mesothelioma

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    Ultrasound: A Safer Way to Manage Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    The same technology used by obstetricians to track pregnancies and by cardiologists to find blood clots may also play a valuable role in managing mesothelioma. An Indonesian mesothelioma doctor says ultrasound technology is not only safer than radiation, but also portable, non-invasive and relatively inexpensive to use. In a recent article published in an Indonesian medical journal, Dr. C.M. Rumende of the University of Indonesia Medical School says ultrasonography of the lungs allows clinicians to diagnose some abnormalities common in mesothelioma, including the buildup of lung fluid known as pleural effusion, more rapidly than they could with other imaging modalities. “In addition to pleural effusion,” observes Dr. Rumende, “other lung disorders can be diagnosed by ultrasound such as peripheral lung tumors,…

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    Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Shows Promise

    ByAlex Strauss

    Despite the continuing efforts of researchers around the world, there is currently no standardized cure for mesothelioma. The asbestos-linked cancer is fast-growing and often resistant to conventional therapies. But a growing number of studies have pointed to the value of unconventional treatments like immunotherapy for mesothelioma. Immunotherapy refers to any treatment protocol which aims to harness the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells.  In a recent article in The Lancet Oncology, two National Cancer Institute researchers summarized some of the most promising immunotherapy approaches now being investigated for mesothelioma: In dendritic cell-based immunotherapy, dendritic cells are harvested from the patient. Outside the body, these cells are stimulated to activate a cytotoxic response against cancer cells.  When they are…

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    Immunotherapy May Improve Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A treatment designed to inhibit a cell protein called CTLA-4 may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy for mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is considered a front-line treatment for mesothelioma, although it is only moderately effective.  Because mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer of the mesothelium, chemotherapy is often used as part of a multimodality therapeutic approach. Increasingly, immunotherapy, which involves manipulation of the genes and immune system, is also part of the treatment approach. CTLA-4 is the name for both a protein and the gene that is responsible for producing it.  A recent published study tested the theory that knocking down cellular production of the CTLA-4 protein could slow tumor growth and stimulate the immune system between rounds of chemotherapy. To test the…

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    High Dose Radiation: Viable for Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Radiation therapy may be a better option for mesothelioma than it used to be – especially when it is delivered using advanced targeting technology. That is the message presented recently to thousands of the world’s lung cancer specialists at the European Lung Cancer Conference by a team of Australian researchers. Observing that many mesothelioma patients are not candidates for surgery and chemotherapy provides poor local control with serious toxicities, Dr. Malcolm Fiegen and his team analyzed the effectiveness of high dose radiation treatments for mesothelioma patients from 2003 to 2011. In the past, high-dose radiation has often been dismissed as a viable treatment option for mesothelioma because the irregular shape of mesothelioma tumors made it difficult to avoid toxic overdoses to healthy…

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    Australian Study Reveals New Mesothelioma Biomarker

    ByAlex Strauss

    A large multi-center Australian study has revealed what researchers say could be an important new biomarker for malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a virulent cancer of internal body membranes usually caused by exposure to asbestos. As with other cancers, mesothelioma cells produce certain compounds at higher levels than healthy cells do. Micro RNAs, or miRNAs, are short chains of ribonucleic acid, some of which are produced in abundance by cancer cells. Using miRNA microarrays, the Australian researchers profiled plasma samples from patients with malignant mesothelioma and from healthy controls. After reviewing 90 miRNAs previously associated with mesothelioma, they found two – miR-29c and miR-92a – in particularly high amounts. Further testing found a total of 15 novel miRNAs in the plasma of…

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    Mesothelioma Added to 9/11 Compensation Fund

    ByAlex Strauss

    New Yorkers and first responders at risk of mesothelioma and other cancers because of 9/11 toxic exposures are now in line for compensation if they need it. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) this week added mesothelioma and 49 other cancers to the list of conditions covered under a $4.3 billion dollar compensation fund created by the 2010 Zadroga Act. The fund was set up to cover medical bills and other expenses for people who contracted serious health conditions after the 9/11 attacks.  Until this week, cancer, including mesothelioma, was not on the list of covered conditions. Hundreds of rescue workers including police, firefighters and EMS workers, as well as people in and around the World Trade Center towers…

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    Advocacy Groups Call for Global Asbestos Ban

    ByAlex Strauss

    A British organization established to support victims of mesothelioma is joining the call for a total ban on the substance that causes it. The National Asbestos Helpline is a national clearing house set up to support patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-linked diseases and their families.  Because so many British homes and buildings were constructed when asbestos use was at its peak in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, Great Britain has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world.  Mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer, is caused by inhalation or ingestion of airborne asbestos fibers. In spite of the risk, asbestos is still used as an inexpensive building product and insulator around the world.  Now, as part of its support…

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    New Molecule May Aid Mesothelioma Diagnosis

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists at one of the nation’s top cancer centers say they have come up with a new imaging tool that may make it easier to diagnose and monitor mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a cancer that attacks the membranes encasing the lungs or abdominal organs, is caused by exposure to airborne asbestos. It is a very challenging cancer to treat and most patients explore conventional therapies, clinical trials and integrative modalities. Mesothelioma symptoms, which can include shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing and chest pain, can mimic other illnesses, including lung cancer. Their sheet-like shape can also make mesothelioma tumors difficult to see on imaging studies. Just as treatment is usually multi-faceted, physicians often must use multiple methods to diagnose mesothelioma. One of the most popular…

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    Unions Call for Asbestos-Free Australia

    ByAlex Strauss

    The head of an Australian Consortium of Trade Unions (ACTU) is calling on the government to protect its citizens against mesothelioma by ridding the country of asbestos by 2030. Ged Kearney is president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, which represents construction unions and made the call on the ACTU website. Because asbestos was mined in Australia and in Australian buildings and cement from the 1950’s to the 1970’s, people who work in mining, construction and ship building trades are at higher risk for asbestos-linked diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. According to the ACTU, Australia had the highest per capita use of asbestos in the world from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. The Australian government banned the use of asbestos…

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    Mesothelioma Risk Depends on Asbestos Fiber Size

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists who study the connection between asbestos fibers and mesothelioma say they now understand what size particles pose the most danger. Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma, but some manmade fibers can also be carcinogenic. Manmade nanotubes or nanoparticles are carbon molecules constructed for use in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. Some studies have suggested that their shape can allow them to cross membrane barriers inside the body and cause “inflammatory and fibrotic reactions.”  Such reactions are believed to be the same mechanism by which asbestos fibers may trigger malignant mesothelioma in the pleural membrane around the lungs. Although scientists have long known that the affects of fibers depends on their length, the “key threshold length”…