Mesothelioma Study Suggests Trimodal Falls Short
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Mesothelioma Study Suggests Trimodal Falls Short

ByAlex Strauss

A team of Swiss doctors have added their names to the list mesothelioma experts who believe that the intense trimodal treatment approach including extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is not the best choice for most patients. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that starts in the membranes around organs, most often the lungs. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a radical surgical approach for pleural mesothelioma that includes removing not only the diseased mesothelium but also the nearest lung, other body linings, and all or part of the diaphragm. It is often preceded by chemotherapy and followed by radiotherapy.  Although this trimodal approach carries a high risk of serious complications and even death, it has resulted in long term survival for some mesothelioma patients. Even with aggressive…

Genes May be Targets for Mesothelioma Treatment
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Genes May be Targets for Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

The same genes that can help predict which mesothelioma patients will do well after surgery, might also be good targets for gene therapy to combat the disease. That’s the conclusion of one of the nation’s top mesothelioma experts, Dr. David Sugarbaker, and his colleagues at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. After publishing research showing that certain genes can affect patients’ post-surgical prognosis, the team looked further into the genes themselves and how they relate to mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is highly resistant to standard treatments. Gene therapy, which harnesses and uses the body’s own nature defense system, is being studied as a promising alternative. Starting with lung tissue from both healthy patients and those with malignant pleural mesothelioma, the researchers used…

Mesothelioma Treatment Becoming More Individualized
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Mesothelioma Treatment Becoming More Individualized

ByAlex Strauss

A respected team of mesothelioma experts predicts that treatment for this aggressive cancer will become increasingly personalized in the next five to ten years. A malignancy in the lining around the lungs and other organs, mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Although its occurrence in the U.S. is believed to have leveled out at about 3,000 cases per year, the number of cases around the world is continuing to increase. Because the disease is so difficult to treat, many patients succumb within a year of diagnosis, even with the best therapies now available. For this reason, researches continue to look for ways to predict which treatments are most likely to work for which patients. In a recent article…