Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval
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Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval

ByAlex Strauss

A possible new drug for mesothelioma has received FDA approval for the treatment of advanced epithelioid sarcoma.  Tazemetostat (Tazverik) is an oral medication made by a company called Epizyme. It is a brand new kind of drug that blocks a protein called EZH2. Tazemetostat is in testing for several different types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma.  The recent FDA approval is an encouraging sign that it could one day be a new drug for mesothelioma.  In Search of a New Drug for Mesothelioma  Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most serious consequences of exposure to asbestos. Once asbestos fibers get into the lungs and other tissues, they never leave. Their presence sets up a cascade of cellular reactions that can…

Spotting the BAP1 Gene Mutation in Mesothelioma Patients
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Spotting the BAP1 Gene Mutation in Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

New guidelines may make it easier to tell which mesothelioma patients contracted the disease because of a BAP1 gene mutation. The knowledge could have an impact on mesothelioma treatment planning. BAP1 stands for BRCA associated protein-1. People who have an inherited BAP1 gene mutation face a higher risk for several conditions, including malignant mesothelioma.  Very few mesothelioma patients have the mutation and gene testing is not routine. So researchers at a top US cancer center have developed a set of screening criteria. The criteria may help predict which mesothelioma patients could benefit from genetic testing. Testing for the Altered Gene Mesothelioma is just one of the conditions associated with the inherited BAP1 gene mutation. People with this condition are also…

BAP1 Can Distinguish Mesothelioma from Other Conditions
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BAP1 Can Distinguish Mesothelioma from Other Conditions

ByAlex Strauss

German scientists say a protein could help doctors distinguish mesothelioma from other conditions. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that grows on the membranes around organs. These membranes are called mesothelial membranes. But other conditions can also grow on mesothelial membranes. One of those conditions is adenomatoid tumors. Adenomatoid tumors are benign but, even under the microscope, their cells can look a lot like malignant mesothelioma. Now, a group of pathologists in Germany say the BAP1 protein can tell these two conditions apart. If doctors can distinguish mesothelioma from other conditions early enough, mesothelioma patients may have better outcomes. BAP1 Loss and Mesothelioma BAP1 is a protein encoded by the BAP1 gene. BAP1 is one of the proteins that helps keep…

Genetic Mutation Improves Mesothelioma Survival Odds
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Genetic Mutation Improves Mesothelioma Survival Odds

ByAlex Strauss

Another new study has been released that supports the idea that mesothelioma patients who are missing the tumor suppressor called BAP1 are more likely to survive longer than those who have intact BAP1 genes. The BRCA-1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) gene is located on the chromosome 3p21. Because the job of BAP1 is to help suppress cancer, a mutation that causes this gene to be inactive raises the risk that a person could get mesothelioma or another cancer. BAP1 loss has also been associated with increased risk of skin cancer, renal cell cancer and some lung and breast cancers. But there appears to be an upside to BAP1 loss. Data published in the journal Pathology suggests that mesothelioma patients with BAP1…

BAP1 Mutation Unlikely to Trigger Sporadic Mesothelioma
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BAP1 Mutation Unlikely to Trigger Sporadic Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

But researchers at the Clinic of Oncology at the University Hospital of Zurich and University Hospitals in Leuven, Belgium say they have evidence to show that BAP1 mutations account for only a tiny percentage of sporadic mesothelioma cases. Mesothelioma is normally associated with exposure to asbestos dust and previous studies have found that people with the BAP1 mutation are more susceptible to cancer-causing effects of asbestos. Twenty-three percent of mesothelioma tumor specimens have been found to have a mutated BAP1 gene. But some cases of mesothelioma appear to arise “sporadically”, with no history of asbestos exposure.  Researchers around the world have long been trying to pinpoint the reasons these sporadic mesothelioma cases develop in an effort to prevent and/or treat…

BAP1 Mutation May Bode Well for Mesothelioma Survival
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BAP1 Mutation May Bode Well for Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new study has some good news and some bad news for people who carry the BAP1 genetic mutation. The bad news is that they have a significantly higher risk of contracting malignant mesothelioma and several other types of cancer than people without this genetic mutation. The good news is that, people with the BAP1 mutation who do get mesothelioma, have a seven-fold increase in long-term survival over mesothelioma patients without this genetic anomaly.   Now, a multicenter study involving the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute-Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, the Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine in New York, and the New York University Langone Medical Center finds that BAP1 mesothelioma may actually be more survivable….

Genetic Mutation Linked to Mesothelioma
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Genetic Mutation Linked to Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Medical science may finally be a step closer to understanding why some people exposed to asbestos contract malignant mesothelioma and others do not. A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute and conducted by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center has found that people who have a genetic mutation on their BAP1 gene are more susceptible to mesothelioma and several other types of cancer. The study, published in a recent issue of Nature Genetics, followed two families that have an unusually high incidence of mesothelioma, which is typically very rare. In the U.S., mesothelioma affects fewer than 3,000 people each year. This, despite the fact that tens of thousands of…