New Biomarker May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma
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New Biomarker May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Scientists in Japan believe that a protein found in the blood serum of rheumatoid arthritis patients may help doctors diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma earlier. Every year in the U.S., as many as 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fast-growing asbestos-linked cancer that often causes few symptoms until in its later stages, when treatment options may be limited. Because earlier detection can increase the odds of survival, researchers around the world are searching for methods to detect mesothelioma sooner.  Much of that research has centered on substances, known as biomarkers, that are overproduced by tumor cells and can be detected in blood serum. The latest biomarker found to be elevated in mesothelioma cells is serum thioredoxin-1 (TRX), a biomarker for rheumatoid…

A ‘Breath of Hope’ for Mesothelioma Diagnosis
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A ‘Breath of Hope’ for Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

A new report that analyzes the available data on breath testing for mesothelioma says the technique has great promise for detecting the disease earlier. The study, entitled “Breath analysis in asbestos-related disorders: a review of the literature and potential future applications”, says many of the current invasive methods for diagnosing mesothelioma carry a high risk of complications, especially in the elderly, who are most likely to contract the disease.  Mesothelioma is the most deadly of a group of asbestos-related disorders which also include asbestosis, pleural plaques, and lung cancer.  Because the disease can take from 20 to 50 years to develop, most mesothelioma patients are over 65. Mesothelioma surgery carries many risks, a fact that has prompted researchers around the world to…

PET Valuable for Diagnosing and Staging Mesothelioma
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PET Valuable for Diagnosing and Staging Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans are one of the most effective tools for predicting how well a mesothelioma patient will respond to treatment, and for planning that treatment. That’s the conclusion of a team of British researchers who analyzed 15 different studies comparing PET to other types of tools for diagnosing and staging mesothelioma and for predicting survival and mortality. Eleven of the studies evaluated the role of FDG-PET (PET scanning using a fluorodeoxyglucose marker). Several of those studies found that malignant mesothelioma cells absorbed more of the FDG marker than healthy cells, making FDG-PET a good method for determining the extent of the mesothelioma. In these studies, patients whose bodies were seen on FDG-PET scan to absorb the most…

Open Biopsy Better for Diagnosing Mesothelioma Subtype
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Open Biopsy Better for Diagnosing Mesothelioma Subtype

ByAlex Strauss

Open surgical biopsy – called thoracotomy – appears to be the best way to get an accurate diagnosis of mesothelioma subtype. Mesothelioma is a fast-growing malignancy caused by asbestos exposure.  Epithelial mesothelioma is the most common subtype, followed by sarcomatoid and biphasic.  Determining which subtype a patient has is an important prognostic indicator and can help guide doctors in making treatment decisions. But mesothelioma itself is notoriously difficult to diagnose, and determining subtype can be equally tricky. To help determine the most accurate diagnostic method, a group of Australian scientists evaluated the records of 83 patients who underwent a surgical procedure called extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for mesothelioma between 1994 and 2009. A panel of pathologists reviewed the specimens collected during EPP and…

New Mesothelioma Test May Help in Diagnosis
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New Mesothelioma Test May Help in Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

Getting an accurate diagnosis is one of the biggest challenges for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Because mesothelioma is such an aggressive cancer, survival often hinges on getting a diagnosis and starting appropriate treatment as early as possible. Unfortunately, mesothelioma symptoms, which can include shortness of breath, cough and chest pain, mimic many other conditions, including other types of lung cancer. Now, scientists with a company called Rosetta Genomics, a developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, believe they have found a better way to distinguish mesothelioma cancer from other types of lung cancers that may also affect the pleura, or the lining around the lungs. In an online press release, Tina Edmonston, MD, Medical Director and Head of Clinical Laboratory at…

New Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Mesothelioma

New Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Malignant pleural mesothelioma, a virulent form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is difficult to diagnose and to treat. Now, a European medical group is hoping to help oncologists streamline the process with a set of newly released clinical practice guidelines. The guidelines from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) state that most mesothelioma patients first present with shortness of breath (in the early stages of the disease) or chest pain (at a more advanced stage). While X-ray can detect the tell-tale thickening of the chest wall surrounding the lungs, a test of the built-up lung fluid and an occupational history are also necessary to make a diagnosis. If examination of the lung fluid is not conclusive, the…

Mesothelioma Diagnosis Improved by New Tests
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Mesothelioma Diagnosis Improved by New Tests

ByAlex Strauss

An international panel of pathologists has released a consensus statement regarding guidelines for the pathological diagnosis of diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Among the key recommendations: antibody tests (immunohistochemical studies) are crucial to distinguishing mesothelioma from other types of cancers, and a patient’s history of asbestos exposure should not play a role in making the pathologic diagnosis. The expert panel included 16 pathologists from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. Their goal was to provide guidelines to pathologists who do not have extensive experience in diagnosing mesothelioma. “What started the whole project was that our oncologists at the University of Chicago felt there were pathologists who saw maybe one case of mesothelioma every two or three years,” explains Aliya Husain, MD, Professor of…

New Mesothelioma Databank
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New Mesothelioma Databank

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma is one of the hardest cancers to treat—and one of the most challenging for researchers to investigate. Now a virtual bank is providing researchers with an invaluable tool for studying this disease, according to a report published in the August 13 issue of BMC Cancer. Researchers are constantly searching for new ways to diagnose mesothelioma earlier, and to find better therapies than the limited options that currently exist. However, because malignant mesothelioma is relatively rare (2,000 to 3,000 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year), it’s often difficult for investigators who are at facilities scattered throughout the country to get the resources they need for their research. To help, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in…

Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging

Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, but improved diagnostic methods and the right combination of treatments can help extend patients’ lives, according to a report published online August 29 in Current Treatment Options in Oncology. Diagnosing mesothelioma has historically been challenging, because the symptoms can mimic those of other conditions, particularly adenocarcinoma of the lung. Today, immunohistochemical staining and other newer tests are helping doctors more accurately diagnose patients they suspect of having mesothelioma. According to the report, the optimal diagnostic procedure is thoracoscopy, which uses a long, thin tube with a camera attached to view the lungs and take a sample of tissue (biopsy). Computerized tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans can also be…