Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems
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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery with HIPEC Can Trigger Blood Cell Problems

ByAlex Strauss

More than half of patients who have peritoneal mesothelioma surgery with HIPEC develop problems with their blood cells afterward. That’s the finding of a team of cancer researchers from Singapore.  The group analyzed 15 years worth of data on peritoneal mesothelioma surgery outcomes. They found that, even though the procedure saves lives, it can be risky.  Older patients and those who had prior chemotherapy were most likely to develop hematological toxicities after peritoneal mesothelioma surgery.  Hematological Toxicities and Mesothelioma Treatment Hematological toxicities are problems with the cells that make up the blood. This can include white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and proteins involved in bleeding and clotting.  Several drugs that kill mesothelioma cells can cause blood cell problems….

Repeated Mesothelioma Surgeries Credited with Japanese Man’s Survival
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Repeated Mesothelioma Surgeries Credited with Japanese Man’s Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Can repeated mesothelioma surgeries extend peritoneal mesothelioma survival? A new case report out of Japan suggests the answer may be yes.  The article recounts the case of a patient with peritoneal mesothelioma. Each time surgeons removed a mesothelioma tumor, a new one would occur in a different location.  The man had four separate mesothelioma surgeries over the course of five years.  Repeated mesothelioma surgeries are not the norm. But this treatment approach may be the reason for the man’s unusually long mesothelioma survival.  Surgical Treatment of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about 20 percent of mesothelioma cases in the US each year. It occurs on the membrane that surrounds the abdominal organs. Because it sits so close to these…

Signs of Peritoneal Mesothelioma After Radiotherapy
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Signs of Peritoneal Mesothelioma After Radiotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

Japanese researchers are reminding doctors to watch for signs of peritoneal mesothelioma in people who have undergone past radiotherapy.  Many cancer patients undergo radiotherapy. Radiation disrupts the DNA inside cancer cells. This can help keep these malignant cells from replicating and spreading.  But radiation treatment also has a downside. It can cause cellular changes in healthy cells, too. This can cause side effects right away, or decades later.  As more people have radiation and survive, scientists at the Shinshu University School of Medicine say more of them could develop radiation-related mesothelioma later in life. But the signs of peritoneal mesothelioma years after radiation are easy to miss. Peritoneal Mesothelioma Case Study The new report is based on the case of…

Risk for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Keeps Rising Decades After Exposure
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Risk for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Keeps Rising Decades After Exposure

ByAlex Strauss

Pleural mesothelioma risk may level off over several decades, but the risk for peritoneal mesothelioma never goes down. That is the conclusion of researchers at Italy’s University of Eastern Piedmont. It is based on data from more than 50,000 asbestos-exposed Italian workers.   More than 40 years after asbestos exposure, the workers’ risk for peritoneal mesothelioma continued to rise. Calculating Mesothelioma Rates Over Time Asbestos is the primary cause of all types of malignant mesothelioma. Even short-term asbestos exposure raises the risk for peritoneal mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the abdomen. Pleural mesothelioma tumors start on the lining around the lungs.  If asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they embed themselves in these linings. This…

First-Line Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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First-Line Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

The same drugs doctors use to treat pleural mesothelioma can provide effective chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma, too. Japanese researchers reviewed the cases of 29 peritoneal mesothelioma patients. These patients had first-line treatment with cisplatin and pemetrexed between 2001 and 2016. The results suggest these drugs are safe and potent chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma. The finding may help doctors and patients make better treatment decisions. Treating Malignant Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma is a membrane cancer. It usually occurs in one of two places. About 80 percent of mesothelioma tumors arise on the membrane that surrounds the lungs (the pleura). This is called pleural mesothelioma.  About 20 percent of the 2,500 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the US each year are peritoneal. Peritoneal…

Treating Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma with Spray-On Oxaliplatin
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Treating Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma with Spray-On Oxaliplatin

ByAlex Strauss

European doctors have tested a new spray-on cancer drug that could be another treatment option for people with advanced peritoneal mesothelioma. The drug is oxaliplatin. It is sold under the brand name Eloxatin. It is normally given by injection into a vein. But that can cause serious side effects, including stomach pain. A new study published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology suggests there may be a more effective way to get the benefits of oxaliplatin. Researchers found that using it as a spray for advanced peritoneal mesothelioma extended survival with fewer side effects. PIPAC for Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma As Surviving Mesothelioma first reported last spring, pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new way to deliver cancer medicines….

When Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma Occur Together
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When Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma Occur Together

ByAlex Strauss

Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma rarely occur at the same time. But when they do, there is still hope for treatment. That message comes from a new study conducted at Columbia University and published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. The researchers analyzed cases of patients diagnosed with both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma at Columbia. They were looking for the factors that impacted their survival and the most effective ways to treat them. Comparing Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma There are two primary types of malignant mesothelioma, the type of cancer most closely associated with asbestos exposure. The most common type is pleural mesothelioma. With this type, the first tumors show up on the membrane that surrounds the lungs (pleura). Chest pain,…

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy
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Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

There is evidence that repeatedly rinsing the abdomen with medicine might lead to longer mesothelioma survival after surgery. A rinse of heated chemotherapy drugs during surgery has become standard of care for peritoneal mesothelioma. Unfortunately, mesothelioma usually comes back. But a top mesothelioma doctor says longer mesothelioma survival might be possible if patients got regular chemotherapy “rinses” through a catheter. Studies show the drugs may not even have to be heated to work. Longer Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery Peritoneal mesothelioma is a type of asbestos cancer. It starts on the lining around the abdomen and can spread to other parts of the body. About a fifth of mesothelioma patients have this type. Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has led to longer…

Researchers Name Six Top Mesothelioma Survival Factors
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Researchers Name Six Top Mesothelioma Survival Factors

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have named what they say are the top six mesothelioma survival factors. According to their new study, patients with one or more of these factors tend to have better mesothelioma treatment outcomes and live longer. Malignant mesothelioma – also called asbestos cancer – is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. It starts on internal membranes and spreads quickly. There is no cure and the disease is very hard to slow down. Many mesothelioma patients die within 12 to 18 months. But there are cases of much longer mesothelioma survival. Some patients have even lived for decades after mesothelioma treatment. The Pittsburgh researchers wanted to find the mesothelioma survival factors shared by the longest…

Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma: New Drug Trial Begin
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Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma: New Drug Trial Begin

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in Maryland and Missouri have started human testing of a new type of immunotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma. If the human trial of this new CAR T-cell therapy goes as well as the laboratory tests, this could be good news for many people with asbestos cancer. CAR stands for chimeric antigen receptor. CAR T-cell therapy works by “reprogramming” a patient’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Tests show this therapy can work well for blood-based cancers like leukemia. But the results have not been as good for solid tumors like peritoneal mesothelioma. MaxCyte is the American company than makes the new drug. They are hoping that their approach to immunotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma will be better. Preparing CAR T-cell Therapy…