New Tools Help Pathologists Make Mesothelioma Diagnosis
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New Tools Help Pathologists Make Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

Pathologists may be able to do a better job of diagnosing mesothelioma in the lab, thanks to a new set of tools released by the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. A rare malignancy, mesothelioma typically carries a poor prognosis. Part of the reason may be the difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis. Even with sophisticated testing capabilities, including immunohistochemical staining and electron microscopy, it can be difficult to distinguish mesothelioma from other types of cancer. Now, pathologists who work with the International Mesothelioma Interest Group have come up with a list of guidelines they hope will help streamline the process in laboratories around the world. Drawing on their own experiences, as well as studies in peer-reviewed publications and text books, the group came…

New Molecule May Aid Mesothelioma Diagnosis
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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…

MesoMark Falls Short for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

MesoMark Falls Short for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

The Mesomark blood test for mesothelioma may miss the mark when it comes to diagnosing mesothelioma in its earliest stages. That is the conclusion of a large new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  The report was a meta-analysis of patients in 16 studies on the value of serum mesothelin as a marker for mesothelioma.  The studies included data on 4,491 patients, including 1,026 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and various control groups. All were measured for the level of mesothelin in their blood serum using the Mesomark test. Mesothelin is a protein present in the cells of the mesothelial membrane which surrounds the lungs and other internal organs. However, mesothelin is overexpressed in several types of tumors, including mesothelioma….

Surgery Provides Better Mesothelioma Diagnosis for Some Patients
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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…

New Blood Test May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier
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New Blood Test May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier

ByAlex Strauss

Investigators in California are evaluating new technology that could eventually help diagnose mesothelioma with a simple blood test. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  It strikes about 2,500 people in the U.S. each year.  But its rarity – and its tendency to mimic other lung-related diseases – can make mesothelioma hard to diagnose.  In recent years, some mesothelioma centers have begun evaluating the DNA composition of suspected mesothelioma cells using a test called a DNA array. Now, a group of researchers in California reports that a different type of evaluation – one that looks for abnormal sugars (glycans) in blood serum – may offer another diagnostic option for mesothelioma.  Anti-glycan antibodies are produced by the immune system…

New Compound Proves Effective Against Mesothelioma in Mice
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New Compound Proves Effective Against Mesothelioma in Mice

ByAlex Strauss

Japanese researchers believe they have found a powerful new compound to fight the aggressive cancer –malignant pleural mesothelioma. The team at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo have had success using a novel therapeutic compound called JBIR-23 in mice. JBIR-23 is a natural compound first derived from the bacteria Streptomyces sp. AK-AB27 in 2008.  In laboratory test tube studies, its unique chemical structure appears to have a cytotoxic effect on mesothelioma cells and promote apoptosis (cell death). When the compound was tested on mice with mesothelioma, the effect was the same.  JBIR-23 appears to prevent the further growth of the tumor, without loss of weight or other observable side effects. The news is promising in light…

Physicians “Missing Opportunity” with Mesothelioma Patients
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Physicians “Missing Opportunity” with Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Even while they are working diligently to diagnose and treat mesothelioma, too many doctors may be missing a vital opportunity to help mesothelioma patients in another important way. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and researchers at Stanford University found that only a tiny percentage of mesothelioma patients received counseling from their doctor’s office on the cause of their mesothelioma and the possibility of taking legal action. This, despite that fact that almost all cases of mesothelioma, a virulent cancer of the mesothelial tissue around organs, are known to be caused by occupational asbestos exposure. To conduct the retrospective study, researchers reviewed the charts of 16 patients who had been newly diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma during…

New Blood Test May Detect Mesothelioma Earlier
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New Blood Test May Detect Mesothelioma Earlier

ByAlex Strauss

In the ongoing worldwide quest for an easier and more accurate way to diagnose malignant mesothelioma, one of the nation’s top mesothelioma research teams claims to have found a ‘promising’ new method. The blood test, developed by SomaLogic, Inc. and tested at New York’s Lagone Medical Center, detects the presence and quantity of 19 different proteins (biomarkers) that can be secreted by tumor cells in the early stages of mesothelioma. In National Cancer Institute-funded studies on the new test, researchers used 90 blood samples from patients who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and 80 samples from people who had been exposed to asbestos but did not have a mesothelioma diagnosis.  The SomaLogic test accurately detected 15 out of 19 cases…

New Marker Could Improve Mesothelioma Diagnosis
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New Marker Could Improve Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

There has been another potential breakthrough in the ongoing worldwide effort to find an effective way to diagnose mesothelioma earlier. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer of the mesothelium.  As with all cancers, early detection can greatly improve the odds of survival.  But because the early symptoms can be mild or mimic other lung diseases, mesothelioma is often not definitively diagnosed until its later stages, when treatment may be less effective. Now, a team of Austrian doctors has identified a cellular protein that they say may be a promising diagnostic marker for mesothelioma. Elevated levels of serum integrin-linked kinase, a protein associated with multiple cellular functions, have already been found in cases of ovarian cancer.  To test its presence in mesothelioma…

White Blood Cells May Predict Mesothelioma Survival
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White Blood Cells May Predict Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Certain types of white blood cells may hold important survival clues – as well as a new treatment target – for mesothelioma patients and their doctors. Malignant pleural mesothelioma can result when inhaled asbestos fibers trigger physiological changes in the lung tissue. Medical science has yet to find a reliable way to stop the spread of mesothelioma once it begins and many patients succumb to this disease within a year or two after diagnosis. But mesothelioma tumors are known to produce an abundance of myeloid cell stimulating factors, chemicals that trigger the body to produce extra white blood cells. Now, a team of researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston believe that looking at the levels of these white…