Search Results for: epithelioid

Aspirin Derivative No Match for Mesothelioma
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Aspirin Derivative No Match for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

It may work wonders for aches and pains but apparently the ‘wonder drug’ is no match for the asbestos-linked cancer, malignant mesothelioma. A number of previous studies have suggested a benefit from aspirin for some types of cancer. But Italian scientists testing the aspirin derivative [2-acetoxy-(2-propynyl) benzoate] hexacarbonyldicobalt (Co-ASS) and its analogue hexacarbonyl [μ-(2-ethylphenyl) methanol] dicobalt (Co-EPM) against malignant pleural mesothelioma cells found that both molecules function better as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) agents than as anti-tumor drugs. The researchers tested Co-ASS and Co-EPM against mesothelioma cells of both the more common epithelioid and rarer sarcomatoid types. The most encouraging results were seen with the sarcomatoid cells. Against this cell type, Co-ASS was found to be more potent than either Co-EPM or…

New Prognostic Factor in Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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New Prognostic Factor in Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma that attacks the membrane that lines the abdomen and surrounds internal organs. The outlook for this rare malignancy, which affects fewer than 500 Americans annually, has been improved by the treatment combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The combination has produced 5-year overall survival rates ranging from 29% to 63%. But not all peritoneal mesothelioma patients are good candidates for CRS/HIPEC. The challenge, for clinicians, is identifying which patients are likely to benefit from the procedure (or even be cured) and which are not. In an effort to help answer that question, French researchers recently tested the prognostic value of the glucose transporter protein GLUT1 as well as…

NUMB Gene May Suppress Mesothelioma
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NUMB Gene May Suppress Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers at Shandong University in China have pinpointed the connection between low levels of the protein NUMB and a poor mesothelioma prognosis. NUMB is known to act as an anticancer protein in part by binding to the tumor suppressor p53 and preventing its breakdown. Low levels of the NUMB protein have been linked to several types of cancer. In the latest study, published in Oncology Reports, researchers measured the expression of NUMB in 39 tissue samples of epithelioid mesothelioma. The results were compared using immunohistochemistry (protein testing) to 22 normal pleural tissues. NUMB was found to be significantly lower in the mesothelioma cells and the tissue samples with the lowest expression of NUMB were associated with the poorest prognosis. At the…

Study Lists Factors That Impact Mesothelioma Prognosis
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Study Lists Factors That Impact Mesothelioma Prognosis

ByAlex Strauss

Predicting survival in mesothelioma patients does not have to be complicated. A new Parisian study suggests that simple-to-measure factors such as patient age and the histological subtype of the mesothelioma can be highly accurate prognostic indicators. The study followed 170 patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma between 2000 and 2010 at Saint Antoine Hospital in Paris. Patients in the study were all treated non-surgically. For each patient, a list of parameters was recorded including age, gender, tobacco use, asbestos exposure, type and duration of symptoms, BMI, C-reactive protein levels and white blood cell and platelet counts.  Inflammation of the pleura (pachypleuritis) was also noted, along with the type of diagnostic surgical procedure, histological subtype, the way in which pleurodesis was performed (for…

New ‘Calculator’ May Help Guide Mesothelioma Treatment
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New ‘Calculator’ May Help Guide Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

An NIH study claims to have found a better way to predict treatment response and survival in peritoneal mesothelioma patients. The information could be used to individualize treatment planning and determine which patients are most likely to benefit from aggressive therapies. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that arises in the thin membrane that lines the walls of the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it is highly aggressive, spreading across the membrane quickly and metastasizing to other parts of the body. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos sometime in the patient’s past. Treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma usually consists of surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible (cytoreductive surgery) followed by a wash of heated…

Special Protein May Impact Mesothelioma Outcome
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Special Protein May Impact Mesothelioma Outcome

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients whose cells express a protein called CD9 are likely to do better and live longer than those who don’t produce this special protein. That news comes out of a laboratory at Hiroshima University in Japan. CD9 is a cell surface glycoprotein involved in cell growth, adhesion and mobility. Its expression is associated with several other types of cancer. To measure the impact CD9 expression has on mesothelioma cells, a research team at the Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences in Hiroshima first measured what happened to mesothelioma cells in the lab when CD9 expression was knocked down through gene manipulation. In those cell samples, knockdown of CD9 resulted in more mobility for the cancer cells. The team then examined…

Could Iron Removal Stave Off Mesothelioma?
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Could Iron Removal Stave Off Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

Scientists have long known that exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, but the jury is still out as to exactly why this happens. It is known that the shape of asbestos fibers makes them more likely to lodge deep in tissue, causing chronic irritation. But some have speculated that the high iron content of asbestos – particularly chrysotile asbestos – may also play a key role in triggering mesothelioma. A new study published in the Journal of Pathology appears to support the iron overload/mesothelioma connection.  Japanese scientists studied the effects of three commercially used types of asbestos – chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite – in laboratory rats. Of the three asbestos types, chrysotile brought on mesothelioma the fastest and iron overload…

Pleurodesis May Impact Mesothelioma Scan Results
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Pleurodesis May Impact Mesothelioma Scan Results

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients who undergo a procedure called talc pleurodesis (TP) for excess lung fluid may be harder to monitor with FDG-PET/CT scans afterward. Talc pleurodesis is a procedure used to manage pleura effusions, the build-up of fluid around the lungs that causes many of the most uncomfortable symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma. As a mesothelioma tumor spreads across the pleural lining, the body often produces fluid in response.  As this fluid fills up the pleural cavity between the mesothelial lining and the lungs it can cause pain and make it hard for the mesothelioma patient to breath. Draining the fluid and filling the space with medical-grade talc is one way to deal with the problem. But a new study suggests that…

“Encouraging” Mesothelioma Approach Combines Surgery and Light
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“Encouraging” Mesothelioma Approach Combines Surgery and Light

ByAlex Strauss

A mesothelioma treatment approach that includes light-activated chemicals and a lung-sparing surgery is being called “safe” and “encouraging” by some of the nation’s top mesothelioma researchers. Radical pleurectomy and decortication (P/D) involves the removal of the thickened pleural membrane around the lungs and separation of the pleura from the chest wall. The goal is to allow the lung to expand more easily.  Because it is less likely to remove all of the mesothelioma cells than the more extensive approach known as Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP), some doctors have only considered P/D for patients who would not tolerate lung removal. The debate among the world’s mesothelioma experts continues. But at the University of Pennsylvania, doctors are achieving notable success in treating mesothelioma with a…

MesoMark Falls Short for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

MesoMark Falls Short for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

The Mesomark blood test for mesothelioma may miss the mark when it comes to diagnosing mesothelioma in its earliest stages. That is the conclusion of a large new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  The report was a meta-analysis of patients in 16 studies on the value of serum mesothelin as a marker for mesothelioma.  The studies included data on 4,491 patients, including 1,026 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and various control groups. All were measured for the level of mesothelin in their blood serum using the Mesomark test. Mesothelin is a protein present in the cells of the mesothelial membrane which surrounds the lungs and other internal organs. However, mesothelin is overexpressed in several types of tumors, including mesothelioma….