Quinacrine for Mesothelioma? Anti-Malaria Drug May Help Patients with This Gene Mutation
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Quinacrine for Mesothelioma? Anti-Malaria Drug May Help Patients with This Gene Mutation

ByAlex Strauss

Another study on quinacrine for mesothelioma suggests that the once-popular anti-malaria drug might help a subset of patients with a particular gene mutation. Quinacrine is sold under the brand name Atabrine. It used to be the main anti-malaria drug but most doctors now prefer chloroquine.  Last fall, Penn State research on quinacrine for mesothelioma showed the drug has a “high degree of cytotoxicity” on its own. The newest study initially focused on the potential for synergistic effects of quinacrine and chemotherapy. It turns out that the drug can make cisplatin more lethal to mesothelioma cells. Further tests showed that cells with inactivated NF2 mutations were even more sensitive to quinacrine. As many as 60 percent of mesothelioma patients may have…

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Safe Both Before and After Mesothelioma Surgery
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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Safe Both Before and After Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

A report presented to an international gathering of lung cancer doctors shows an immune checkpoint inhibitor can make pre-surgery chemotherapy more effective for pleural mesothelioma patients.  The report was presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The week-long virtual conference ended yesterday.  Dr. Anne Tsao of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented her study results. They show that mesothelioma patients may benefit from an immune checkpoint inhibitor as part of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The same drug may also be helpful as a maintenance therapy after surgery. How Does an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Work? Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a form of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy treatments work by manipulating the immune…

HITHOC for Pleural Mesothelioma: “Safe, Feasible and Effective”
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HITHOC for Pleural Mesothelioma: “Safe, Feasible and Effective”

ByAlex Strauss

A newly published study says a localized form of chemotherapy called HITHOC for pleural mesothelioma is “safe, feasible, and effective.” Researchers from Italy’s University of Pisa conducted the study. They did a thorough review of the medical literature on the procedure since 1994.  They conclude that HITHOC for pleural mesothelioma after surgery keeps tumors in check and improves survival. The downside is that there is not enough standardization in how doctors use the procedure.  How HITHOC for Pleural Mesothelioma Works HITHOC stands for hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy. Standard mesothelioma chemotherapy enters the whole body at once through the bloodstream. That is one reason that many mesothelioma patients on chemotherapy have side effects like nausea and low white blood cell counts.  HITHOC…

Study Reveals How TTFields and Chemotherapy Fight Mesothelioma
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Study Reveals How TTFields and Chemotherapy Fight Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

TTFields and chemotherapy offer one of the most potent combinations against malignant mesothelioma tumors. Now a new study reveals why they work so well together.  Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are low intensity, intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields. They are delivered into the chest of mesothelioma patients with a vest-like device marketed under the brand name Optune Lua.  In 2019, a combination of TTFields and chemotherapy became the first new FDA-approved treatment for mesothelioma in 15 years.  Now, a new report in the journal Lung Cancer sheds light on the synergy between the two modes of mesothelioma treatment.  Combating Cancer with Electrical Currents The Tumor Treating Fields approach was created by Jersey-based Novocure. The technology uses electrical fields to destabilize critical…

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Surgery for Pleural Mesothelioma: A Prospective Study
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Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Surgery for Pleural Mesothelioma: A Prospective Study

ByAlex Strauss

A new prospective Japanese mesothelioma study shows the potentially life-saving benefits of undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. This has been the preferred way to treat pleural mesothelioma for many years. But most of the studies on it are retrospective. This means that researchers analyze data on mesothelioma patients who already had treatment. In many cases, they are patients who have died.  The new study is one of the few prospective studies on neoadjuvant chemotherapy and mesothelioma surgery.  In a prospective study, researchers enroll patients and follow their progress through treatment.  Pleural mesothelioma is often fatal within a few months. But ninety-five percent of the study subjects who had presurgical chemotherapy followed by an operation were still alive a year…

New Study: PD Surgery and HITHOC for Pleural Mesothelioma
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New Study: PD Surgery and HITHOC for Pleural Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

German doctors say a combination of extended PD surgery and HITHOC has produced some ‘remarkable’ results for patients with pleural mesothelioma.  Extended PD (pleurectomy with decortication) is a lung-sparing surgical procedure for people with cancer on the pleural membrane around the lungs. HITHOC is a method for infusing the area with heated chemotherapy drugs without sending those drugs through the whole body.  Together, extended PD surgery and HITHOC produced median progression-free survival of more than a year and a half for mesothelioma patients in a new German study. Their experience is the focus of a new article in the journal Respiration.  Removing and Killing Cancer Cells: The One-Two Punch Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that starts on the…

Comparing Second-Line Therapies for Recurrent Mesothelioma
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Comparing Second-Line Therapies for Recurrent Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

University of Pennsylvania researchers have some hopeful news for people with recurrent mesothelioma after chemotherapy: Second-line immunotherapy might increase their odds of survival. Previous studies show that recurrent mesothelioma patients who had immunotherapy lived longer than those on placebo. But doctors were not sure how second-line immunotherapy compared to second-line chemotherapy in these patients. The new study showed a clear survival advantage for those who had immunotherapy.  Coping with Recurrent Mesothelioma Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a grim prognosis. Most people who receive a mesothelioma diagnosis start treatment with chemotherapy. A combination of Alimta (pemetrexed) and a platinum drug is the most common first-line treatment.  But even the standard-of-care rarely keeps this virulent cancer at bay for…

Inflammation Protein May Impact Drug Therapies for Mesothelioma
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Inflammation Protein May Impact Drug Therapies for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A protein involved in the inflammatory process could impact how patients respond to drug therapies for mesothelioma. The news comes from researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.  The team led by Joseph Testa, PhD, recently released a study of a protein called RIPK3 and its role in malignant mesothelioma.  Their research showed that people with little or no expression of RIPK3 were less sensitive to drug therapies for mesothelioma. Turning that gene back on might make tumor cells more responsive. The finding could lead to new, more powerful ways to treat this aggressive cancer.  RIPK3, Mesothelioma, and Inflammation Mesothelioma is a rare but fast-growing form of cancer that comes from asbestos exposure. Tumors grow on the tissue that…

Tri-modality Mesothelioma Treatment Triples Survival Time in New Study
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Tri-modality Mesothelioma Treatment Triples Survival Time in New Study

ByAlex Strauss

A comparison of chemotherapy alone versus surgery-based tri-modality treatment for mesothelioma shows patients who take the more aggressive path tend to live much longer. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. Many patients die within a year of diagnosis. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment. But chemotherapy alone is rarely enough to stop this aggressive cancer. Tri-modality mesothelioma treatment combines several different types of therapies. The goal is to attack mesothelioma from different angles.  Now, a new study suggests that patients who go this route triple their survival over those who choose more conservative treatment. Surgery-Based Tri-Modality Mesothelioma Treatment Pleural mesothelioma is a fast-growing malignancy on the lining around the lungs. It is almost always caused…

Real-World Mesothelioma Patients Need New Systemic Treatments
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Real-World Mesothelioma Patients Need New Systemic Treatments

ByAlex Strauss

The newest study on real-world mesothelioma patients illustrates the need for more ways to treat this devastating cancer.  Many studies focus on a carefully-chosen subset of patients. Patients have to meet specific guidelines to qualify for a mesothelioma clinical trial.  But the authors of a new report in Future Oncology focused on real-world mesothelioma patients in community clinics. The goal was to see what kinds of treatments these patients got and how well they worked.  The results show most people do not have other treatments after first-line therapy. They also suggest that mesothelioma doctors and patients need new first-line alternatives.  First- and Second-Line Mesothelioma Therapies Malignant mesothelioma is the name for cancer on the membranes around internal organs. Pleural mesothelioma…