The Role of Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Mesothelioma Treatment
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The Role of Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

A groundbreaking study explored a different approach to mesothelioma treatment. Patients treated with radiation therapy after surgery showed promising results. This technique is called adjuvant radiotherapy. Revolutionizing Mesothelioma Treatment Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen. It’s caused by exposure to asbestos, a harmful mineral that was once widely used in construction and manufacturing. Because it’s often diagnosed at an advanced stage, treatment options have been limited. And the prognosis hasn’t been very promising. For a long time, the standard treatment for mesothelioma has been a combination. This often includes chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Of all three, chemotherapy is the common approach. Only one chemotherapy drug combination…

Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Hemithoracic Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A type of radiation therapy called hemithoracic radiotherapy could be safely used as part of the treatment plan for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and chest wall. This cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in about 2,000 people in the United States every year. Diagnosis typically occurs in people over the age of 60, but pleural mesothelioma has occurred in people in their twenties. Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation A study conducted in Turkey looked at 11 patients with mesothelioma who received multimodal therapy. This type of treatment plan uses more than one type of therapy…

New Therapy to Stop Mesothelioma Tumor Growth
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New Therapy to Stop Mesothelioma Tumor Growth

ByHolly Zink

Carbon-ion beam irradiation with cisplatin may stop the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at one of the world’s most experienced carbon ion therapy centers in Chiba, Japan shared that conclusion in a new article in the American Journal of Cancer Research. New Treatment Strategy Carbon-ion beam irradiation is a new treatment strategy for different cancer types. It has been used to treat cancer in patients for almost 30 years. It involves using a particle accelerator to pummel a tumor with DNA-damaging carbon ions. Unlike conventional radiation, carbon ion therapy carries a lower risk of damaging healthy surrounding tissues since most of the energy is scattered as soon as the particles hit the cancer cells. This could be especially useful…

Sensitizer Could Improve Radiotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma
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Sensitizer Could Improve Radiotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A chemical compound that sensitizes cancer cells to radiation could help improve radiotherapy for pleural mesothelioma. Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation to scramble the DNA of cancer cells. This makes it harder for cells to replicate and form new tumors.  But mesothelioma cells and other hard-to-treat cancers have ways of protecting themselves against radiation-induced DNA damage. The possibility of damaging healthy cells is another limiting factor in radiotherapy for pleural mesothelioma.  Now, a Japanese study of mice shows a new compound called SQAP can enhance the damage to cancer cells from radiation. The researchers are hopeful it could help keep mesothelioma tumors in check. The Challenge of Radiotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma Malignant pleural mesothelioma is difficult to treat. This aggressive membrane…

Adjuvant Radiotherapy May Not Lengthen Mesothelioma Survival, Study Shows
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Adjuvant Radiotherapy May Not Lengthen Mesothelioma Survival, Study Shows

ByAlex Strauss

Having adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery may not help mesothelioma patients live any longer according to researchers at Duke and Stanford Universities. Researchers used a database of pleural mesothelioma patients from Duke and a national registry to conduct the analysis.  They compared the outcomes of patients who had radiation after surgery (adjuvant radiotherapy) with the outcomes of those who did not.  While radiotherapy may help reduce mesothelioma symptoms for some patients, the results of the study suggest that it is unlikely to extend survival. Radiation for Mesothelioma and Its Symptoms Radiotherapy is a mainstay of cancer therapy for certain kinds of cancer. But the irregular shape and aggressive nature of mesothelioma tumors makes them less than ideal for radiation treatment.  Pleural…

Triple-Modality Therapy May Improve Mesothelioma Outcomes, Study Suggests
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Triple-Modality Therapy May Improve Mesothelioma Outcomes, Study Suggests

ByAlex Strauss

A Canadian study suggests that triple-modality therapy with radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery may extend the lives of people with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Pleural mesothelioma is an intractable cancer with a poor prognosis. It mainly affects people who have lived or worked around asbestos.  There is no cure for mesothelioma. People who have the best mesothelioma outcomes usually have a combination of treatments.  Now, scientists at Toronto General Hospital’s Research Institute say a triple-modality therapy they tested in mice might have the power to extend human lives, too. Multi-modal Mesothelioma Treatment Pleural mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer that starts on the membrane around the lungs. Many mesothelioma patients die less than a year after diagnosis.  There is no single accepted treatment…

Radiotherapy Outcomes in Mesothelioma Linked to Metabolism
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Radiotherapy Outcomes in Mesothelioma Linked to Metabolism

ByAlex Strauss

Italian researchers say metabolic markers may hold the key to predicting radiotherapy outcomes in people with mesothelioma. Metabolism is the process by which cells produce energy. Metabolism is necessary for cancer cells to live. Mesothelioma cells metabolize faster than healthy cells.  Radiotherapy affects cancer cell metabolism. A new study shows that compounds produced during metabolism may impact radiotherapy outcomes. It suggests that a patient’s metabolic profile – or metabolome – could help doctors choose good candidates for radiation. Radical Hemithoracic Radiotherapy and Mesothelioma  Pleural mesothelioma is a rare lung-related cancer caused by asbestos exposure. There is no cure for mesothelioma. Most mesothelioma patients have a combination of therapies. Radiation is one of the methods doctors use to help slow its…

Focused Radiation After Chemotherapy May Improve Mesothelioma Survival
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Focused Radiation After Chemotherapy May Improve Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

New research suggests that mesothelioma patients who have focused radiation after chemotherapy may live longer with slower disease progression than those who have other therapy combinations. Researchers used two kinds of focused radiotherapy (FRT) in the study. One was stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and the other was hypo-fractionated radiotherapy. Both treatments deliver a deadly dose of radiation into tumors while sparing normal tissue.  Italian researchers say giving focused radiation after chemotherapy makes it even more effective against mesothelioma that is not yet widespread.  Radiotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma Radiotherapy is one of several possible treatments for mesothelioma. Most patients start with chemotherapy. But chemotherapy has limited effectiveness. Increasingly, researchers are looking for other approaches to combat mesothelioma.  Most patients get the…

Novel Strategy May Improve Immuno-radiotherapy for Mesothelioma
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Novel Strategy May Improve Immuno-radiotherapy for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Canadian scientists say suppressing certain kinds of immune system cells could improve the effectiveness of immuno-radiotherapy for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a fast-growing membrane cancer caused by asbestos. Doctors have not found a single therapy that can beat it. For most patients, a combination of treatments offer the best survival odds. Immuno-radiotherapy for mesothelioma combines two types of treatments. Immunotherapy drugs activate the immune system while radiation attacks the tumor directly.  Mesothelioma tumors fight back against both kinds of treatments. But researchers testing a combination of the two may have found a way to make it even more powerful. How Immuno-Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma Works Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most treatment-resistant cancers. Doctors have to attack it from many different…

Proton Therapy for Mesothelioma: New Consensus Statement
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Proton Therapy for Mesothelioma: New Consensus Statement

ByAlex Strauss

A group of international experts in radiation oncology say proton therapy for mesothelioma may be a safer alternative to standard radiotherapy.  Proton therapy uses protons instead of photons to destroy mesothelioma tumor cells.  The group evaluated both types of radiation therapy. They conclude that proton therapy for mesothelioma is less likely to damage the opposite lung and other organs.  What is Proton Therapy? Conventional radiation therapy for mesothelioma uses photons. A radiation oncologist delivers photons into the tumor with a linear accelerator. The photons or X-rays permanently damage the DNA. Damaged mesothelioma cells cannot grow and divide normally and the cells die.  The downside of standard radiation therapy is that normal tissue absorbs some of the damaging photons, too. This…