Author: Holly Zink

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    Involving Patients in Mesothelioma Research

    ByHolly Zink

    Involving patients and the public in mesothelioma research can help scientists to make meaningful breakthroughs. A group of researchers from the United Kingdom spoke with twenty-three mesothelioma researchers. They wanted to get their opinions on how helpful it would be to involve patients and the public in their mesothelioma research. The researchers also ran online workshops and interviews to get the thoughts of patients and members of the public. Doing Meaningful Mesothelioma Research Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It develops on the lining of internal organs like the lungs or abdominal cavity. There are about 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States each year. Doing research on mesothelioma and effective treatments can…

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    Mesothelioma Surgery is Now Much Safer

    ByHolly Zink

    Doctors have made huge improvements on a procedure called cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC). This is positive news for people for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Surgery as a Treatment CRS/HIPEC is a surgery that is used to treat cancers that are found on the surface of organs in the stomach area. This includes malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM). MPM is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos. The cancer grows on the lining of the abdominal cavity. Symptoms of MPM are usually noticed first in the stomach area. People might feel abdominal pain or swelling, fever, and night sweats. MPM is the second most common form of mesothelioma. The most common type of this cancer is malignant pleural mesothelioma, which grows…

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    New Mesothelioma Classification Selects Best Treatment

    ByHolly Zink

    Scientists have come up with a new way to classify malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) that could help treatments to be more successful. Doctors usually classify MPM based on how it looks under a microscope. But the scientists in this study think that there is more to classifying this cancer than its appearance. Three Types of Mesothelioma MPM is an aggressive cancer that grows in the lining of the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos and can be difficult to diagnose and treat. One common way to diagnose MPM is by taking a sample of the cancer tissue and looking at under a microscope or running certain tests on it. This is called a biopsy and it is considered…

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    Women with Mesothelioma Have Better Odds than Men

    ByHolly Zink

    Women who are diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma usually have better odds of survival than men. This was one of the findings of a study published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology. The researchers looked at data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Mesothelioma Rates Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare form of cancer the grows in the lining of the lungs. People with MPM might feel shortness of breath caused by fluid around the lung, chest pain, cough, and fatigue. This cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos. This is a naturally occurring mineral found throughout the world. Even though it is toxic to humans, it is still used in manufactured materials in some parts…

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    Rare Mesothelioma Disease Combination

    ByHolly Zink

    Doctors in Italy treated a patient who was diagnosed with both primary gastric Burkitt lymphoma (PGBL) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This is a rare disease combination. The doctors in this case had a hard time reaching the correct diagnosis because the symptoms of these two cancers are very similar. The patient also did not have the usual risk factors for these cancers. For instance, the patient did not have any exposure to asbestos that might cause MPM. Two Rare Diseases MPM is a rare type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and chest wall. Signs and symptoms may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, chest pain, cough,…

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    Allergic Reaction to Chemotherapy

    ByHolly Zink

    Chemotherapy is one of the treatment options for mesothelioma. The only FDA approved chemotherapy for mesothelioma is a combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin. When patients receive the same chemotherapy treatment multiple times, their body can become allergic to it. This can cause dangerous allergic reactions when they receive the treatment again. However, doctors have developed a method called rapid drug desensitization which slowly introduces the treatment to the patient to avoid an allergic reaction. This method works well, but sometimes patients can still have an allergic reaction during the treatment. Researchers from Turkey looked at patients with lung cancer and mesothelioma who received chemotherapy. They wanted to identify what factors increase the risk of an allergic reaction during the treatment….

  • The Future of Mesothelioma Research

    ByHolly Zink

    Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that isn’t researched as often as other types of cancer. A new study from the European Journal of Oncology Nursing explored what questions we still need to answer to provide the best care for mesothelioma patients. Screening and Preventative Tests Malignant mesothelioma is one of the rarest cancers in the US. That is fortunate because the cancer death rates from this malignancy continue to be very high. About 3,000 people receive a mesothelioma diagnosis every year – about 0.02% of all US cancer cases. Most newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients die within 18 months of diagnosis. Since mesothelioma is so rare, there isn’t as much research on this disease compared to more common cancers. This can…

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    Diagnosing the Rarest Mesothelioma Type

    ByHolly Zink

    Primary pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest type of mesothelioma. It can be hard to diagnose primary pericardial mesothelioma because it often looks like other diseases. And according to researchers from China, signs of mesothelioma can even be completely hidden by other diseases. In this case, primary pericardial mesothelioma was masked by pericardial calcification. What is Pericardial Mesothelioma? Malignant mesothelioma tumors grow on the linings around internal organs. The most common type is pleural mesothelioma which grows near the lungs. The second most common type is peritoneal mesothelioma which grows on the abdominal lining. Pericardial mesothelioma grows on the lining around the heart. It is a rare type of an already rare cancer. Fewer than one percent of all diagnosed mesothelioma…

  • Testing 527 Cancer Drugs on Mesothelioma

    ByHolly Zink

    A new study from Finland tested over 500 cancer drugs on malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells to find new treatments for this aggressive disease. As of this writing, the only FDA approved chemotherapy for MPM is a combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin. Even though this is the most common first-line treatment for MPM, it is not always effective at improving survival. This is why studies that look for new drug treatments are so important. This research can help doctors to find better treatments for MPM in the future. Worldwide Poor Prognosis MPM is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It affects the membranes around the lungs and can spread to the lungs and elsewhere in the chest. MPM has…

  • Mesothelioma Confused with Ovarian Cancer in Women

    ByHolly Zink

    Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma can easily be confused with ovarian carcinoma in women. This was the case for a 55-year-old woman who went to the hospital for help with abdominal pain, fatigue, and nausea. Hard to Diagnosis Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly type of cancer that affects the lining of organs inside the body. When it develops on the lining of the abdominal cavity, it is called malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM). MPM and other types of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms look just like other common diseases. For MPM, the symptoms could include abdominal pain and swelling, night sweats, and fever. Several diagnostic tests may be needed to reach…