|

Analysis of Three Top Mesothelioma Biomarkers

ByAlex Strauss
mesothelioma biomarkers

New research confirms that some mesothelioma biomarkers are much more effective than others for detecting asbestos cancer.

The news comes from a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Researchers ran an analysis of more than 50 studies on three popular mesothelioma biomarkers.

They concluded that two of them make good mesothelioma screening tools but one of them does not.  

The Challenge of Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. As with most cancers, the odds of surviving mesothelioma are higher if it is caught early. But mesothelioma does not cause many symptoms in the early stages. This can make it challenging to diagnose.

Even before mesothelioma symptoms like coughing and chest pain develop, there may be subtle signs of cancer.

One of the signs is elevated levels of key proteins in the blood and lung fluid. These proteins can function as mesothelioma biomarkers.

Some Mesothelioma Biomarkers are Better Than Others

The Mount Sinai researchers performed a meta-analysis on three of the top mesothelioma biomarkers. A meta-analysis is a study of studies. The team searched the medical literature for studies on mesothelin, fibulin-3, and osteopontin in blood or lung fluid.

They found 32 studies on mesothelin levels, 12 studies on osteopontin levels, and 9 studies on fibulin-3 levels. The analysis compared the levels of these three proteins in the blood and lung fluid of four groups of people:

  • healthy people
  • people with non-cancer lung conditions
  • people with mesothelioma
  • people with other kinds of cancer  

Best Performing Mesothelioma BIomarkers

Among the mesothelioma biomarkers studied, the one with the most evidence behind it was mesothelin. “Statistically significant mean differences were seen between [pleural mesothelioma] patients and all other comparison groups for mesothelin blood and pleural levels,” writes study author Christina Gillezeau, MPH.

There were also big differences in fibulin-3 levels between mesothelioma patients and all of the other groups.

Osteopontin turned out to be the only one of the three mesothelioma biomarkers that was not very different between people with mesothelioma and those with other cancers.

“Osteopontin may be a useful biomarker for screening healthy individuals or those with benign lung disease, but would not be useful for screening patients with malignancies,” writes Gillezeau. On the other hand, the report concludes that both mesothelin and fibulin-3 are “good candidates for screening biomarkers.”

About 3,000 people receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in the US each year. Most of them have no idea they have it until it is in an advanced stage.

In addition to looking for biomarkers, diagnosis also typically involves imaging studies and examination of suspected tumor cells. A thorough work history – including any history of asbestos exposure – is also vital.

Sources:

Gillezeau, C, et al, “Biomarkers for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a meta-analysis”, June 5, 2019, Concrinogenesis, Epub ahead of print, https://academic.oup.com/carcin/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/carcin/bgz103/5512004?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Similar Posts

  • |

    Mesothelioma Blood Test May Be Possible

    ByAlex Strauss

    An international team of researchers is studying the proteins found on the surface of cancer cells in an effort to improve mesothelioma diagnosis. The team, made up of scientists from the US, Switzerland, Italy and Chile, has just published their findings on a new kind of test to identify protein-derived mesothelioma biomarkers in blood serum. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the membranes around organs. Because the most common mesothelioma biomarker, mesothelin, is also overproduced by other kinds of cancer cells, it has only limited diagnostic value. A test to identify a set of proteins produced specifically by mesothelioma cells could greatly improve diagnostic accuracy. Led by Ferdinando Cerciello and Bernd Wollscheid of the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology in…

  • | |

    Needle Biopsy “Simple, Safe & Accurate” for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma researchers in China say a biopsy method that involves a single skin puncture can produce good diagnostic results for mesothelioma patients with little pain or risk. The study focused on percutaneous (through the skin) biopsy in patients who had unexplained fluid buildup or swelling in their abdomens. Abdominal distension and fluid buildup (called ascites) can be signs of peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive cancer of the abdominal lining caused by exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for less than 30% of all mesothelioma cases. Because the symptoms may be vague and often develop many decades after asbestos exposure, peritoneal mesothelioma can be especially challenging to diagnose.  Misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis are not uncommon. In the newest study on percutaneous…

  • | |

    Inflammation Both “Friend and Foe” in Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    An immune system response that causes mesothelioma symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and weight loss may also be helpful to clinicians as a way to find and treat the disease. Scientists with The Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, Australia make that case that both systemic inflammation (throughout the body) and at the site of a tumor – has long been associated with mesothelioma and other cancers. Inflammation results when the body attempts to address the imbalances of cancer by producing more of certain immune system cells. Some inflammatory markers, such as CD+8 T-cells and C-reactive protein, have been linked to better prognosis in mesothelioma. Other inflammatory markers, such as certain macrophages and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, can signal the…

  • | |

    FDG PET-CT Results Could Lead to Improved Mesothelioma Treatment

    ByAlex Strauss

    In a recent study, researchers say a better understanding of certain diagnostic criteria could result in more targeted treatments for malignant mesothelioma. In a recent published report, doctors from the medical school at Dicle University in Diyarbakir, Turkey measured the relationship between PET-CT scan results and survival in 177 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The patients were diagnosed between April 2007 and April 2011. They had a mean age of 55.4 and most (56%) were male. Patients in the study all had FDG PET-CT scans before beginning their mesothelioma treatment. FDG PET-CT scanning is a powerful imaging tool for mesothelioma and other cancers that combines a radioactive tracer with a combination of positron emission tomography and computed tomography scanning.  Because…

  • | |

    Mesothelioma Surgeons Report New Biopsy Technique

    ByAlex Strauss

    A team of surgeons in Maryland have demonstrated how using a standard biopsy tool in a new way could improve the biopsy process for certain mesothelioma patients. An aggressive cancer of the pleural lining around the lungs, malignant pleural mesothelioma usually requires a tissue biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis. Often this is done using a rigid tool called a thoracoscope inserted into the chest wall while the patient is under general anesthesia. However, mesothelioma doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center detail the case of a 79-year-old suspected mesothelioma patient whose biopsy was done in a minimally-invasive way, under conscious sedation, thanks to the novel use of a standard tool. Although the patient had several of the common signs…

  • |

    New Serum Marker Could Improve Mesothelioma Diagnosis

    ByAlex Strauss

    Japanese researchers believe they have found a way to diagnose a rare form of mesothelioma earlier using a simple blood test. Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM), which represents about a fourth of all mesothelioma cases, is an aggressive malignancy that spreads across the lining of the abdomen. In most cases, DMPM is lethal within a year. The standard treatment for diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is cytoreductive surgery to remove as much of the mesothelioma as possible, followed by intraperitoneal chemotherapy to destroy residual cancer cells. In some studies, this approach has resulted in 5-year survival rates of 30 to 60 percent. However, it is most successful when it is performed early, while the primary mesothelioma tumor is more easily removed. Like all forms of…