| | | | |

Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research Institute

ByHolly Zink

Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research InstituteResearch advancements provide a brighter future for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lung lining. Mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure.

Australian researchers from the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute and the University of Sydney have reviewed the basic research advancements. Their new publication covers mesothelioma biomarkers and treatment strategies.

There is a long latency period from asbestos exposure to cancer development. A lack of genetic biomarkers makes early diagnosis difficult. The prognosis of pleural mesothelioma is poor. There is an average survival of eight to fourteen months following diagnosis.

Diagnostic Biomarkers

Biomarkers are limited in the clinic to diagnose pleural mesothelioma. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in blood or other body fluids that is a sign of a disease, such as cancer.

An invasive biopsy procedure is often required to find a mesothelioma biomarker. This biomarker confirms the final diagnosis.

Previous mesothelioma research advancements have found the exact biomarker related to asbestos carcinogenesis. This research has involved laboratory experimental work. Although there has been some animal research (rat and mice) experimental work. This research has also found many of the other molecular mechanisms. Each plays a role in the development and progression of the disease.

Inhaled asbestos fibers interact with the cells of the lungs. This creates a negative response. Scientists explore many contributing molecular processes such as these.

Scientists have explored DNA damage generated by asbestos fibers. Other studies identified proteins and chemicals absorbed by asbestos fibers. This may lead to an accumulation of hazardous carcinogens in the body. Other studies have explored how asbestos fiber-exposed cells contribute to chronic inflammation. This may also promote the malignant transformation of mesothelial cells.

Treatment Strategies

There is a long latency period from asbestos exposure to cancer development. So, the cancer is usually at an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. At this late stage, treatment options are mostly ineffective at controlling cancer progression.

Standard treatment strategies include surgery combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

Past research advancements have allowed the detection and characterization of mesothelioma genes. This specific genomic profiling represents actionable treatment strategies.

Noteworthy Research Advancements

Research advancements on mesothelioma include disease mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment development.

Research in less invasive blood-based biomarkers and treatment strategies is important. More research in this area will improve diagnostic methods and treatment strategies.

This new publication recaps pre-clinical research advancements in mesothelioma disease biology. These developments have included novel diagnostic biomarkers and treatment strategies.

Sources

Johnson, B., Lee, K., & Cheng, Y. Y. (2021). Pre-Clinical Research Advancements Relating to Improving the Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Review. Onco, 1(2), 49-82. https://doi.org/10.3390/onco1020006

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A team of medical researchers in Italy have achieved what they are calling “excellent” tumor control and survival results in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients using a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma typically spreads quickly across the lung-encasing membrane called the pleura. There is no known cure but treatments are improving. In the current prospective study, 20 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients underwent radical pleurectomy/decortication followed by high doses of radiation. After surgeons removed as much of the visible mesothelioma tumor and surrounding tissue as possible, patients received 50Gy of radiation to the effected side of their chest, delivered in 25 fractions. Regions of particular concern for mesothelioma regrowth got an extra radiation “boost” to…

  • | |

    Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study says there is not enough evidence to support the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of pain associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland reviewed a range of past studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy by searching databases that date back as far as 1974. To be eligible to be included in their review, the study had to focus on malignant pleural mesothelioma and radiotherapy given “with the intent of improving pain”. The study also had to report doses and fractionation of the radiotherapy and how the pain responded. In all, the researchers found eight studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy that met the criteria. Two of the studies were prospective…

  • |

    Website Aims to Protect Homeowners from Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia’s Cancer Council is trying to educate home renovators about their risk for mesothelioma with a new e-learning course. Australia has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world, largely because of several asbestos mining operations that were once located there. Although asbestos has been banned from building products in Australia since 1989, asbestos-linked diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis continue to pose a serious health concern. While mesothelioma has traditionally occurred among people exposed to asbestos on the job, Australia is now bracing for another “wave” of mesothelioma victims among homeowners who encounter asbestos while doing their own renovation projects. Cancer Council Australia has launched “kNOw asbestos in your home” in an effort to…

  • |

    Teacher’s Diagnosis Highlights Mesothelioma Risk in Schools

    ByAlex Strauss

    A recent mesothelioma diagnosis in the UK once again dramatically highlights the fact that even a small amount of asbestos can be deadly. Sixty-three-year-old school teacher Marion Potts of Brockenhurst died of mesothelioma in a Southampton hospital in June. According to an article in The Mirror, the Coroner recorded a verdict of “death from an industrial disease” after hearing evidence last week that Potts actually saw asbestos dust being released when she pinned work on the classroom walls. Most recently, Potts was head of the English department at Romsey School in Hampshire until her retirement two years ago. Mesothelioma is a growing threat among school teachers, administrators, maintenance workers, and even students in British schools. A government report released last…

  • | |

    Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited

    ByAlex Strauss

    A form of highly-targeted radiation therapy for mesothelioma is better than it used to be, but is still risky. That is the message of a recent article on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Author Kenneth E. Rosenzweig, MD, a Radiation Oncologist with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reviewed recent studies on IMRT and mesothelioma. He concludes that, while the “troubling toxicity” associated with IMRT when it was first introduced has not been entirely eliminated, the fact that clinicians now have more experience with it is making a positive difference for mesothelioma patients. Before targeted therapies like IMRT were available, high-dose radiation was not usually a feasible option for mesothelioma since the irregular shape…

  • | | |

    Mesothelioma Nurses Ready for New Cases in Australia

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia is bracing for an expected new wave of mesothelioma cases in the next decade and the Lung Foundation of Australia is taking action now to get ready. The Foundation has paid for ten nurses from around the country to receive specialized training in helping patients and families cope with mesothelioma. The nurses, who have recently completed the training, are now equipped to lead treatment planning for these complex cancer patients and to help other nurses do the same. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that occurs in the lining around the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos dust, a toxin that was once alarmingly prevalent in Australia where it was mined and heavily used in construction. Because…