How Inflammation, Stress, and Signaling Shape Mesothelioma’s Growth
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How Inflammation, Stress, and Signaling Shape Mesothelioma’s Growth

ByHolly Zink

Scientists are looking at how long-term inflammation, cell stress, and messed-up cell signaling help mesothelioma cancer cells grow and spread. By looking at these processes in mesothelioma patients, the scientists can learn more about new ways to treat this aggressive cancer. Revolutionizing Mesothelioma Treatment Malignant mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the body’s internal organs. When it grows in the lining of the lungs, it is called pleural mesothelioma. There are about 2,000 cases of pleural mesothelioma in the United States each year. Mesothelioma is linked to exposure to a toxic mineral called asbestos. It can take decades for symptoms of mesothelioma to appear after a person is…

Body Swelling and Joint Pain in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
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Body Swelling and Joint Pain in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

The diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma often includes widespread body inflammation. Inflammation and body swelling occur when white blood cells try to protect against infection. Symptoms of inflammation are often redness, swelling, and joint pain or stiffness. Oncologists have studied the relationship between swelling and cancer for 150 years. New research was recently published in the scientific journal Lung Cancer. French medical oncologists believe that patients with more body swelling may have shorter survival. This suggests that body swelling may play a big role in malignant pleural mesothelioma. Body Swelling to Predict a Developing Mesothelioma Diagnosis Prediction of diagnosis is important for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. The sooner a patient can be diagnosed, the better their outcomes. Oncologists suggest that…

Systemic Inflammation Linked to Shorter Mesothelioma Survival
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Systemic Inflammation Linked to Shorter Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients whose bodies respond to the illness with systemic inflammation are less likely to survive. Chinese researchers have linked a measure of systemic inflammation called SII to shorter survival in people with pleural mesothelioma. The new study involved 97 people with confirmed malignant mesothelioma. It suggests that SII could be a simple, non-invasive way to determine mesothelioma prognosis. What is SII? SII stands for “systemic immune-inflammation index”. When a body is under stress, such as when it is fighting mesothelioma, the innate immune system kicks into action. Certain kinds of white blood cells and proteins are released. The result is systemic inflammation. SII can be determined with a blood test. The test measures the levels of white blood cells…

Aspirin Slows Mesothelioma Growth by Fighting Inflammation
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Aspirin Slows Mesothelioma Growth by Fighting Inflammation

ByAlex Strauss

A group of the world’s top mesothelioma researchers say aspirin may have a role to play in fighting malignant pleural mesothelioma. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid or ASA) is an that is known to help reduce the incidence and spread of certain inflammation-related cancers. Mesothelioma, a cancer that starts on the membrane around the lungs and tends to grow and spread quickly, is caused by an inflammatory response to asbestos fibers. That response is related to an inflammatory molecule called high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Researchers at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, along with colleagues at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in New York and two Italian hospitals theorized that a drug that fights inflammation might fight mesothelioma, too. Using mice infected with…

Inflammation Both “Friend and Foe” in Mesothelioma
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Inflammation Both “Friend and Foe” in Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

An immune system response that causes mesothelioma symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and weight loss may also be helpful to clinicians as a way to find and treat the disease. Scientists with The Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, Australia make that case that both systemic inflammation (throughout the body) and at the site of a tumor – has long been associated with mesothelioma and other cancers. Inflammation results when the body attempts to address the imbalances of cancer by producing more of certain immune system cells. Some inflammatory markers, such as CD+8 T-cells and C-reactive protein, have been linked to better prognosis in mesothelioma. Other inflammatory markers, such as certain macrophages and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, can signal the…