Needle Biopsy “Simple, Safe & Accurate” for Mesothelioma
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Needle Biopsy “Simple, Safe & Accurate” for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma researchers in China say a biopsy method that involves a single skin puncture can produce good diagnostic results for mesothelioma patients with little pain or risk. The study focused on percutaneous (through the skin) biopsy in patients who had unexplained fluid buildup or swelling in their abdomens. Abdominal distension and fluid buildup (called ascites) can be signs of peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive cancer of the abdominal lining caused by exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for less than 30% of all mesothelioma cases. Because the symptoms may be vague and often develop many decades after asbestos exposure, peritoneal mesothelioma can be especially challenging to diagnose.  Misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis are not uncommon. In the newest study on percutaneous…

New Mesothelioma Drug Kills Cancer Stem Cells
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New Mesothelioma Drug Kills Cancer Stem Cells

ByAlex Strauss

Citing “significant enthusiasm within the mesothelioma community”, the manufacturers of a promising new mesothelioma drug say they have begun a major test of the drug in patients. Massachusetts-based Verastem, Inc. focuses on drugs that fight cancer by attacking the stem cells that give rise to them. Earlier this summer, the FDA granted orphan drug status to their stem cell inhibitor, defactinib, for the treatment of mesothelioma. The designation, which is reserved for drugs that fight the rarest of diseases, helps pave the way for testing and faster approval, depending on the results of clinical trials. “Development of a drug that preferentially kills cancer stem cells is a promising approach, as many standard-of-care treatments have been shown to either have no…

FDA Approval Could Mean New Choice for Mesothelioma Patients
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FDA Approval Could Mean New Choice for Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

A newly-approved drug for late-stage lung cancer may have implications for people with malignant mesothelioma, as well. The FDA recently announced its approval of afatinib, a drug which blocks epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in cancer cells. Many types of cancer, including about half mesothelioma cases, express a specific type of mutation on the EGFR gene that causes tumors to grow even faster. Because of this, EGFR has been a focus for biomarker research in mesothelioma, as well as in a number of other cancers. In clinical trials, afatinib (brand name Gilotrif), significantly extended progression-free survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients versus the more common pemetrexed/cisplatin chemotherapy combination. Over a 12-month period, the progression-free survival of lung cancer…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Study: Long-Term Survival is Possible
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Study: Long-Term Survival is Possible

ByAlex Strauss

A new study out of Italy has some encouraging news for patients with the peritoneal form of malignant mesothelioma. The recent analysis of 108 peritoneal mesothelioma patients who underwent complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by a rinse of heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) found a 43.6% cure rate among long-term survivors. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of one of the rarest cancers. Triggered almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma affects about 2,500 Americans each year.  About a third of those patients are diagnosed with the peritoneal form of the disease, which occurs on the membrane that lines the abdomen and surrounds the internal organs. During cytoreductive surgery, surgeons attempt to remove all traces of the mesothelioma tumor so that no cells…

New Prognostic Factor in Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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New Prognostic Factor in Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare form of mesothelioma that attacks the membrane that lines the abdomen and surrounds internal organs. The outlook for this rare malignancy, which affects fewer than 500 Americans annually, has been improved by the treatment combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The combination has produced 5-year overall survival rates ranging from 29% to 63%. But not all peritoneal mesothelioma patients are good candidates for CRS/HIPEC. The challenge, for clinicians, is identifying which patients are likely to benefit from the procedure (or even be cured) and which are not. In an effort to help answer that question, French researchers recently tested the prognostic value of the glucose transporter protein GLUT1 as well as…

Mesothelioma Study Cites Risks & Benefits of Second Surgery
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Mesothelioma Study Cites Risks & Benefits of Second Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Peritoneal mesothelioma patients who have cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated chemotherapy can sometimes benefit from a second surgery, but it may be harder the second time around. Researchers in France have recently published their findings in a study of patients with mesothelioma and other peritoneal cancers who experienced recurrence after  cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Peritoneal mesothelioma is an asbestos-related malignancy that spreads across the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdomen. For patients who are healthy enough to undergo it, cytoreductive surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible, followed by a solution of heated chemotherapy drugs, has been shown to improve survival. But the French team wanted to examine the possible options for people…

Mesothelioma Lung-Sparing Proponents Increase
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Mesothelioma Lung-Sparing Proponents Increase

ByAlex Strauss

A distinguished group of experts in lung-sparing mesothelioma treatment techniques say there is more reason than ever for patients with this deadly cancer to be hopeful. Robert Cameron, MD, Director of the UCLA Mesothelioma Comprehensive Research Program and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center recently led the 3rd annual International Symposium on Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Santa Monica. Hosted by UCLA and the Pacific Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the symposium made international news two years ago when its participants declared there was “no place” for extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP – a lung-removing surgery) in the treatment of mesothelioma. Despite its high mortality rate, EPP is still supported by some mesothelioma experts for its…

Mesothelioma: Surveillance May Reveal Unexpected Exposure Risks
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Mesothelioma: Surveillance May Reveal Unexpected Exposure Risks

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers say continual surveillance for incidents of mesothelioma in the population can turn up some unexpected sources of asbestos exposure, including the home. Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma, a virulent cancer that attacks the linings around organs and can quickly become debilitating. Most mesothelioma patients were first exposed to asbestos on the job, either in construction or in an industrial setting. For decades, asbestos was used in multiple building products and various insulating materials for its strength and heat resistance. But the job site is not the only place where people might encounter asbestos, as Italian researchers found out when they analyzed nationwide mesothelioma data.  Their study, the results of which were recently published in the medical journal Epidemiology and…

Advocacy Groups Say Mesothelioma Bill Falls Short
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Advocacy Groups Say Mesothelioma Bill Falls Short

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patient advocacy groups in the UK are not happy about a proposed new law aimed at helping some patients receive compensation for their illness. The bill now before the British Parliament would give mesothelioma patients who could not trace the origins of their disease to a liable company the opportunity to still receive some compensation through a fund paid for by insurance companies. The bill, which represents at least two years of negotiation with representatives of the British insurance industry, makes it mandatory for insurers to pay into the fund. While the bill still puts a cap on the amount of compensation a mesothelioma patient can receive, the cap is much higher than the previous government-funded program could provide. But…

Mesothelioma Surgeons Report New Biopsy Technique
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Mesothelioma Surgeons Report New Biopsy Technique

ByAlex Strauss

A team of surgeons in Maryland have demonstrated how using a standard biopsy tool in a new way could improve the biopsy process for certain mesothelioma patients. An aggressive cancer of the pleural lining around the lungs, malignant pleural mesothelioma usually requires a tissue biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis. Often this is done using a rigid tool called a thoracoscope inserted into the chest wall while the patient is under general anesthesia. However, mesothelioma doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center detail the case of a 79-year-old suspected mesothelioma patient whose biopsy was done in a minimally-invasive way, under conscious sedation, thanks to the novel use of a standard tool. Although the patient had several of the common signs…