED STATES

Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, UNITED STATES

National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, UNITED STATES

University of Chicago, Medical Center, UNITED STATES

University of Maryland School of Medicine, UNITED STATES

University of Hawaii Cancer Center, UNITED STATES

Wake Forest University School of Medicine, UNITED STATES