Involving Patients in Mesothelioma Research
|

Involving Patients in Mesothelioma Research

ByHolly Zink

Involving patients and the public in mesothelioma research can help scientists to make meaningful breakthroughs. A group of researchers from the United Kingdom spoke with twenty-three mesothelioma researchers. They wanted to get their opinions on how helpful it would be to involve patients and the public in their mesothelioma research. The researchers also ran online workshops and interviews to get the thoughts of patients and members of the public. Doing Meaningful Mesothelioma Research Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It develops on the lining of internal organs like the lungs or abdominal cavity. There are about 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States each year. Doing research on mesothelioma and effective treatments can…

Electronic Health Record Supports Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Research
| |

Electronic Health Record Supports Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Research

ByHolly Zink

A new method of research is becoming more popular in the study of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Most doctors use an electronic health record (EHR) to track patients and their care. Researchers are now using de-identified data from EHR databases to study mesothelioma. Dr. Wheatley-Price’s team encourages the use of real-word evidence to support treatment choices in malignant pleural mesothelioma. How the Database is Built The electronic health record (EHR) has been in use since the 1960s. Some may call it the electronic medical record (EMR). The large majority of hospitals and clinics now use an EHR system to track patients. There are many different types of EHR systems available. The original purpose of the EHR was to allow a third…

Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research Institute
| | | | |

Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research Institute

ByHolly Zink

Research advancements provide a brighter future for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lung lining. Mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure. Australian researchers from the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute and the University of Sydney have reviewed the basic research advancements. Their new publication covers mesothelioma biomarkers and treatment strategies. There is a long latency period from asbestos exposure to cancer development. A lack of genetic biomarkers makes early diagnosis difficult. The prognosis of pleural mesothelioma is poor. There is an average survival of eight to fourteen months following diagnosis. Diagnostic Biomarkers Biomarkers are limited in the clinic to diagnose pleural mesothelioma. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in blood or other body fluids…

Belgian Mesothelioma Survival Study

Belgian Mesothelioma Survival Study

ByAlex Strauss

A new Belgian mesothelioma survival study contains important insights for patients and doctors. Cancer center researchers did the study with data from the Belgian Cancer Registry. It includes more than 1400 patients. They received mesothelioma diagnosis between 2004 and 2012. The analysis is similar to past mesothelioma research. It shows the longest-surviving patients are the ones who have chemotherapy. Surgery patients also live longer. The third longer-living group are patients treated at experienced cancer centers. Mesothelioma Survival and Treatment The mesothelioma survival study asks what kinds of patients live longest and why. Researchers had to first see what treatments most patients receive. They found that most mesothelioma patients have chemotherapy. Chemotherapy usually includes pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin. This is the…

Updated Guidelines Aim to Advance Mesothelioma Research
| |

Updated Guidelines Aim to Advance Mesothelioma Research

ByAlex Strauss

The criteria for measuring treatment response in malignant pleural mesothelioma is being revised—again. Researchers are hopeful that the new criteria will improve the quality and value of mesothelioma clinical trials and move researchers closer to a cure. Researchers at the University of Chicago and the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases in Australia are proposing new modifications to the “modified RECIST” criteria by which researchers currently assess the response of mesothelioma tumors. In order for mesothelioma clinical trials to be truly valuable—and have any chance of leading to a cure—researchers must be “on the same page” in how they assess the size of mesothelioma tumors and their response to treatment. Because malignant mesothelioma is so rare, there are fewer studies…

Immunotherapy “Cocktail” Destroys Mesothelioma Tumors in Lab Mice
| | | | | | |

Immunotherapy “Cocktail” Destroys Mesothelioma Tumors in Lab Mice

ByAlex Strauss

There is some exciting news on the mesothelioma research front from The University of Western Australia. Researchers there have successfully cured mesothelioma in mice using immunotherapy. Australia’s long history with asbestos has given it the distinction of having one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world. It is also the location of some of the most cutting-edge mesothelioma research. The latest study, conducted by the School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UWA and published in the Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, suggests that a “cocktail” of drugs to simulate the immune system can eradicate mesothelioma tumors.  The researchers used a timed triple immunotherapy (TTI) protocol of three antibodies designed to “turn off” the production of specific proteins associated…

Using Cancer Statistics to Prioritize Mesothelioma Research
| | |

Using Cancer Statistics to Prioritize Mesothelioma Research

ByAlex Strauss

New cancer statistics from Quebec, Canada suggest that mesothelioma should be a research priority for scientists looking into work-related illnesses. Quebec was once Canada’s heaviest producer and exporter of asbestos, the number one worldwide cause of deadly malignant pleural mesothelioma. In recent years, the number of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural plaques have been steadily rising and some Canadian health experts warn that the country is poised for a health crisis because of its close ties with the asbestos industry. But exact numbers of work-related cancer cases are not easy to find. Researchers from the Canada School of Public Health at the University of Montreal attempted to estimate the number of work-related cancer cases and…

Predicting Mesothelioma Outcomes with Blood Tests
|

Predicting Mesothelioma Outcomes with Blood Tests

ByAlex Strauss

Two separate teams of Japanese researchers are delving into the possibilities of blood serum indicators that could help predict outcomes in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, a cancer that starts on the lining around the lungs, is the most common form of the disease. It occurs most often in people who have inadvertently inhaled asbestos dust. Mesothelioma is highly resistant to conventional treatments. It is also difficult to predict which patients are likely to do well with standard therapies and which are not, which is referred to as prognosis. But researchers worldwide are continually searching for new ways to diagnose and predict the prognosis of patients with…

Mesothelioma Surgery Under Fire Again
| |

Mesothelioma Surgery Under Fire Again

ByAlex Strauss

The group that stirred worldwide debate among medical specialists last year with their stance against a radical mesothelioma surgery is taking up the controversial topic once again. Led by prominent Los Angeles-based mesothelioma doctor Robert Cameron, MD, Director of the UCLA Mesothelioma Comprehensive Research Program, the group includes experts from San Francisco, New York and as far away as South Africa. In addition to an interest in the rare asbestos-linked cancer mesothelioma, these experts share a common dislike for extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), a major surgical procedure that is still considered by some to be the ‘gold standard’ surgical treatment for this disease. Introduced in the 1940’s and modified over the years, EPP is a mesothelioma surgery that involves removal of…

Major Boost for Mesothelioma Research
| |

Major Boost for Mesothelioma Research

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma research was given a valuable shot in the arm recently when one of the world’s top research centers for the disease received its second largest donation ever. The $3.58 million anonymous gift to the University of Hawaii Cancer Center will fund studies on ways to treat and prevent mesothelioma, a rare but virulent cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Dr. Michael Carbone, director of the UH Cancer Center, is one of the nation’s top experts on mesothelioma. Dr. Carbone and his team dramatically advanced the understanding of mesothelioma in 2010 with their published study on the mechanism by which asbestos affects the body at the cellular level to trigger the disease. Their research showed that inflammation, caused…