Tumor Treating Fields for Mesothelioma Faces Criticism
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Tumor Treating Fields for Mesothelioma Faces Criticism

ByAlex Strauss

Tumor Treating Fields for mesothelioma is coming under fire from some other researchers. The treatment uses electricity to interfere with division of cancer cells. The FDA approved it for mesothelioma last year under the Humanitarian Device Exemption. It is only the second treatment ever approved for asbestos cancer.  But scientists in Italy and the Netherlands are disputing some of the findings from the STELLAR trial of TTFields. They published separate articles in a recent issue of The Lancet Oncology. STELLAR tested Tumor Treating Fields along with chemotherapy as a novel mesothelioma treatment. The FDA based its approval on the STELLAR results.  But the newly published articles suggest that there were problems with the trial. Both say Tumor Treating Fields is…

Drug May help Mesothelioma Patients Overcome Resistance to Chemotherapy
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Drug May help Mesothelioma Patients Overcome Resistance to Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

A newly-identified compound might eventually help mesothelioma patients overcome resistance to chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy resistance is one of the main reasons that mesothelioma treatments fail.  But researchers at Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified a compound that combats resistance to chemotherapy with cisplatin.  Cisplatin is one of the primary drugs in first-line chemotherapy for mesothelioma. If mesothelioma cells can be sensitized to it, patients may have better outcomes.   First-Line Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that grows on the lining around the lungs. Peritoneal mesothelioma starts on the lining of the abdomen. Both types of mesothelioma are caused by asbestos exposure.  Chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta) is the treatment that doctors usually try…

Supplements During Chemotherapy May Work Against Mesothelioma Treatment
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Supplements During Chemotherapy May Work Against Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that it could be risky to take supplements during chemotherapy for mesothelioma and other cancers.  The study took place at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. It focused on more than 1,100  breast cancer patients. It found that patients who took certain antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy had worse outcomes than those who did not.  The study’s authors say antioxidants undermine one of the main jobs of chemotherapy drugs – to create oxidative stress in cancer cells. Chemotherapy is the primary first-line treatment for malignant mesothelioma and many other cancers.  Why Avoid Antioxidant Supplements During Chemotherapy? Antioxidants are compounds found in many fruits and vegetables. Vitamins A, C, E, and B12 are examples…

Response to Chemotherapy in Mesothelioma Patients: Could This Protein Predict It?

Response to Chemotherapy in Mesothelioma Patients: Could This Protein Predict It?

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that a protein called Activin A could help predict response to chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. It may also make it easier for doctors to distinguish mesothelioma from benign lung tumors. Activin A influences many cellular processes. Among other things, it plays a role in cell proliferation, immune response, metabolism, and natural cell death.  FInnish researchers say mesothelioma patients with higher levels of Activin A in their blood are more likely to suffer from cachexia. Cachexia is weakness and wasting of the body due to chronic illness. High expressors of Activin A are also less likely to have a good response to chemotherapy.  Activin A and Mesothelioma Activin A is a member of the…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems

ByAlex Strauss

More than half of patients who have peritoneal mesothelioma surgery with HIPEC develop problems with their blood cells afterward. That’s the finding of a team of cancer researchers from Singapore.  The group analyzed 15 years worth of data on peritoneal mesothelioma surgery outcomes. They found that, even though the procedure saves lives, it can be risky.  Older patients and those who had prior chemotherapy were most likely to develop hematological toxicities after peritoneal mesothelioma surgery.  Hematological Toxicities and Mesothelioma Treatment Hematological toxicities are problems with the cells that make up the blood. This can include white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and proteins involved in bleeding and clotting.  Several drugs that kill mesothelioma cells can cause blood cell problems….

Mesothelioma Tumor Response to Nivolumab Detailed in New Case Study
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Mesothelioma Tumor Response to Nivolumab Detailed in New Case Study

ByAlex Strauss

An Indian woman in still alive two years after a mesothelioma diagnosis thanks to a remarkable mesothelioma tumor response to nivolumab. Nivolumab is sold under the brand name Opdivo. It is a type of immunotherapy. Nivolumab is sometimes used for lung cancer that progresses after chemotherapy. A hospital in Mumbai tried nivolumab on a pleural mesothelioma patient after several types of chemotherapy did not work. Doctors say the mesothelioma tumor response to nivolumab was so great that the patient no longer needed supplemental oxygen.  Opdivo in Mesothelioma Treatment Opdivo is not FDA-approved for mesothelioma treatment. Only Alimta (pemetrexed) holds that designation. But pleural mesothelioma grows quickly and is hard to treat. Even the gold standard therapies often do not work…

Effect of Chemotherapy on Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Effect of Chemotherapy on Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Belgian scientists say they are still not sure about the effect of chemotherapy on immunotherapy for mesothelioma. They reached that conclusion after testing several different chemotherapy drugs on mesothelioma cells in the lab. The combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy is “chemoimmunotherapy”. It aims to harness the unique powers of each treatment approach. A meta-analysis last May called chemoimmunotherapy the “next frontier” in mesothelioma treatment.  But the new Belgian study on the effect of chemotherapy on immunotherapy highlights how much doctors still do not know about the combo. Immune Checkpoints Are the Key When it is working properly, the immune system is supposed to find and kill cancer cells before they become mesothelioma tumors. But mesothelioma cells can hide from the…

Isolated Thoracic Perfusion for Mesothelioma Symptom Relief
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Isolated Thoracic Perfusion for Mesothelioma Symptom Relief

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that a treatment called isolated thoracic perfusion could help alleviate some of the worst symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Isolated thoracic perfusion is a method for circulating medicine in just one area of the body. When doctors circulated chemotherapy drugs in the chests of people with pleural mesothelioma, their symptoms went away for several months.  Now, the team says it is time to test the technique in a bigger pool of mesothelioma patients.  The Theory Behind ITP Pleural mesothelioma is a membrane cancer that occurs in the chest. Chemotherapy drugs like Alimta can be powerful weapons against pleural mesothelioma. But they can also damage healthy tissues.  When healthy tissues are damaged by chemotherapy, mesothelioma patients can…

Unresectable Peritoneal Mesothelioma Becomes Operable After Bi-Directional Chemotherapy
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Unresectable Peritoneal Mesothelioma Becomes Operable After Bi-Directional Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

French researchers have successfully operated on a man with unresectable peritoneal mesothelioma after treating him with bi-directional chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for unresectable peritoneal mesothelioma. Most mesothelioma patients have chemotherapy by IV infusion. But some cancer centers now offer another chemotherapy delivery method. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy bypasses the bloodstream. It lets doctors put higher doses of cancer-killing medicine at the site of a tumor. The French team combined the two types of chemotherapy in one patient. It shrunk the patient’s unresectable peritoneal mesothelioma tumor enough to perform surgery.  Two Types of Mesothelioma Chemotherapy With IV chemotherapy, medicine travels to the tumor through the bloodstream. It is one way of treating unresectable peritoneal mesothelioma. One drawback of IV chemotherapy…

Cediranib for Mesothelioma: VEGF Inhibitor Fails Another Trial
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Cediranib for Mesothelioma: VEGF Inhibitor Fails Another Trial

ByAlex Strauss

Cediranib for mesothelioma appears to be ruled out by another failed clinical trial.  A new study led by MD Anderson researchers concludes that the VEGF inhibitor causes too many side effects for not enough survival benefit.  It is a blow to researchers hoping to use cediranib for mesothelioma patients on chemotherapy.  Cutting Off Tumor Blood Supply Cediranib is an oral drug made by AstraZeneca. It is part of a class of drugs called VEGF inhibitors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signal protein that stimulates blood vessel formation in tumors. Research shows that mesothelioma patients who have higher serum levels of VEGF have a lower chance of survival.  VEGF inhibitors like cediranib latch onto VEGF receptors inside mesothelioma cells….