Tag Archives: cancer cells

Scientists Find New Way To Treat Mesothelioma

Scientists Find New Way To Treat Mesothelioma

Scientists Find New Way To Treat Mesothelioma Scientists think they can find new ways to treat mesothelioma by looking at its genetic makeup. The genetic changes and interactions between cancer cells and their environment could hold the key to new therapies. This is the hope of a group of scientists from Italy who published their ideas in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Mesothelioma Tumor and Cancer Genetics Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. One reason it is hard to treat is because it doesn’t have specific genetic targets like other types of cancer. The area around the mesothelioma tumor also makes it hard to treat. The environment around the tumor affects how the tumor … Continue reading Scientists Find New Way To Treat Mesothelioma »

Light-based Diagnostic Tool May Find Early Mesothelioma

Cancer researchers in Japan say technology that uses fluorescent light to detect cancer cells could be used to help find early evidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma. The technology is based on a phenomenon called autofluorescence, explained by the Japanese research team as “the spontaneous emission of light that occurs when mitochondria, lysosomes, and other intracellular organelles absorb light”. Normal cells produce green autofluorescence in response to a certain type of blue light. But in mesothelioma and other cancer cells, the green autofluorescence is reduced and the light emitted shifts to a red-violet. Doctors at the Department of Respiratory Center at Asahikawa Medical University in Hokkaido used this photodynamic diagnostic system to find tiny clusters of mesothelioma cells on the surface … Continue reading Light-based Diagnostic Tool May Find Early Mesothelioma »

Mesothelioma Virus-Based Therapy is Promising

A potential new therapy for mesothelioma could come in the form of a cancer-targeting virus that selectively destroys cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. Triggering that virus to express the antiviral protein, interferon-beta, could further enhance the immune response against the cancer, and reduce the risk of treatment side effects, according to a study of mice published in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research. The viruses used in the study are called oncolytic viruses, and their potential lies in their ability to specifically target cancer cells without harming healthy cells. “The viruses that we use have a preferential tropism for cancer cells over normal cells. That is, they replicate in mesothelioma cells much more potently than they do in … Continue reading Mesothelioma Virus-Based Therapy is Promising »