Nanoparticles May Offer New Way Treatment for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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Nanoparticles May Offer New Treatment for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

American scientists may have found a new way to fight mesothelioma and other cancers from the inside out by targeting cancer cells. A new article published in Biomaterials explores the use of nanoparticles. Peritoneal mesothelioma is an aggressive disease. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma may survive several or more years after diagnosis. And there are long-term survivors. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for 20-25% of all mesothelioma cases. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma have a longer life expectancy than those with other types of mesothelioma. And some studies report patients live up to 5 years after treatment. Mesothelioma is generally a “chemo-resistant” tumor. Several treatment options are available which include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. But traditional chemotherapy often come with toxicities. New Option…

A Bright Future for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Mesothelioma Treatment
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A Bright Future for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

A new report shows that immune checkpoint inhibitors can be a practical and rational therapeutic approach to treating mesothelioma patients. The use of ICIs to treat human tumors has quickly become part of clinical practice. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block mesothelioma’s natural resistance to immune system attack. They are among the most promising approaches to combating this intractable cancer. Researchers from the Cellular and Molecular Research Center report the use of ICIs in tumor immunotherapy. What is Tumor Immunotherapy? Malignant mesothelioma is a frustrating disease for patients and doctors. Conventional cancer treatments often do not work. If cancer recurs, doctors can try other approved treatments, even if they are not part of the official treatment guidelines. Immunotherapy is also referred to…

Self-Management Interventions Benefits Mesothelioma Patients
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Self-Management Activities Benefit Mesothelioma Patients

ByHolly Zink

Self-management activities are a proven way to fight fatigue and anxiety. They also improve poor sleep quality. A recent report showed that self-management activities are improving lung cancer patient outcomes. Results ask mesothelioma patients to use self-management activities. They are a proven way to improve a patient’s quality of life. What are Self-Management Activities? Self-management activities allow patients to manage their disease. These activities include managing symptoms, medications, physical activity, and dietary behaviors. Results say grab a partner! Early-stage disease patients with a partner have the most benefit. Dr. Rachel Anne Rowntree from the University of Wollongong in Australia stated, “This review supports evidence that there are improved outcomes in cancer among those with a partner.” The Studies and the…

immunotherapy drug durvalumab
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Immunotherapy Drug Durvalumab Shines in Most Recent Mesothelioma Trial

ByAlex Strauss

Another new study confirms what Johns Hopkins researchers have been banking on – that the immunotherapy drug durvalumab can make chemotherapy more effective for mesothelioma patients.  Durvalumab (IMFINZI) is an immune checkpoint inhibitor. It works by blocking the action of PD-1, a protein that mesothelioma cells use to protect themselves.  Researchers theorized that deactivating PD-1 with the immunotherapy drug durvalumab might make mesothelioma tumors more responsive to chemotherapy. The latest study results, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that they were right.  The findings could have implications for people around the world with inoperable malignant mesothelioma. How the Immunotherapy Drug Durvalumab Helps Fight Mesothelioma Durvalumab is one of several immune checkpoint inhibitors showing promise for mesothelioma in recent years. Keytruda (pembrolizumab)…

immunotherapy for mesothelioma
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Study May Lead to Safer Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

New research conducted in Europe and at Harvard University may open the door to safer immunotherapy for mesothelioma patients.  Immunotherapy is one of the most promising approaches to fight malignant mesothelioma. But the potential side effects can be devastating.  Now, new data suggests there are ways to reduce the complications of immunotherapy for mesothelioma. The key is to target some of the white blood cells that trigger inflammation. Inflammation is the driver behind most of the serious side effects of immunotherapy.  Why Harness the Immune System? No one ever expects to contract mesothelioma. It is an extremely rare cancer. Most people who get it have spent time living or working around asbestos. Even among asbestos-exposed people, mesothelioma is rare. Scientists…

mesothelioma treatment delays
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Pandemic-Related Mesothelioma Treatment Delays Could Impact Outcomes

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma treatment delays that happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic will probably impact survival rates for some patients.  A new study of Canadian lung cancer patients found that more than half of them stopped or delayed treatment because of concerns about the virus this spring. Pleural mesothelioma is a lung-related cancer. Like lung cancer patients, mesothelioma patients face a higher risk of virus-related complications because they already have breathing problems.  But mesothelioma is also a fast-growing cancer. Most patients get several kinds of treatment at the same time. Mesothelioma treatment delays may give tumors a chance to grow unchecked.  A Catch-22 for Mesothelioma Patients Mesothelioma patients and others with lung diseases have had to make some difficult decisions because of…

isolated thoracic perfusion for mesothelioma
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Isolated Thoracic Perfusion for Mesothelioma Symptom Relief

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that a treatment called isolated thoracic perfusion could help alleviate some of the worst symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Isolated thoracic perfusion is a method for circulating medicine in just one area of the body. When doctors circulated chemotherapy drugs in the chests of people with pleural mesothelioma, their symptoms went away for several months.  Now, the team says it is time to test the technique in a bigger pool of mesothelioma patients.  The Theory Behind ITP Pleural mesothelioma is a membrane cancer that occurs in the chest. Chemotherapy drugs like Alimta can be powerful weapons against pleural mesothelioma. But they can also damage healthy tissues.  When healthy tissues are damaged by chemotherapy, mesothelioma patients can…

Trimodal Mesothelioma Treatment May Not Be Worth the Risk
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Trimodal Mesothelioma Treatment May Not Be Worth the Risk

ByAlex Strauss

Japanese researchers say trimodality treatment for mesothelioma that includes chemotherapy, extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), and post-surgical radiation may not be beneficial enough to justify the risk. Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat because it grows quickly and is resistant to most conventional therapies. Most mesothelioma patients have to have a combination of treatments. The question for researchers is, which treatment combination will provide the best mesothelioma survival outcomes. Trimodality Treatment for Mesothelioma In the newest study on trimodality treatment for mesothelioma, the Japanese team enrolled newly-diagnosed pleural mesothelioma patients who had not yet had any treatment. Study participants were given a chemotherapy combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin to shrink their mesothelioma tumors. This was followed by EPP…

Surgery Remains “Cornerstone” of Mesothelioma Treatment
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Surgery Remains “Cornerstone” of Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A major new study of more than 14,000 mesothelioma patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2009 finds that surgery appears to have a greater impact on survival than any other form of mesothelioma treatment. Researchers with Mount Sinai Medical Center, North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System, and Hofstra School of Medicine in New York analyzed data from SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results), a large national database of cancer patients. Only patients with confirmed malignant pleural mesothelioma were included in the study. The researchers divided 14,228 mesothelioma cases by age, sex race, diagnosis year, stage, cancer-directed surgery, radiation and other factors to determine which ones appear to have the most influence on mesothelioma survival. When compared to having no treatment, cancer-directed…

Immunotherapy's Impact on the Mesothelioma Immune System
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Orphan Drug Approval Could Mean New Mesothelioma Treatment Option

ByAlex Strauss

A drug designed to fight cancer by destroying the stem cells that give rise to new cancer cells has been granted orphan drug status for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. The designation paves the way for mesothelioma patients, who often have few treatment options, to get access to VS-5584 earlier than it would otherwise be available. VS-5584 is a powerful inhibitor of a signaling pathway that regulates cancer progression and the survival of cancer stem cells. According to Verastem, the Boston-based maker of VS-5584, the drug has already received a similar designation for mesothelioma in Europe. “This is an important regulatory milestone for Verastem and… will facilitate our global development of VS-5584 to help improve the available treatment options for patients suffering…