|

Predicting Survival in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink
Predicting Survival in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Researchers found a new way of predicting survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. The prognostic model takes information from the health record to predict survival.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The new prognostic model can help doctors decide on the best treatment plan. This is important for newly-diagnosed patients. And it will have a big impact on their prognosis and quality of life.

Many factors can affect a malignant mesothelioma prognosis. Some relate to the patient’s overall health and disease stage or type. While others have to do with the type of treatment the patient undergoes.

Several prognostic models have been developed for mesothelioma. These all include information from the patient’s record. And all of them are trying to predict patient survival.

The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scoring is popular. Another is the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALBG) index. And the Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) has been used to predict mesothelioma survival. Unfortunately, none of these models are perfect.

New Prognostic Model

Scientists at the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine in Istanbul have created a new model.

The team analyzed the outcomes of 53 mesothelioma patients between 2011 and 2020. They looked at which factors were most likely to impact patient outcomes and to what degree.

They focused on patients who received a tri-modality treatment plan. A combined tri-modality includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. This approach is often used in mesothelioma patients.

“Our aim was to provide a cheap, easily accessible, and reproducible prognostic index…,” says author Tugba Basoglu. “Our aim is to investigate a non-invasive and better predictor model for survival in daily practice.”

The model uses 5 different clinical factors in the equation. It included white blood cell (WBC) count, albumin, serum calcium level, LDH, and ALP levels.

The new prognostic model shows some early success. It was successful in predicting survival outcomes in most mesothelioma patients. The new model is a powerful tool for oncologists. And it offers hope to those newly-diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Source:

Basoglu, Tugba, Nazim Can Demircan, Tugce Kubra Gunes, Mehmet Umut Capar, Merve Cinar, Rukiye Arikan, Tugba Akin Telli, Ozlem Ercelep, Faysal Dane, and Perran Fulden Yumuk. “A Laboratory Prognostic Index Model for Predicting Survival in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.” (2022). https://www.ejmi.org/10.14744/ejmi.2022.38653/  

 

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…

New Prognostic Factor in Peritoneal Mesothelioma
|

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…

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…