The Power of Drug Combinations: High Throughput BH3 Profiling in Mesothelioma
A new technique called dynamic BH3 profiling tests drug combinations to treat mesothelioma. This testing can help doctors create effective treatment plans for individual patients. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It is hard to diagnose and even harder to treat, especially when it is in advanced stages. Even in the early stages, the chances of survival after five years are only 18%. A Treatment Plan for Mesothelioma A treatment plan for malignant pleural mesothelioma depends on a few different factors. These include the type of mesothelioma and how far it has developed in the patient. It may also include the health of the patient and the patient’s wishes for treatment. Conventional treatment usually involves … Continue reading The Power of Drug Combinations: High Throughput BH3 Profiling in Mesothelioma
Bortezomib Shows Promise as New Mesothelioma Treatment
A drug called Bortezomib can help treat malignant mesothelioma when given directly into the area affected by the cancer. This interesting finding comes from a team of scientists from Italy. They tested Bortexomib on mesothelioma cells to find out if it can stop cancer cell growth. New Research for New Treatments Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the body’s internal organs, like the lungs and abdominal cavity. The treatment options for malignant mesothelioma are limited. Conventional treatments for mesothelioma consist of chemotherapy, surgery, and sometimes radiation therapy. Even with treatment, the prognosis for mesothelioma is not good. The median survival rate of patients with … Continue reading Bortezomib Shows Promise as New Mesothelioma Treatment
Testing 527 Cancer Drugs on Mesothelioma
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 … Continue reading Testing 527 Cancer Drugs on Mesothelioma
New Combination Chemotherapy Drug for Mesothelioma
A recent study has found that a new drug for mesothelioma chemotherapy could improve treatment outcomes. The new drug is called abemaciclib. It works by blocking cancer cells from multiplying within the body. This helps to stop tumors from growing and spreading. The researchers in this study used cell samples from mesothelioma patients to test the drug. Their study found that adding abemaciclib to the standard chemotherapy treatment helped to stop the growth of mesothelioma cancer cells. Common Treatment Options Mesothelioma is an extremely rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It affects the membranes around organs like the lungs and abdominal cavity. It takes a long time for symptoms to appear. By then, the cancer has usually become difficult … Continue reading New Combination Chemotherapy Drug for Mesothelioma
Immune Checkpoint Therapy for Mesothelioma
A new study suggests that immune checkpoint therapy with nivolumab is a promising treatment for a specific type of mesothelioma. The study authors describe three cases of sarcomatoid mesothelioma being treated with nivolumab at Kyoto University Hospital in Japan. A Deadly Form of Mesothelioma There are three types of malignant pleural mesothelioma. They each respond differently to mesothelioma treatments. One of these types is sarcomatoid mesothelioma and it is the rarest type of mesothelioma. Sarcomatoid pleural mesothelioma cells are slender ovals with large or even multiple nuclei. Because these cells are spindle-shaped, this type of mesothelioma is sometimes called spindle-cell mesothelioma. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is an especially deadly form of the disease. This type grows and spreads faster than the other … Continue reading Immune Checkpoint Therapy for Mesothelioma
New Self-Administered Inhaled Gene Therapy Linked to Mesothelioma Survival
A team of doctors in Japan have developed a new oral inhaled gene therapy for the treatment of mesothelioma. This is a new gene therapy that mesothelioma patients can self-administer, much like an asthma inhaler. There’s new evidence that therapies that prevent cancer cells from forming new blood vessels may offer a better way to approach malignant pleural mesothelioma. Gene therapy has attracted attention in recent years. A new study suggests that inhalable gene drugs are effective treatments for asbestos-induced malignant pleural mesothelioma. Gene Therapy Treatments Mesothelioma is the most deadly of several diseases caused by asbestos exposure, including lung cancer and asbestosis. Most people who develop mesothelioma live less than a year after diagnosis. It is most common in … Continue reading New Self-Administered Inhaled Gene Therapy Linked to Mesothelioma Survival
The First FDA-Approved Mesothelioma Drug in 15 Years
On October 2, 2020, the first FDA-approved mesothelioma drug in 15 years hit the market. They approved a new combination of drugs for mesothelioma. The combination of nivolumab with ipilimumab is now considered the first-line treatment. It is the go-to for adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. The FDA based approval on results from an open-label clinical trial. The results of a new study show outcomes of Mesothelioma patients over the last 2 years. This often was often six cycles of chemotherapy. Patient survival using this new combination of drugs was an average of 18.1 months. This was an increase from 14.1 months for patients who only received chemotherapy. More clinical pharmacology data also supported an alternative dosing regimen. … Continue reading The First FDA-Approved Mesothelioma Drug in 15 Years
New Drug Targeting Fibrosis may Help Mesothelioma Patients
Targeting fibrosis has therapeutic benefits in mesothelioma. Most drugs have limited effects in difficult-to-treat cancers such as mesothelioma. Often this is because not enough of the drug can get into the tumor to generate an anti-tumor effect. Fibrosis is a common element of mesothelioma. It causes the area around the cancer to stiffen. Fibrosis acts as a barrier, stopping drugs from getting into the cancer tumor. This limits the immune system’s ability to detect and access the tumor to kill it. A new study is looking at how a family of proteins called lysyl oxidases can help solve this problem. These proteins are associated with fibrosis in many cancers, including mesothelioma. Oncologists targeting fibrosis and this protein family may improve … Continue reading New Drug Targeting Fibrosis may Help Mesothelioma Patients
New Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma Kills Cancer ‘From the Inside Out’
The University of Vermont is about to start a first-in-human trial of a new kind of treatment for malignant mesothelioma. The new approach involves a drug called RSO-021. The drug works differently from other cancer therapies. It blocks the ability of cancer cells to manage their own waste products. It’s developers say the new treatment for malignant mesothelioma aims to kill cancer cells from the inside out. The concept for RSO-021 was first developed at the University of Vermont. Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the UK biotech company RS Oncology have tested the drug in mice with promising results. Human trials of RSO-021 will start soon in the UK. US patients will be recruited in 2022. … Continue reading New Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma Kills Cancer ‘From the Inside Out’
Targeting Nerve Cells Might Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma, Other Cancers
Israeli scientists may have found a new way to fight mesothelioma and other cancers from the inside out by targeting nerve cells. Researchers at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology conducted the new study. It appears in the journal Science Advances. Nerve cells called neurons help promote tumor growth. The team reasoned that targeting these tumor nerve cells with a damaging drug might slow cancer progression. They tested the theory on triple-negative breast cancer tumors in mice. The tumors still grew but they grew much slower than the untreated tumors. The findings could have implications for other hard-to-treat cancers like malignant mesothelioma. New Options Needed for Malignant Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma is one of the rarest and most treatment-resistant cancers. Many … Continue reading Targeting Nerve Cells Might Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma, Other Cancers
Get your free copy of
“Surviving Mesothelioma” Today!