Rare Case of Pleural Mesothelioma and Breast Cancer
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Rare Case of Pleural Mesothelioma and Breast Cancer

ByHolly Zink

In rare instances, people can have two different types of cancer at the same time. It is especially rare to have pleural mesothelioma and breast cancer. One woman in Portugal was found to have this exact diagnosis. According to the authors who shared her case, she is the first published case of mesothelioma and breast cancer at the same time. A Mesothelioma Diagnosis Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It is caused by exposure to asbestos. This type of cancer forms on the lining of internal organs like the lungs. There are three categories of mesothelioma: epithelial, sarcomatoid, and biphasic. When mesothelioma forms on the lining of the lungs, it is called malignant pleural mesothelioma. It is the…

Breast Cancer and Mesothelioma: Case Study Illustrates Diagnostic Challenge
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Breast Cancer and Mesothelioma: Case Study Illustrates Diagnostic Challenge

ByAlex Strauss

A newly published Croatian case illustrates how challenging it can sometimes be to distinguish between breast cancer and mesothelioma. The case involves a 61-year-old woman with what appeared to be breast cancer. Further study revealed that what the woman actually had was pleural mesothelioma. The mesothelioma had spread to her breast.  Breast cancer and mesothelioma cells look similar under the microscope. But they are very different. The authors of the new report caution doctors against the “pitfall” of mistaking one for the other.  Breast Metastasis is Rare Pleural mesothelioma occurs on the membrane that surrounds the lungs. It is rare for mesothelioma to spread to the breast. The most common place for mesothelioma cells to spread is the lungs.  Women…

Mesothelioma Growth Slowed by Breast Cancer Drug
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Mesothelioma Growth Slowed by Breast Cancer Drug

ByAlex Strauss

A drug most often associated with the treatment and prevention of breast cancer may offer a new way to treat pleural mesothelioma, too. A new study conducted by Ireland’s Royal College of Surgeons and published in the medical journal Anticancer Research focuses on tamoxifen as a novel mesothelioma therapy. How Tamoxifen Works Tamoxifen helps fight breast cancer and protect high-risk women from getting it by blocking cancer cells from using the estrogen they need to grow. Given that some types of mesothelioma tumors also appear to rely on estrogen to fuel their growth, the Irish scientists theorized that a drug like tamoxifen, which modulates estrogen receptors, could be used to enhance mesothelioma therapy. Testing Tamoxifen on Mesothelioma Cells The researchers…

When “Breast Cancer” is Actually Mesothelioma
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When “Breast Cancer” is Actually Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A new case study out of Italy highlights the importance of using all of the available tools – including patient history – to distinguish mesothelioma from other types of cancer. Oncologists in the Ob/Gyn department at Umberto I Hospital in Rome have just published the details of a female patient who was originally believed to have breast cancer. The 49-year-old hairdresser was found to have a hard lump, about 3 centimeters in diameter, lying against the lowest layers of her right breast. But when her doctors performed a biopsy and tested the cells, they discovered that the lump was not what they thought it was. “Estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors were negative,” writes Dr. Marialuisa Framarino-Dei-Malatesta, the paper’s lead author….

‘Breast Cancer Gene’ May Impact Mesothelioma Treatment
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‘Breast Cancer Gene’ May Impact Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A gene most often associated with breast cancer may also play a vital role in the effectiveness of mesothelioma treatment. BRCA1 has been shown to be closely linked to the risk of breast cancer and a number of other malignancies. But a new study out of Ireland suggests that there may also be a connection between BRCA1 expression and sensitivity to vinorelbine, an antimitotic chemotherapy drug, in mesothelioma tumors. Classified as a plant alkaloid, vinorelbine attacks tumor cells by interfering with their ability to properly divide the chromosomes in their nuclei (mitosis). To test the connection between BRCA1 and vinorelbine sensitivity in mesothelioma, the researchers tested 144 mesothelioma tissue specimens for their level of BRCA1 expression.  They found that 38.9% of…