Author: Alex Strauss

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    Preventing New Tumor “Seeding” After Mesothelioma Biopsy

    ByAlex Strauss

    Doctors in England are testing a method they hope will reduce the likelihood of pleural mesothelioma patients developing new tumors in their chest wall after a biopsy. A tissue sample is required to make a definitive mesothelioma diagnosis. But as many as 15 percent of mesothelioma patients who undergo some kind of invasive biopsy procedure will develop tiny new tumors along the tracks of the intervention site. Now, doctors at medical centers across England are performing the first randomized trial of prophylactic irradiation of those intervention sites as a way of preventing new mesothelioma tumors. Mesothelioma Biopsy Options There is no blood test for mesothelioma. Instead, patients suspected of having the asbestos cancer will undergo a thorough exam, a health…

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    Blood Test May Detect Mesothelioma Even Before Symptoms Appear

    ByAlex Strauss

    There is evidence that a new kind of blood test has the potential to detect signs of mesothelioma as early as a decade before symptoms appear. Malignant mesothelioma is the deadliest of several diseases and conditions associated with exposure to asbestos. Because scientists are still not sure why some people exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma while others do not, asbestos exposed individuals have had to wait for mesothelioma symptoms to appear before seeking any kind of intervention. But a new kind of test could change that. New Test for Mesothelioma The new cancer blood test is being developed by a biotechnology firm in Louisiana and tested in Australia where the incidence of mesothelioma is among the highest in the world. The…

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    Malignant Mesothelioma and the Cancer-Fighting Power of Blue Green Algae

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study on spirulina and cancer may have implications for people undergoing treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma. A pair of Chinese food scientists say they have evidence that this  blue-green algae may help the body fight malignancies. Doctors Zhujun Wang and Xuewu Zhang of the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou isolated and tested compounds found in spirulina on five major types of cancer, including lung cancer, a cancer with some similarities to malignant mesothelioma. Breaking Down Blue-Green Algae Spirulina is a cyanobacterium or blue-green algae that is cultivated as a dietary supplement and as a whole food. It is rich in plant proteins and contains other vitamins and minerals. To test whether spirulina has the potential to…

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    Blood Test Predicts Mesothelioma Surgery Outcomes

    ByAlex Strauss

    The medical community remains deeply divided over the risks and benefits of surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma, making the decision even more difficult for mesothelioma patients and their families. But researchers in Canada and Japan believe they have come up with a better way to make the decision process easier. The team has devised a scoring system based on a blood test to predict which mesothelioma patients are most likely to do well with radical surgery. The test measures the ratio between blood platelets and lymphocytes. Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a way of measuring how effectively a patient’s immune system is responding to a threat like malignant mesothelioma. When the immune system perceives an “attack”, the body…

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    A New Standard of Care for Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma may be about to undergo the first major change in more than a decade.  Scientists in France have improved overall survival among their mesothelioma patients by adding a third drug to the standard mix of pemetrexed (Alimta) and a platinum-based drug called cisplatin. Standard of Care for Mesothelioma Chemotherapy The combination of Alimta and cisplatin has been the chemotherapeutic standard of care for pleural mesothelioma since the early 2000s when Alimta received FDA approval as a pleural mesothelioma treatment. But even this popular mesothelioma treatment combination has shown only limited success, typically extending mesothelioma survival by only a few months. A New Mesothelioma Treatment Combination Now, a team of French scientists say adding a third drug…

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    Could Flaxseed Compound Prevent Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    There is new evidence that an antioxidant compound found in flaxseeds may help in the fight against malignant mesothelioma. Approximately 2,500 new cases of the asbestos cancer are diagnosed in the US each year and tens of thousands more around the globe, yet there is still no cure. Now, researchers in Pennsylvania say flaxseed lignans may hold the key to helping prevent mesothelioma. What are Flaxseed Lignans? Lignans are polyphenols found in plants, including flax, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds. According to research at Oregon State University, lignans are the principal source of dietary phytoestrogens, plant compounds that can mimic some of the effects of estrogen in the body, in the Western diet. Flaxseed lignans are rich in a compound…

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    Pleural Effusion Treatment May Be Less Effective in Mesothelioma Patients

    ByAlex Strauss

    A procedure used to treat one of the most common side effects of malignant pleural mesothelioma may be less effective in mesothelioma patients than it is in patients with other types of cancer. Pleural effusion is a buildup of fluid in the space around the lungs. It is common in patients with mesothelioma and lung cancer, as well as in people with breast cancer and several other tumors. While most people get some relief from a procedure called talc pleurodesis, new research indicates that those with mesothelioma tumors may have a more subtle response than other patients. What is Pleural Effusion? Pleural effusion is a secondary effect of the body’s efforts to defend itself against cancer. Excess fluid builds up…

  • Completeness of Surgery in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    How thoroughly surgeons are able to remove a peritoneal mesothelioma tumor appears to be the most influential factor in mesothelioma survival.   That is the conclusion of a team of surgical oncologists in Baltimore. Their study on peritoneal mesothelioma surgery was just published in The American Surgeon. The Challenge of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of malignant mesothelioma that occurs on the lining of the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it is caused by exposure to asbestos and is notoriously resistant to systemic chemotherapy. But peritoneal mesothelioma survival rates have climbed in recent years thanks to a combination cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) that is rinsed through the open abdominal cavity to kill remaining mesothelioma…

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    Novel Drug Delivery Method May Boost Mesothelioma Outcomes

    ByAlex Strauss

    Anyone battling mesothelioma has probably been told that the effectiveness of chemotherapy is limited, at best. One of the reasons for this is that very little of an injected chemotherapy drug actually makes it into the mesothelioma tumor where it can begin to destroy mesothelioma cells.  But in an encouraging new report, doctors in Boston say they may have found a way around this limitation to make mesothelioma chemotherapy much more effective for patients. The Limits of Chemotherapy Even though most mesothelioma patients will undergo chemotherapy during the course of their treatment, evidence suggests that it is unlikely to extend mesothelioma survival by more than about four months. Mesothelioma tumors, like some other cancers, produce substances that help protect them…

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    Tumor Volume Helps Predict Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    The size of a mesothelioma tumor in terms of volume appears to have a direct impact on survival, according to cancer researchers at the University of Chicago. While it may seem obvious that larger mesothelioma tumors result in shorter survival times, tumor volume is not typically used to determine mesothelioma prognosis. In an article in the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the research team argues that it should be. Determining Mesothelioma Prognosis Clinicians typically use a classification system known as TNM to determine cancer stage and predict mesothelioma survival. TNM takes into account the size of the mesothelioma tumor (T) and whether it has spread to surrounding tissues, whether lymph nodes in the region are involved (N), and whether mesothelioma cells…