Search Results for: epithelioid

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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    Surgery, Tumor Grade Have High Impact on Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    A population based analysis of people with malignant pleural mesothelioma suggests that tumor grade and surgery have the greatest impact on overall survival. The study conducted by researchers in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester in New York analyzed the medical records of 9,701 mesothelioma patients from 1973 to 2006.   Their goal was to examine the variables that affect the overall survival in people with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Of the 9,701 patients followed, 55 percent were still alive six months after diagnosis.  Thirty-three percent survived for a year and another 5 percent were still living five years after their mesothelioma diagnosis.  Younger patients, women, those with the most common (epithelioid) type of…

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    For Select Mesothelioma Patients EPP Improves Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study has confirmed the value of the surgical approach known as extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma in select patients. The pleural membrane separates the lungs from other internal organs. Pleural mesothelioma starts in the pleural tissue where it can cause the membrane to thicken and stiffen, restricting the ability of the lungs to expand. Eventually, the pleural cancer may metastasize into the lungs and other internal membranes. Extrapleural pneumonectomy attempts to prevent the mesothelioma cancer from further spreading to other parts of the body cavity by removing the tissues most likely to be effected. During an extrapleural pneumonectomy, the surgeon removes part of the parietal pleura, or lung lining, as well as part…

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    Study Predicts Survival in Mesothelioma Patients

    ByAlex Strauss

    People who are older than 70, have a high white blood cell count, or high levels of a particular protein in their blood may be less likely to survive malignant mesothelioma than other patients. This is the finding of a group of researchers from the University of Tokyo.  The researchers studied 314 patients who had been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure.  The survival of these patients was tracked using the Kaplan-Meier method, which takes into account the fact that certain patients may drop out of such a study prior to its completion. In addition to finding that older patients, those with high white blood cell counts, and those with high C-reactive protein levels were…