Search Results for: epithelioid

  • Guidance System May Improve Light-Based Therapy for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Using an infrared camera to guide the direction of a cancer-killing light may boost the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that attacks the membrane surrounding the lungs. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses light and a photosensitizing drug, can be used to kill residual cancer cells after debulking surgery. Uniform distribution of the light is key to the effectiveness of this mesothelioma therapy. Now, a report presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine suggests that the process can be even more effective if an infrared camera is used to track the motion of the light source during treatment, ensuring even distribution. Photodynamic Therapy for Mesothelioma…

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    Immunotherapy Drug May Be New Option for Recurrent Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    There may be new hope for malignant mesothelioma patients whose cancer recurs after treatment. A presentation at the recent World Lung Cancer conference in Vienna earlier this month suggests that the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) could help people with pleural mesothelioma who have run out of treatment options. The author of the new study says his Amsterdam-based team has recorded mesothelioma survival of more than a year after treatment with nivolumab. What is Nivolumab Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to block a cell surface protein called PD-1. As a result of blocking this protein, the body’s immune system is better able to attack the mesothelioma with antitumor T-cells. PD-1 is believed to be expressed by up to…

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    Multi-Modal Mesothelioma Treatment Leads to Three-Year Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    There has been some encouraging news this month for patients suffering from an aggressive form of lung cancer called malignant pleural mesothelioma. New research suggests that, even in patients with advanced mesothelioma, long-term survival is possible with a strategic multi-modal approach. The Research The new mesothelioma study, conducted at several US medical centers and published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, analyzed the survival rates of 73 patients diagnosed with the epithelioid form of pleural mesothelioma between 2005 and 2013. All of the patients had been treated with a combination of pleurectomy/decortication (PD) surgery and intraoperative photodynamic therapy (PDT). PD surgery for malignant mesothelioma treatment involves removal of the diseased pleural membrane, portions of the diaphragm, and other at risk…

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    Mesothelioma Survival May Hinge on Microscopic Cell Differences

    ByAlex Strauss

    Could your odds of surviving pleural mesothelioma be higher with some variations of the disease that with others? That is the theory behind recently published mesothelioma research. After analyzing nearly 200 malignant mesothelioma cases, a team of Welsh pathologists determined that subtle differences in mesothelioma cells can have a measurable impact on survival. The news was best for patients with a particular variety of epithelioid mesothelioma, the most common subtype of the asbestos cancer. Subtypes of Pleural Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is one of three types of mesothelioma. It occurs on the membrane that surrounds the lungs and can spread to the lungs and other organs. It is very difficult to treat and there is no cure. Pleural mesothelioma is divided…

  • Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Looking for mesothelioma information? The following section provides extensive information about mesothelioma, including symptoms, treatment, and more. Click on an item in the menu below to jump to that topic: What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It comes from cells of the mesothelium that covers many internal organs. There are about 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma comes from exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a cancer causing material used in many different kinds of products. Many companies kept using it even after they knew that it was dangerous. Although rare, mesothelioma cancer is not a death sentence. The longest-living mesothelioma survivor in the world wrote a free book about it….

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    New Mesothelioma Grading System May Lead to More Accurate Prognosis

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new method for determining the prognosis of people with peritoneal mesothelioma suggests that patients whose mesothelioma cells have certain characteristics may live as long as 12 years. A research team including scientists from Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York has developed the first two-tier grading system for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of a rare cancer. An estimated 10 to 30 percent of the approximately 3,000 people in the US diagnosed with mesothelioma each year have the peritoneal form of the disease. Like the pleural or lung-related form, peritoneal mesothelioma grows quickly, is resistant to treatment, and is associated with past exposure…

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    Mesothelioma Survival May Depend on the Timing of Chemotherapy

    ByAlex Strauss

    People with one of the rarer subtypes of mesothelioma may live longer if they have chemotherapy as soon as possible after their mesothelioma surgery. That is the finding of an international team of mesothelioma researchers studying the timing of mesothelioma chemotherapy. Their new report has just been published in the prestigious journal, Lung Cancer. Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma Most patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma will have chemotherapy during the course of their treatment. A combination of pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin is the primary first-line treatment for the asbestos cancer. However, the timing of chemotherapy can vary widely, particularly in patients who also undergo mesothelioma surgery. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is administered prior to mesothelioma surgery in an effort to reduce tumor size for more complete removal….

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    Mesothelioma Subtype Unrelated to Source or Degree of Asbestos Exposure

    ByAlex Strauss

    The source or degree of a mesothelioma patient’s asbestos exposure does not appear to have a direct impact on what mesothelioma subtype they develop. That is according to the results of a newly-published study out of Australia, a country with one of the world’s highest rates of asbestos cancer. To make their determination, mesothelioma researchers reviewed malignant mesothelioma cases from the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry between 1962 and 2012, comparing each patient’s subtype with their exposure history. Understanding Mesothelioma Subtypes Mesothelioma tumor subtypes are determined by subtle differences at the cellular level. Subtype is determined by examining mesothelioma cells under the microscope. Understanding mesothelioma subtypes is an important part of developing effective mesothelioma treatments since the different types respond differently to…

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    Tumor Grade and Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    The size, shape and extent of a peritoneal mesothelioma tumor are not the only characteristics that impact mesothelioma survival. A team of pathology researchers from three top US cancer centers say nuclear features – how the nuclei of the cancer cells look and behave –  may also play a significant role in mesothelioma outcomes. Their new study, published in the American Journal of Surgical Pathology, highlights the importance of pathological evaluation of peritoneal mesothelioma cells in determining a patient’s prognosis. Grading Mesothelioma Tumors Peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in the abdomen, is a rare form of a rare cancer, accounting for about a fifth of the 2,500 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the US each year. Most of the remaining cases…

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    Three-Drug Combo May Be New Standard-of-Care for Mesothelioma Treatment

    ByAlex Strauss

    The standard of care for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma may be changing for the first time since pemetrexed (Alimta) was approved more than a decade ago. The 27 member cancer centers of National Comprehensive Cancer Network have amended their mesothelioma treatment guidelines to include the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) as part of first-line therapy for qualified mesothelioma patients. In a recent French study that received worldwide attention, bevacizumab was found to extend mesothelioma survival by 2.7 months when combined with the standard chemotherapy combination of pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin. Although this extension may seem minimal, in a disease that is typically fatal within 4 to 18 months, it is significant. What is Bevacizumbab? Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits…