Challenges and Promises for Mesothelioma Gene Therapy
| |

Challenges and Promises for Mesothelioma Gene Therapy

ByAlex Strauss

A new report in the medical journal Cancer Gene Therapy says treatments that are based on genetic manipulation with the aid of modified viruses may be the wave of the future for combatting malignant pleural mesothelioma. The report comes from scientists at the Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute and Chiba University Medical School in Japan, where the incidence of mesothelioma is still increasing. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-linked cancer for which there is currently no standard cure. The Japanese team’s analysis of current global research on gene and virotherapy suggests that treatments that impact a particular genetic abnormality in the DNA of mesothelioma cells may have the greatest impact on the disease. They explain the process this way: “Preclinical studies targeting the…

hands
| |

Neoadjuvant Chemo Combo May Improve Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

For treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma prior to surgery, one chemotherapy combination may be better than another.  That is the central message of a recent Italian study published in Anticancer Research. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It affects the membranes around organs and is often incurable. According to some studies, patients who have the best odds of survival are those who undergo multimodal therapy, including some combination of chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy. The folate antimetabolite pemetrexed (Alimta) was the first chemotherapy drug specifically approved for the treatment of mesothelioma. It can be used prior to surgery (neoadjuvant) as a way to shrink a tumor and make it more operable, or after surgery (adjuvant) as a way…

PET Scan
| |

FDG/PET Best for Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis

ByAlex Strauss

When it comes to diagnosing mesothelioma and predicting patient prognosis, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using a radioactive tracer may be the most effective imaging modality. That’s the finding of a new study out of Japan. Mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer that starts on the mesothelial membranes which line the chest cavity or wrap around the lungs and heart. It is caused by past exposure to asbestos, most often in an industrial setting. The greater the level of exposure, the greater the likelihood that mesothelioma will occur. Because it is highly resistant to conventional treatments, early diagnosis is critical. Unfortunately, mesothelioma can also be challenging to diagnose. If patient history and symptoms suggest mesothelioma, imaging modalities like computed tomography (CT) and X-rays can…

New Radiotherapy Preserves Healthy Lung in Mesothelioma
| |

New Radiotherapy Preserves Healthy Lung in Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A method for targeted delivery of radiotherapy may be safer than conventional radiotherapy for slowing the spread of malignant pleural mesothelioma in patients who have had surgery. Mesothelioma is a virulent cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Although it can take up to 40 year to develop, when it does, it often spreads quickly across the mesothelium which surrounds the lungs. For most patients, prognosis is poor unless the spread of mesothelioma can be slowed down or stopped. Some patients undergo a surgical procedure called pleurectomy/decortication to remove the diseased pleural lining and as much of the cancerous tissue as possible from the lungs or chest wall. The concern following any cancer surgery is that the cancer can re-grow from cells that…

New Orphan Drug Approved for Mesothelioma
| |

New Orphan Drug Approved for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma, a virulent asbestos-linked cancer, now have another drug option to choose from. Amatuximab, an investigational cancer drug made by Morphotek, has been granted orphan drug status by the FDA. The Orphan Drug Act allows the FDA to designate a drug as an orphan drug if it is used to treat fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Any illness that affects fewer than 200,000 people is considered a rare disease. Mesothelioma is one of the rarest of rare diseases, claiming the lives of about 2,500 Americans annually. Without the Orphan Drug Act, there is less incentive for a company like Morphotek to even work to develop drugs for a disease like mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a…

Measles May Help Fight Mesothelioma
| |

Measles May Help Fight Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A new mesothelioma clinical trial being conducted at the Mayo Clinic uses an altered version of the measles virus to combat the deadly cancer. The potential of the measles virus to kill cancers like mesothelioma was noticed many years ago, before vaccination curtailed the spread of measles. In several cases, cancer patients who contracted natural measles experienced shrinkage of their tumors. Today, advanced molecular science has made it possible to insert a new gene into the measles virus that can further increase its specificity and potency against mesothelioma tumor cells. Because malignant pleural mesothelioma (the most common type) arises on the mesothelial membrane around the lungs, Mayo Clinic researchers administer the altered measles virus directly into the pleural space, between the lungs…

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Always Recruiting

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Always Recruiting

ByAlex Strauss

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis.  Because it spreads quickly and there is no single cure with standard therapies, participating in a clinical trial can be one way for mesothelioma patients to access promising treatments without waiting for FDA approval. Every clinical trial has its own set of requirements for participation. Some are open to newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients while others are reserved for those who have failed to respond to other treatments.  Participants usually must agree to a full physical exam, including urine and blood samples, and must agree to follow study protocols and have regular follow-up appointments. The National Cancer Institute provides a online database of clinical trials for mesothelioma and every other cancer.  Currently…

New Radiotherapy Technique May be Safer for Mesothelioma
| |

New Radiotherapy Technique May be Safer for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

There’s more evidence that an advanced method for delivering radiotherapy may improve survival for mesothelioma patients after surgery. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a surgical procedure for malignant pleural mesothelioma that involves removing the mesothelioma tumor, as well as the pleural lining where the tumor is located, the nearest lung, all or part of the diaphragm, and other internal membranes. It is often followed by adjuvant radiotherapy to kill remaining tumor cells. Because the radiation target area in post-operative mesothelioma patients is irregular in shape and located close to critical internal organs, many patients receive a targeted type of radiotherapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). But postoperative IMRT also carries a high risk of a potentially fatal lung condition called…

Surgery Provides Better Mesothelioma Diagnosis for Some Patients
| |

Surgery Provides Better Mesothelioma Diagnosis for Some Patients

ByAlex Strauss

For patients who can tolerate it, a Japanese research team says an operation to remove part of the chest lining may be the best way to diagnose early malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive cancer of the membrane encasing the lungs (pleura), is often difficult to diagnose. A buildup of fluid between the layers of the pleura, known as pleural effusion, is one of the first clinical signs of mesothelioma. For this reason, pleural effusion cytology is often one of the first diagnostic tests performed in suspected cases. Doctors draw off some of the pleural fluid and test it for evidence of cancer cells. But researchers from the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Hyogo College of Medicine…

Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer? Pleural Fluid May Tell
| |

Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer? Pleural Fluid May Tell

ByAlex Strauss

One of the biggest challenges in treating malignant pleural mesothelioma is making a definitive diagnosis. Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the membranous tissue encasing the lungs and other organs. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Although mesothelioma is not technically a lung cancer, many of its most common symptoms, such as shortness of breath and coughing, are similar to lung cancer and other lung diseases. Like mesothelioma, many of these diseases cause a buildup of fluid around the lungs known as pleural effusion.  But there are subtle differences in the biochemical composition of that fluid from one disease to the next. A team of medical researchers in Japan is testing a new method for detecting and using…