Author: Alex Strauss

Alternatives | Biological Therapy | Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Research | Treatments

The Key to Mesothelioma Treatment Success with Immunotherapy
ByAlex Strauss April 2, 2017May 10, 2017

Researchers with a biotechnology company that makes antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) for hard-to-treat cancers like malignant mesothelioma say careful patient selection is the key to treatment success. Writing in the journal Advances in Therapy, John Lambert and Charles Morris of Massachusetts-based ImmunoGen call for the development of a “patient selection strategy” so that more mesothelioma patients and those with other cancers can take advantage of the power of ADCs. What is an ADC? Many of the most dangerous side effects of mesothelioma treatment happen because standard systemic chemotherapy attacks both malignant and normal cells. But an antibody-drug conjugate is different. These combination drugs are created by attaching a cancer-fighting agent to an antibody. By using an antibody that is attracted to…

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Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Prognosis | Radiation Therapy | Research | Treatments | Updates

Tri-Modality Treatment Extends Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss March 28, 2017May 10, 2017

New research suggests that a combination of lung-sparing surgery, highly targeted radiotherapy, and chemotherapy may bolster survival in people with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have just published some promising findings on trimodality mesothelioma treatment with hemithoracic intensity-modulated pleural radiotherapy (IMPRINT). Conventional RT vs IMPRINT The team analyzed the cases of 209 mesothelioma patients who underwent the lung-sparing mesothelioma surgery known as pleurectomy with decortication (P/D) between 1974 and 2015. As is typical with mesothelioma, most patients (80%) were men and their average age was 64. In 131 of the mesothelioma patients, surgery was followed by chemotherapy and conventional radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is designed to damage the DNA of mesothelioma cells to make…

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Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Surgery | Treatments | Updates

Platelet Count Linked to Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery
ByAlex Strauss March 25, 2017May 10, 2017

Peritoneal mesothelioma patients whose bodies produce too many blood platelets may not be good candidates for the treatment combination known as CRS with HIPEC. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a process for removing as much peritoneal mesothelioma from the abdomen as possible and killing any cancer cells left behind with a wash of heated medication. It has become the preferred treatment protocol for select mesothelioma patients and has been linked to longer survival. However, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine finds that having a condition called thrombocytosis prior to surgery can have a negative impact on mesothelioma survival after CRS/HIPEC. CRS/HIPEC and Mesothelioma Survival During CRS, surgeons…

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Biomarkers | Diagnosis | Europe | International | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Updates

Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma with Lung Fluid: The Battle of the Biomarkers
ByAlex Strauss March 21, 2017April 12, 2017

A biomarker called soluble mesothelin related peptide (SMRP) may be a more reliable way to diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma from lung fluid than the protein fibulin-3. That is the finding of Italian researchers who tested the diagnostic performance of the two markers in 120 patients, including 33 mesothelioma patients, in an effort to resolve what they call “conflicting data” on the two methods. SMRP and Fibulin-3 SMRPs are produced by the breakdown of proteins in the membranes surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdomen. The amount of SMRP in the blood is thought to be related to the extent of malignant mesothelioma in the body. Fibulin-3 (FBLN) is an extracellular matrix protein expressed in the membranes of blood vessels. A 2012…

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Canada | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Prognosis | Radiation Therapy | Research | Surgery | Treatments | Updates

Mesothelioma Tumor Thickness May Help Predict Treatment Outcomes
ByAlex Strauss March 18, 2017

New research out of Canada suggests that mesothelioma tumor thickness could be used to help predict mesothelioma survival and select the best treatments. Doctors at the University of Toronto compared the thickness of pleural mesothelioma tumors in 65 patients who had not yet received any treatment with their eventual outcomes and found a definite correlation. Summarizing their research in The European Respiratory Journal, the team called their findings “extremely encouraging” because of their potential to help direct treatment for the best mesothelioma outcomes. Setting up the Research All of the patients in the new study had been chosen to undergo “surgery for mesothelioma after radiation therapy”, also known by the acronym SMART. The total thickness of each patient’s mesothelioma tumors…

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Asia | International | New Studies | Research | Surgery | Symptoms | Treatments

Mesothelioma Patients May Need Special Help After Surgery
ByAlex Strauss March 16, 2017

Pleural mesothelioma patients who undergo pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) surgery may need customized rehabilitation strategies to help restore their quality of life. That is the finding of a Japanese study conducted by rehabilitation experts at the Hyogo College of Medicine. In a study of malignant pleural mesothelioma patients, the team found that, after P/D, many measures of physical strength and vitality decreased, along with their health-related quality of life. The authors say healthcare professionals who work with mesothelioma patients should be aware of these findings and the potential need for special rehabilitation approaches after P/D surgery. P/D Surgery for Pleural Mesothelioma The study’s 22 subjects all completed P/D mesothelioma surgery between December 2013 and March 2015. P/D is considered the less radical…

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Asia | Holistic | Immune Systems | International | Prognosis | Research | Symptoms | Treatments

The Impact of Nutritional Status on Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss March 12, 2017March 16, 2017

There is new evidence that a mesothelioma patient’s nutritional status could have an impact on their treatment outcomes. A group of Japanese surgeons, oncologists and pathologists compared the treatment responses of 83 patients with pleural mesothelioma and found that patients with the poorest nutritional status tended to have the poorest mesothelioma prognosis. Controlling Nutritional Status Score To reach their conclusion, the researchers used a tool called the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score. This computer-based tool calculates a score based on laboratory information including serum albumin, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count to get a snapshot of a mesothelioma patient’s overall immunonutritional status. A systemic inflammatory response and malnutrition, as indicated by these parameters, has been associated with a worse…

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Europe | International | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Surgery | Treatments

Radical Mesothelioma Surgery Deemed Not “Clinically Effective”
ByAlex Strauss March 9, 2017March 16, 2017

The heads of a European working group charged with advising cardio-thoracic surgeons on the best ways to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma say the most radical and risky type of surgery is not clinically effective. Dr. Giuseppe Cardillo of Carlo Forlanini Hospital in Rome and Dr. Tom Treasure with University College London (author of the MARS mesothelioma surgery study) detail their conclusion in a Letter to the Editor in the Annals of Surgery. While the two acknowledge that some studies appear to support the use of extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) as a mesothelioma treatment, they say these studies are flawed and do not paint a true picture of the grim post-surgical outlook for most mesothelioma patients. Lung-Removal versus Lung-Sparing Surgery EPP is…

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Asbestos | New Studies | Occupations | Prevention | Research | Statistics

Maintenance Work Can Carry a High Mesothelioma Risk
ByAlex Strauss March 7, 2017March 16, 2017

A CDC report out this week on the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in the US suggests that people who renovate or do repairs and maintenance work on older asbestos-containing buildings may have the highest risk for mesothelioma in the coming years. The report, entitled “Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality – United States, 1999 – 2015” shows that mesothelioma diagnoses are still on the rise, despite regulations put in place to help minimize worker exposure to asbestos. The Danger of Maintenance and Repair Work In the first half of the 20th century, asbestos was widely used as an insulator and was added to a variety of materials from floor and ceiling tiles to roof shingles, wallboard, paint and concrete. It’s low cost, easy…

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Asbestos | Compensation | Europe | International | Prevention | Statistics

Mesothelioma Risk in Older School Buildings
ByAlex Strauss March 4, 2017March 16, 2017

A new government report has some sobering news for teachers and students in England: Nearly 20 percent of schools may be failing to adequately protect them from asbestos, the primary cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma. The asbestos management report, issued by the Education Funding Agency, is based on data collected online from more than 5,500 schools in 2016. It offers a disturbing view of mesothelioma risk among England’s teachers and students due to poor management of the deadly toxin. Asbestos in English Schools Before asbestos was linked to illnesses like malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis in the 1960s it was prized as a cheap, plentiful, and effective insulation and building material. During the rebuilding in England after World War II, public…

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