Author: Alex Strauss

Asbestos | Diagnosis | Europe | International | New Studies | Research | Scans | Updates

Asbestos Found in the Gallbladders of Pleural Mesothelioma Patients
ByAlex Strauss January 10, 2017March 16, 2017

There is new evidence that asbestos fibers can make their way into the gallbladders of patients with the lung-related cancer malignant pleural mesothelioma. The finding may help explain why some of these patients also suffer from gallbladder disorders. A new study conducted in Italy and published in the Journal of Microscopy discovered microscopic fibers of the mineral asbestos when they analyzed thin sections of gallbladders from malignant pleural mesothelioma patients under an electron microscopy. Migrating Asbestos Fibers Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause of malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that starts on the membranes around the lungs, abdomen or heart. When mesothelioma grows on the pleural membrane around the lungs, it is known as pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos fibers are…

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Updates

Guidance System May Improve Light-Based Therapy for Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss January 8, 2017March 16, 2017

Using an infrared camera to guide the direction of a cancer-killing light may boost the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that attacks the membrane surrounding the lungs. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses light and a photosensitizing drug, can be used to kill residual cancer cells after debulking surgery. Uniform distribution of the light is key to the effectiveness of this mesothelioma therapy. Now, a report presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine suggests that the process can be even more effective if an infrared camera is used to track the motion of the light source during treatment, ensuring even distribution. Photodynamic Therapy for Mesothelioma…

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Europe | International | New Studies | Prognosis | Radiation Therapy | Research | Treatments | Updates

The Role of Post-Surgical Radiation in Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss January 4, 2017March 16, 2017

More research is needed before we will know whether radiotherapy after mesothelioma surgery can improve mesothelioma survival. That’s the conclusion of a newly-published assessment performed by an Egyptian doctor. The study, which tracked more than 2,000 mesothelioma patients over a ten-year period, found that, while some radiotherapy patients did live longer, the benefits did not extend to patients with a certain mesothelioma subtype. Radiotherapy and Mesothelioma Survival To compile the report, clinical oncologist Omar Abdel-Rahman, MD, of Ain Shams University in Cairo used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to identify 2,166 mesothelioma patients who underwent mesothelioma surgery between 2000 and 2013. Four hundred and sixty-nine of the mesothelioma patients identified were treated with radiotherapy after their surgery….

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Diagnosis | Europe | International | New Studies | Research | Scans | Updates

Diagnostic Accuracy of CT Limited for Pleural Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss January 2, 2017March 16, 2017

When it comes to diagnosing pleural mesothelioma, Scottish researchers say CT scanning is not accurate enough. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) can provide a cross-sectional image of the chest in people with suspected pleural mesothelioma. But researchers at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow say their tests show that CT is not sensitive enough to either confirm or rule out mesothelioma in most cases. CT Scans and Mesothelioma Diagnosis CT scanning is an imaging procedure that uses special X-ray equipment to create detailed cross-sectional images. These images are then compiled to create three-dimensional models. CT scanning is a routine part of mesothelioma diagnosis. But the new report published in the journal Lung Cancer suggests that false positive and false negative mesothelioma diagnoses…

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

Blood Test Could Aid in Mesothelioma Treatment Planning
ByAlex Strauss December 30, 2016March 16, 2017

Mesothelioma patients with elevated levels of a particular enzyme in their blood prior to the start of mesothelioma treatment may not live as long as those with lower levels. Afters years of mixed messages from researchers on this topic, scientists in China believe they have finally confirmed the value of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a prognostic factor in malignant pleural mesothelioma. LDH has been assessed multiple times in the prognosis of mesothelioma but the results have been inconsistent. To settle the matter once and for all, a team of Chinese doctors performed a meta-analysis to look at all of the studies on LDH levels and mesothelioma outcomes to come up with a clear answer. Their conclusion is that the…

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Chemotherapy | New Drugs | New Studies | Research | Treatments | Updates

New Drug Delivery System Doubles Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss December 28, 2016March 16, 2017

A new method for delivering cancer-fighting drugs directly into mesothelioma tumors has been shown to more that double mesothelioma survival in a new animal study. Surgeons, pathologists, biomedical engineers and chemists from Boston University and Harvard Medical School used specially-formulated expanding nanoparticles to deliver high doses of the drug paclitaxel into mice with malignant mesothelioma. By loading the drug into nanoparticles that expand in the presence of low pH, they were able to specifically target mesothelioma cells and dramatically impact mesothelioma survival without triggering dose-limiting side effects. Targeting Mesothelioma Cells with Nanoparticles A nanoparticle is a man-made microscopic particle smaller than 100 nanometers in size. These particles have numerous applications in electronics and optics but, in medicine and cosmetics, their…

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Alternatives | Glocal | International | New Drugs | New Studies | Research | Treatments | Updates

African Plants May Offer New Ways to Treat Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss December 25, 2016September 15, 2017

Could compounds found in African plants hold the key to fighting intractable malignant mesothelioma? That is the suggestion of a new study conducted by an international team of researchers including scientists in Cameroon and Kenya. The study published in a recent issue of BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology, focused on naturally occurring quinones, organic compounds found in bacteria, certain fungi, and in various plants, including some found in Kenya. Quinones as Cancer Fighters The new study focused on 14 different naturally occurring quinones including three in the group anthraquinones, one naphthoquinone and ten benzoquinones. The substances were tested on six types of cancer cells, including malignant mesothelioma, as well as on normal connective tissue cells called fibroblasts. Specifically, the researchers were…

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Biomarkers | Canada | Diagnosis | Genetics | International | Prognosis | Research | Updates

Gene Test May Help Distinguish Pleural Mesothelioma from Lung Cancer
ByAlex Strauss December 21, 2016March 16, 2017

There is more evidence this week that the tumor suppressor gene known as BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) could help doctors distinguish pleural mesothelioma from other types of lung cancer – even cancers that commonly spread to the pleura. Pleural mesothelioma is unique among cancers in that it starts on the pleural membrane that surrounds the lungs. When other types of cancers metastasize to this region, however, it can be nearly impossible to tell them apart. Especially since late-stage pleural mesothelioma also shares many of the same symptoms as lung cancer, including cough, chest pain, and fatigue. But a team of pathologists in British Columbia has found that, despite their similarities, malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer can be very different in…

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

Innovative Mesothelioma Treatment Uses Cold to Destroy Tumors
ByAlex Strauss December 18, 2016March 16, 2017

Pleural mesothelioma, a tumor that is notoriously resistant to even the most aggressive conventional cancer therapies, is being successfully treated at UCLA with extreme cold. The minimally invasive technique is called cryoablation or cryosurgery. Although it has been used in medicine for decades, UCLA is one of the few centers using cryoablation to treat mesothelioma tumors. The Challenge of Treating Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma, which grows on the membrane that surrounds the lungs, is challenging to treat for a number of reasons. Mesothelioma causes few symptoms in its early stages so it is possible for it to grow unchecked until it is less likely to respond to treatment. When conventional treatments like chemotherapy or radiation are initiated, mesothelioma often does not…

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Europe | Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | International | New Drugs | Research | Treatments | Updates

Immunotherapy Drug May Be New Option for Recurrent Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss December 16, 2016March 16, 2017

There may be new hope for malignant mesothelioma patients whose cancer recurs after treatment. A presentation at the recent World Lung Cancer conference in Vienna earlier this month suggests that the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) could help people with pleural mesothelioma who have run out of treatment options. The author of the new study says his Amsterdam-based team has recorded mesothelioma survival of more than a year after treatment with nivolumab. What is Nivolumab Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to block a cell surface protein called PD-1. As a result of blocking this protein, the body’s immune system is better able to attack the mesothelioma with antitumor T-cells. PD-1 is believed to be expressed by up to…

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