Ultrasound More Accurate for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
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Ultrasound More Accurate for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Ultrasound may be a more accurate and cheaper option than CT scans for malignant pleural mesothelioma. A group of Italian researchers examined the use of ultrasound to help diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma. The goal was to help doctors locate optimal sites for biopsies. Diagnosing Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops from mesothelium cells. The mesothelium is the lining that covers many of our internal organs. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, a toxic substance used in industrial and consumer products. When mesothelioma develops in the lining of our lungs, it is called malignant pleural mesothelioma. It can take around 40 years for malignant pleural mesothelioma to develop after asbestos exposure. Diagnosing malignant pleural…

Clinical Scan Anxiety before a Mesothelioma Medical Scan? You’re not Alone.

Clinical Scan Anxiety before a Mesothelioma Medical Scan? You’re not Alone.

ByHolly Zink

Many mesothelioma patients with advanced cancer have anxiety before a clinical scan. Clinicians have even coined this clinical scan anxiety as “scanxiety.” A new study published by Supportive Care in Cancer looked at the experiences of scans and scanxiety in patients with advanced cancer. They were looking for the best strategies to reduce clinical scan anxiety or scanxiety. The research team conducted interviews with 16 patients with advanced cancer. The team asked about anxiety felt during computed tomography (CT) scans for monitoring of their cancer. Anxiety About the Scan Experience and Scan Results For these patients, scans were viewed as a routine and normal part of cancer care. This is one of those “necessary evils” that is part of the…

Mesothelioma Blood Test Could Help Delay Time Between CT Scans
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Mesothelioma Blood Test Could Help Delay Time Between CT Scans

ByAlex Strauss

A mesothelioma blood test could make it possible to stretch the time between CT scans to monitor treatment progress. That is the conclusion from a team of cancer experts in Italy. The researchers compared the results of the SMRP mesothelioma blood test to CT scans and other prognostic indicators in pleural mesothelioma patients.  Doctors typically use a set of criteria called mRECIST to assess how well a particular therapy is working. mRECIST includes measurements from CT scans. But CT scans are expensive, time-consuming, and expose patients to ionizing radiation.  The goal of the new study was to see how closely SMRP levels correlated with mRECIST results. The team says the blood test appears to be accurate enough that it could…

Mesothelioma Surgical Decisions: New Method May Make Them Easier
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Mesothelioma Surgical Decisions: New Method May Make Them Easier

ByAlex Strauss

Cancer researchers in India and the UK have come up with a method for making better mesothelioma surgical decisions. The group focused on peritoneal mesothelioma, the second most common form of asbestos cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the membrane around the abdominal organs. It can spread throughout the abdomen.  Some peritoneal mesothelioma patients get good results with cytoreductive surgery. But success depends on a number of factors such as how far cancer has spread and where mesothelioma tumors are located. The new decision-making tool reminds doctors of five important factors to consider when making mesothelioma surgical decisions for the best outcomes. It is based on the acronym PAUSE. Peritoneal Mesothelioma and the Promise of CRS/HIPEC Malignant mesothelioma is an especially aggressive…

Concerning CT Findings and Mesothelioma Prognosis
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Concerning CT Findings and Mesothelioma Prognosis

ByAlex Strauss

One of the nation’s top mesothelioma doctors says concerning CT findings may be one of the best ways to predict peritoneal mesothelioma outcomes.  Dr. Paul Sugarbaker is with MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. His newly published study compares 11 different concerning CT findings with outcomes in 100 mesothelioma patients.  Sugarbaker and his team found that the prognostic value of these 11 CT features is on a par with peritoneal cancer index (PCI) and cytoreduction (CC) score. It means that CT findings could become even more important for mesothelioma treatment planning.  CT Scans Reveal Information About Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs on the lining around the abdomen. It is an aggressive and hard-to-treat cancer caused by exposure to asbestos….

New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Could Catch Some Mesotheliomas Earlier
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New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Could Catch Some Mesotheliomas Earlier

ByAlex Strauss

New lung cancer screening guidelines for smokers might have an unexpected benefit for people who have also been exposed to asbestos: They may catch mesothelioma earlier.  Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a lung-related cancer caused by asbestos. It develops over many years. Many mesothelioma patients do not show any symptoms until the disease is very advanced. There is currently no routine screening for mesothelioma. The new lung cancer screening guidelines apply to people ages 50 to 80. They suggest that those who have smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years should have annual low-dose CT scans.  If screening shows a tumor, doctors can dig further to determine its type. Both lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma are more…

CT Scans Fail To Identify Metastatic Mesothelioma Prior to Surgery
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CT Scans Fail To Identify Metastatic Mesothelioma Prior to Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

CT scans are not a reliable way to detect the spread of mesothelioma into certain lymph nodes between the ribs. This is important because people with mesothelioma cells in their posterior intercostal lymph nodes (PILN) do not tend to get good results from P/D surgery. Surgeons need a good way to find mesothelioma cells in these lymph nodes before they decide to perform this risky operation. But University of Pennsylvania researchers say CT scans are not the best method.  CT Scans in Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis CT stands for computerized tomography. A CT machine uses a series of X-ray images from different angles to create a 3D picture of a mesothelioma tumor. Most hospitals have a CT scanner. They are…

Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment
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Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment

ByAlex Strauss

New research shows MRI beats CT when it comes to measuring the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma. Scientists from several of the top US cancer centers ran the study. It included nearly 500 mesothelioma patients and appears in the journal Clinical Colorectal Cancer.  The study shows that the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma is more visible on MRI than it is on CT. The news could make a difference in how doctors plan peritoneal mesothelioma treatment.  Peritoneal Cancer Index and Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer grows on the peritoneal membrane lining the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it usually comes from exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about a fifth of all mesothelioma cases.  Doctors assess the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma…

Tracking Mesothelioma Recurrence: FDG-PET/CT Versus CT
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Tracking Mesothelioma Recurrence: FDG-PET/CT Versus CT

ByAlex Strauss

FDG-PET/CT may be a more effective way to track malignant pleural mesothelioma recurrence than contrast-enhanced CT scanning.  That is the conclusion of cancer researchers with Japan’s Hyogo College of Medicine. The researchers focused on fifty patients who underwent radical surgery for pleural mesothelioma. Afterwards, doctors used both FDG-PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT scans to track mesothelioma progression. Two experienced examiners assessed the cases. They concluded that FDG-PET/CT was more accurate than CT for diagnosing mesothelioma recurrence. Mesothelioma Recurrence After Surgery Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. It arises in the layers of the pleural membrane that surrounds the lungs. Mesothelioma tumors tend to grow and spread quickly. Treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy can sometimes slow…

Accurate Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma with History and Imaging Only
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Accurate Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma with History and Imaging Only

ByAlex Strauss

Medical history and CT imaging may be enough to make an accurate diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma, even without a biopsy. That finding comes from a team of French and Canadian researchers led by Universite Laval in Quebec.  Biopsy is usually considered critical for accurate diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma. But the French and Canadian team says imaging studies may provide enough information to make a diagnosis.  This could be especially good news for people who are not healthy enough to undergo thoracoscopy. Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnostic Procedure: First Steps Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that grows on the membranes around internal organs.  This cancer is rare and notoriously difficult to diagnose, especially in…