Author: Alex Strauss

Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Radiation Therapy | Research | Treatments

New Mesothelioma Treatment Combines Immunotherapy and Targeted Radiation
ByAlex Strauss March 1, 2018

Researchers at one of the nation’s top cancer institutes are betting on a combination of radiation and immunotherapy in the continued pursuit of better treatments for malignant mesothelioma. Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York is now recruiting relapsed mesothelioma patients into a safety and efficacy study of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and the immunotherapy drug avelumab. The new trial is based on the idea that radiation may boost the immune system’s anti-mesothelioma response and that avelumab may enhance the effect. “The combination of radiation therapy and immunotherapy may be more effective against mesothelioma than either treatment alone,” writes lead researcher and radiation oncologist Andreas Rimner, MD, in a summary of the new study. SBRT in Mesothelioma Treatment The first…

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Asia | Immune Systems | International | Prognosis | Research

Blood Test May Not Predict Mesothelioma Survival as Well as Hoped
ByAlex Strauss February 26, 2018

A new Japanese study is calling into question the value of a common prognostic test for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The test is called the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio or NLR and it is used in many types of diseases, including mesothelioma, as a marker for inflammation. But in a new report published in the journal In Vivo, researchers with the Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center say they found no relationship between NLR and overall survival in 143 mesothelioma patients. Instead, the scientists found that a different inflammation marker called C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) was a much better predictor of overall mesothelioma survival. How Does NLR Relate to Mesothelioma? Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cells in…

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Asbestos | Asbestos | Australia | International | Mesothelioma | Statistics

Mesothelioma Persists in Australia Despite Asbestos Ban
ByAlex Strauss February 24, 2018February 24, 2018

Australia’s legacy of asbestos mining and use continues to haunt it almost fifteen years after the country banned all forms of asbestos almost fifteen years ago. A new report published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that, although asbestos consumption peaked in Australia in the 1970s, malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases continue to be a significant public health issue. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was prized as a building product additive because of its high tensile strength and resistance to heat and corrosion. Australia is rich in the mineral and once operated several of the world’s largest mines. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country also had the highest per capita use of…

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Biomarkers | Chemotherapy | Diagnosis | Europe | International | Prognosis | Treatments

Simple Blood Test Detects Mesothelioma Progression
ByAlex Strauss February 21, 2018

Malignant mesothelioma patients may not need multiple CT scans to tell whether their cancer has progressed in the months after chemotherapy treatment. UK researchers say a simple blood test to check their levels of the protein mesothelin costs less, requires fewer hospital visits, and is 96 percent accurate in most mesothelioma patients. Measuring Mesothelioma Progression The study was conducted by scientists at the University of Bristol who recruited 41 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma to participate for at least a year after the end of their treatment. The mesothelioma patients included in the study had received either chemotherapy or best supportive care. At the end of chemotherapy (or from baseline in the patients receiving best supportive care), patients had…

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Biopsy | Chemotherapy | Diagnosis | Genetics | Immunotherapy | Research | Treatments

Mini-Tumors May Help Doctors Develop Personalized Mesothelioma Treatments
ByAlex Strauss February 18, 2018

Doctors at Wake Forest University are using miniature lab-grown three dimensional tumors to test personalized mesothelioma treatments. The mini-tumors are known as organoids and are grown from biopsy tissue taken from patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Researchers say they can serve as models to try out new mesothelioma therapies before using them on patients. “There is a need for model systems to help predict personalized responses to chemotherapeutics,” writes lead investigator Andrea R. Massocchi with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “We have microengineered 3D tumor organoids directly from fresh tumor biopsies to provide patient-specific models with which treatment optimization can be performed before initiation of therapy.” Personalized Medicine and Malignant Mesothelioma Precision medicine in an up-and-coming area of medicine…

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Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Research | Treatments | Vaccine

Could Stem Cell Vaccine Lead to Mesothelioma Cure?
ByAlex Strauss February 15, 2018

A new stem cell vaccine that has proven effective against malignant mesothelioma and several other cancers in mice might offer a promising new way to treat the asbestos cancer. Although rare, malignant mesothelioma is one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies. Even with aggressive therapies, most people diagnosed with mesothelioma do not survive longer than about 18 months. But research conducted at Stanford University and published in the journal Cell today may change that. It details the anti-tumor responses in the lab and in live mice to a vaccine composed primarily of pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent Stem Cells and Anti-Tumor Response Pluripotent stem cells – also called iPS cells – are cells taken from the skin or blood that are treated with…

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Asbestos | Glocal | International | New Studies | Research | Statistics

Study Finds Wide Disparity in Global Mesothelioma Rates
ByAlex Strauss February 12, 2018

New evidence shows there is wide disparity in global rates of malignant mesothelioma, the aggressive disease also known as “asbestos cancer”. The study compared cross sectional mortality rates over a four-year period, as well as trends over almost 20 years (1994 – 2013). The data was compiled by Egyptian oncologist Omar Abdel-Rahman of Ain Shams University in Cairo and reveals almost a 10-fold variation in mortality rates between the highest and lowest of the 30 countries studied. Highest and Lowest Mesothelioma Death Rates Among the 30 countries, the UK had the highest number of per capita mesothelioma deaths—6.25 per 100,000 people. The UK’s high mesothelioma rates have been blamed on the widespread use of asbestos-containing products in the rebuilding of…

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Alternatives | Glocal | Holistic | International | New Studies | Prevention | Research

Should Mesothelioma Patients Give Up Asparagus to Boost Survival?
ByAlex Strauss February 9, 2018February 9, 2018

The news this week that a compound found in asparagus and other foods may contribute to the spread of breast cancer has some wondering if patients with other types of cancer – such as malignant pleural mesothelioma – should stop eating asparagus. The study appears in the journal Nature and suggests that asparagine may fuel the mechanism that helps certain kinds of breast cancer cells metastasize to other parts of the body. But what does the news mean for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma? What Did the Study Show? In the new study conducted by an international team of scientists, researchers found that mice with higher levels of asparagine had faster-growing triple-negative breast cancer tumors. The good news is that researchers…

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Canada | Europe | International | New Studies | Radiation Therapy | Research | Symptoms | Treatments

Prophylactic Radiotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma: Is it Worth It?
ByAlex Strauss February 7, 2018

Should mesothelioma patients consider having radiotherapy as a way to keep their symptoms from coming back after surgery? A new study suggests that the answer is probably “no”. In an article published in the online medical journal PLoS One, researchers concluded that radiotherapy aimed at stopping the spread of pleural mesothelioma and delaying the return of symptoms may not not have much of an impact on quality of life for patients. That recently-released finding comes from data collected during the Surgical and Large Bore Procedures in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Radiotherapy (SMART) trial, a multicenter trial based in the UK. Evaluating Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma The purpose of the SMART trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic radiotherapy started within…

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Alternatives | Europe | International | New Drugs | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Experimental Mesothelioma Treatment Produces “Strong Antitumor Activity”
ByAlex Strauss February 5, 2018

Italian scientists have released some potentially exciting news detailing their experiments with a new kind of treatment for malignant mesothelioma. The combination treatment uses elements of traditional Chinese medicine as well as a natural compound isolated from a marine sponge. Led by chemists from the University of Milan, the experiments involved giving the combination to mice carrying human mesothelioma tumors. While standard chemotherapy has only a moderate impact on most mesothelioma tumors and can trigger a range of potentially serious side effects, the Italian team reports “strong antitumor activity” and “very high tolerability” with the experimental treatment. Fighting Mesothelioma with Natural Compounds Two primary compounds were used to create the new mesothelioma treatment combination. The first is a derivative of…

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