Modest Increase in Mesothelioma Survival from Chemotherapy
| |

Modest Increase in Mesothelioma Survival from Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

The chemotherapy combination that has become the standard of care for mesothelioma in many parts of the world appears to be making a modest but measurable difference for mesothelioma patients in The Netherlands. Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers and is notoriously resistant to most conventional treatments. Within the last decade, chemotherapy with cisplatin-antifolate combinations has been shown to improve responses and prolong survival. Based on the successes shown in clinical trials, a trio of research scientists in The Netherlands launched their own population-based study to “assess the impact of this development on clinical practice and survival at a population-based level.” The study focused on 4,731 Dutch patients diagnosed with mesothelioma between 1995 and…

Cell Nucleus a “Strong Predictor” of Mesothelioma Survival
|

Cell Nucleus a “Strong Predictor” of Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new study from one of the country’s leading cancer centers suggests that the nuclei of mesothelioma cells may hold vital clues for predicting patient survival. Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  Epithelioid mesothelioma is the most common subtype.  Doctors often use the cancer’s stage – a measure of cancer extent and severity – to predict how well patients will respond to treatment.  But now a group of scientific researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the U.S. and Kagawa University in Japan believe they have found an even more effective prognostic indicator – inside the nucleus of mesothelioma cells. To conduct their experiment, the researchers examined the slides of 232 patients who had been…

Mesothelioma Responds Best to Multi-Modality Treatment, Expert Says
| |

Mesothelioma Responds Best to Multi-Modality Treatment, Expert Says

ByAlex Strauss

Patients with mesothelioma have a better chance of survival when they are treated with multiple treatment modalities rather than chemotherapy alone. That is the advice of renowned mesothelioma expert Dr. Robert Cameron of UCLA. Dr. Cameron is a cardiothoracic surgeon and surgical oncologist who pioneered the lung-sparing surgical technique for mesothelioma known as pleurectomy/decortication and has treated mesothelioma patients for more than 20 years. In an article for the Pacific Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s website, he cautions patients and oncologists against relying too heavily on Alimta/cisplatin, the only FDA-approved chemotherapy combination approved for mesothelioma. “Lost in the hype [over Alimta/cisplatin] is the fact that the FDA’s approval is limited to use with patients who are not eligible for surgery,”…

Subtype and Stage Affect Mesothelioma Surgery Survival
|

Subtype and Stage Affect Mesothelioma Surgery Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Another study of mesothelioma treatments has confirmed that the best candidates for aggressive therapy, including radical surgery, are those patients who are in overall good physical condition and have the epithelial subtype of mesothelioma. The new study followed 40 mesothelioma patients for at least 3 years. The goal was to evaluate what factors had the greatest impact on mesothelioma prognosis.  Each case was analyzed based on epidemiological factors, stage and subtype of mesothelioma, treatment method and complications, and other factors that influence patient survival. Statistics In keeping with the higher rate of mesothelioma in men worldwide, the ratio of men to women in the study was 13 to 1.  The average age of the patients was 55 and more than half of…

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Aggressive Treatment
| |

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Aggressive Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A “significant proportion” of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma can expect to live three years or longer with the right treatment protocol. That’s the conclusion of one of the nation’s leading mesothelioma experts. Reporting in the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. David Sugarbaker writes that, although many patients diagnosed with mesothelioma are told they have less than a year to live, his latest research confirms that, when properly selected and given aggressive multimodality treatment, it is possible to survive mesothelioma for much longer. Numerous studies have shown that cytoreductive surgery through extrapleural pneumonectomy along with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation can be effective at battling mesothelioma. However, because the surgery itself is so invasive and carries its own health risks, proper…

Photodynamic Therapy – A New Light For Mesothelioma Patients?
| |

Photodynamic Therapy – A New Light For Mesothelioma Patients?

ByAlex Strauss

A system that uses intense light to destroy cancer cells might be able to enhance current mesothelioma treatments and improve survival. That’s the theory of scientists studying photodynamic light therapy (PDT) and its application for hard-to-treat mesothelioma. During PDT, cells that have been treated with a light sensitizing drug are exposed to a light source on the end of an endoscope. The light has the power to disrupt cellular functions and kill the cells. PDT is being tested as an adjuvant therapy for people who are having mesothelioma surgery. When PDT is delivered intraoperatively, tumor cells can absorb more of the light, while surrounding tissues are unaffected. Advantages of PDT Malignant mesothelioma is highly resistant to conventional therapies. Because PDT…

Surgery, Tumor Grade Have High Impact on Mesothelioma Survival
|

Surgery, Tumor Grade Have High Impact on Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A population based analysis of people with malignant pleural mesothelioma suggests that tumor grade and surgery have the greatest impact on overall survival. The study conducted by researchers in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester in New York analyzed the medical records of 9,701 mesothelioma patients from 1973 to 2006.   Their goal was to examine the variables that affect the overall survival in people with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Of the 9,701 patients followed, 55 percent were still alive six months after diagnosis.  Thirty-three percent survived for a year and another 5 percent were still living five years after their mesothelioma diagnosis.  Younger patients, women, those with the most common (epithelioid) type of…

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Gene Expression May Predict Survival
|

Peritoneal Mesothelioma Gene Expression May Predict Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Scientists in Baltimore believe they may have found a way to predict – and eventually improve – survival in people with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM). Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the membranes that line the abdominal cavity.  Like other forms of mesothelioma, it is caused by exposure to fibers of the mineral asbestos.  While it is almost always fatal, people with peritoneal mesothelioma tend to exhibit very different responses to the disease.  Writing in the journal Cancer, the Maryland researchers note, “There is marked variability in its clinical behavior.  Some patients die rapidly, and others survive for many years.” The researchers set out to determine reasons for this variability and believe the answer may lie in signaling pathways that…

Study Predicts Survival in Mesothelioma Patients
|

Study Predicts Survival in Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

People who are older than 70, have a high white blood cell count, or high levels of a particular protein in their blood may be less likely to survive malignant mesothelioma than other patients. This is the finding of a group of researchers from the University of Tokyo.  The researchers studied 314 patients who had been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure.  The survival of these patients was tracked using the Kaplan-Meier method, which takes into account the fact that certain patients may drop out of such a study prior to its completion. In addition to finding that older patients, those with high white blood cell counts, and those with high C-reactive protein levels were…

Mesothelioma Treatment Provides Survival Advantage to Women
|

Mesothelioma Treatment Provides Survival Advantage to Women

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that women have a survival advantage over men when it comes to treatment for the most common type of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Although as many as 90 percent of people who contract the asbestos-linked cancer are men, women who contract the disease in its most common form are more likely to respond well to aggressive treatment.  The study published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery reviewed 702 cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Of those, 145 were women. The researchers found a definite difference in survival for men and women with one type of mesothelioma but they found no gender difference with the other type. Among the 450 men and women with the most common histological type…