Search Results for: epithelioid

Cell Protein Linked to Mesothelioma Survival
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Cell Protein Linked to Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A protein imbedded in the outer wall of their cells appears to have an impact on survival for mesothelioma patients. That’s the conclusion of researchers with a French mesothelioma study panel known as MESOPATH.  After examining 157 cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma, the group found that a protein called c-mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET) could be correlated with survival in more than 75% of them. C-MET is one of many regulatory proteins found both inside and on the outer membrane of cells.  It is responsible for helping direct critical cell functions such as growth, survival, migration and invasion. But it has also been found to be overexpressed and mutated in a variety of malignancies. When the MESOPATH researchers tested mesothelioma cell samples,…

Vatalanib Not Effective as a ‘Single Agent’ for Mesothelioma
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Vatalanib Not Effective as a ‘Single Agent’ for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

There has been a setback for doctors hoping the drug vatalanib would be a viable alternative to chemotherapy for mesothelioma patients. Scientists with the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a research team based at the University of California, have ruled out further study on the medication as a single agent (administered by itself) after a phase II trial found no significant survival benefit among mesothelioma patients. Vatalanib is an oral medicine classified as an anti-angiogenesis drug, designed to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels necessary to ‘feed’ a growing tumor. Although vatalanib has shown promise in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and has been compared to Avastin (bevacizumab), another anti-angiogenesis drug being tested for mesothelioma, the…

New Study Finds EPP Improves Mesothelioma Quality of Life
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New Study Finds EPP Improves Mesothelioma Quality of Life

ByAlex Strauss

New research out of Italy casts another vote in favor of the controversial and radical surgical approach known as extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for treating mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in the pleural membrane which separated the lungs from other internal organs. As the cancer spreads, it restricts the ability of the lungs to expand. Eventually, pleural mesothelioma can spread into the lungs themselves and other internal membranes. Extrapleural pneumonectomy attempts to prevent metastasis by removing the tissues most likely to be effected, including the lung lining, part of the pericardium (lining around the heart), a portion of the diaphragm, and the diseased lung. Because EPP is so radical and so risky (it carries a 60 percent complication rate), many of the…

Mesothelioma Sometimes Spreads to Unexpected Places
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Mesothelioma Sometimes Spreads to Unexpected Places

ByAlex Strauss

The asbestos-linked cancer mesothelioma is usually found in the pleural cavity around the lungs, or the peritoneal cavity encasing the abdomen. But several new studies are reminders of the fact that mesothelioma can spread (metastasize) to unexpected areas of the body. An article in a recent issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery details the case of a 72-year-old woman who was successfully treated for malignant pleural mesothelioma, only to have the disease show up again 2 years later in her colon.  After receiving a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma, the patient underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.  But after two years of follow-up, she was admitted to the hospital with anemia and a CT scan found a large bleeding polyp in…

Radiotherapy and EPP is a Winning Combo for Some Mesothelioma Patients
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Radiotherapy and EPP is a Winning Combo for Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Another study has confirmed the value of radiotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for mesothelioma patients who undergo extrapleural pneumonectomy. A team of Italian researchers recently analyzed the records of 56 mesothelioma patients who had been treated with adjuvant radiotherapy after extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery (EPP) between 2005 and 2010. Caused by exposure to asbestos, malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer of the mesothelial lining around the lungs and other organs. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a radical surgical procedure that involves removing not only the mesothelioma tumors, but also the lung closest to the tumor and a portion of the diaphragm. Although EPP is controversial due to its high rate of complications, a number of studies have shown it to increase survival, especially…

Cell Nucleus a “Strong Predictor” of Mesothelioma Survival
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Cell Nucleus a “Strong Predictor” of Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new study from one of the country’s leading cancer centers suggests that the nuclei of mesothelioma cells may hold vital clues for predicting patient survival. Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  Epithelioid mesothelioma is the most common subtype.  Doctors often use the cancer’s stage – a measure of cancer extent and severity – to predict how well patients will respond to treatment.  But now a group of scientific researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the U.S. and Kagawa University in Japan believe they have found an even more effective prognostic indicator – inside the nucleus of mesothelioma cells. To conduct their experiment, the researchers examined the slides of 232 patients who had been…

New Mesothelioma Biomarker May Also Improve Treatment
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New Mesothelioma Biomarker May Also Improve Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A study conducted by a group of San Francisco researchers suggests that a new biomarker may help make chemotherapy drugs more effective for mesothelioma patients. A biomarker is a substance present in tumor cells that can help doctors identify cancer.  Biomarkers are especially important in mesothelioma, a virulent cancer of the mesothelium, because it can be so difficult to diagnose.  Now, medical researchers at the University of California who have been studying melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) have found it to be an even more precise biomarker than mesothelin, the most common biomarker used to diagnose mesothelioma. MCAM is already being used to help identify other types of cancer including ovarian cancer and certain skin cancers. Unlike mesothelin, which is present in…

Surgery is Inappropriate for Some Mesothelioma Patients
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Surgery is Inappropriate for Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Patients with non-epithelial mesothelioma and lymph node involvement are poor candidates for the extensive surgical procedure known as extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), according to a new study. That’s the finding of a new article published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. Researchers from the Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Surgical Research in Sydney, Australia analyzed the current literature on EPP for malignant pleural mesothelioma. They examined the patient selection process and overall survival of surgical patients in major referral centers where EPP is performed. The most serious of the asbestos cancers, mesothelioma tends to spread quickly and is notoriously resistant to standard treatments. Clinical trials across the globe have confirmed that the best mesothelioma outcomes are seen in patients…

New Biomarker May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma
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New Biomarker May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Scientists in Japan believe that a protein found in the blood serum of rheumatoid arthritis patients may help doctors diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma earlier. Every year in the U.S., as many as 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fast-growing asbestos-linked cancer that often causes few symptoms until in its later stages, when treatment options may be limited. Because earlier detection can increase the odds of survival, researchers around the world are searching for methods to detect mesothelioma sooner.  Much of that research has centered on substances, known as biomarkers, that are overproduced by tumor cells and can be detected in blood serum. The latest biomarker found to be elevated in mesothelioma cells is serum thioredoxin-1 (TRX), a biomarker for rheumatoid…

Study Reveals Mesothelioma Characteristics
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Study Reveals Mesothelioma Characteristics

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma is a thin, fast-spreading tumor of the pleura, peritoneum or pericardium.  These are tissues that surround and encase internal organs. It almost always arises from exposure to asbestos, either on the job or in the home, and can take many years to develop. About 3,000 people are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in the United States every year. Because mesothelioma is such a rare cancer, many published studies focus on a single notable case or a small group of cases.  A new study conducted by the Texas Occupational Medicine Institute attempts to paint a bigger picture of mesothelioma by analyzing a larger number of cases.  The Texas researchers report on the findings of 238 cases of malignant mesothelioma from a private…