|

New Biomarker for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByHolly Zink
New Biomarker for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Early treatment for mesothelioma is critical for overall survival. Researchers from Italy may have found a biomarker that can identify malignant pleural mesothelioma up to five years before a clinical diagnosis.

This is an important area of research for mesothelioma because it is hard for doctors to diagnose this disease until it has become too difficult to treat. The sooner that doctors can diagnose a patient with mesothelioma, the sooner they can begin life-saving treatment.

In addition, the current diagnosis methods involve surgically removing cancerous tissue for testing. This type of procedure can be hard even for healthy patients. Because of this, patients who are already too sick from mesothelioma might not be able to get a proper diagnosis.

MicroRNA in Mesothelioma

The researchers in this study focused on extracellular vesicles (EVs) that contain microRNA. EVs are small spheres that help different cells in your body “communicate” with each other. They contain microRNAs, which are tiny non-coding bits of RNA. They play an important role in gene expression inside cells, including mesothelioma cells.

MicroRNAs are well-known signposts or “biomarkers” for several types of cancer. Biomarkers offer a simple, inexpensive, and minimally invasive way to look for cancer.

If doctors could reliably use microRNAs to find mesothelioma in patients before they became too sick, it would be much easier to treat these patients. It could improve overall survival and quality of life for people with mesothelioma.

The researchers in this study wanted to find out if the microRNA found in EVs in pre-clinical MPM cases could be used to identify MPM before a typical diagnosis.

Improving the Diagnosis

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort involves 23 cancer centers from 10 countries in Europe. The study researchers used samples from 82 mesothelioma patients from this cohort.

After sequencing the microRNA profiles, the researchers were able to identify a 3-microRNA panel could identify mesothelioma.

This microRNA panel could be used in combination with other biomarkers like proteins or DNA methylation to improve the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Source

Casalone E, Birolo G, Pardini B, et al. Serum Extracellular Vesicle-Derived microRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Pleural Mesothelioma in a European Prospective Study. Cancers (Basel). 2022;15(1):125. Published 2022 Dec 25. doi:10.3390/cancers15010125. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9817828/

Similar Posts

Mesothelioma Blood Test May Be Possible
|

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
| |

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
| |

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
| |

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
| |

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
|

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…