Precision Mesothelioma Treatment with Planning Models

Precision Mesothelioma Treatment with Planning Models

ByHolly Zink

The combination of two special planning models is a big step forward in mesothelioma treatment. Results show these models make sure that important organs are protected during cancer treatment. Enhancing Mesothelioma Treatment Mesothelioma is a serious condition that affects the lining of organs like the lungs. It is caused by exposure to a toxic material called asbestos. Treating it is hard because the target area is large and close to other important organs like the heart. The Icahn School of Medicine has been using a special planning model called RapidPlan (RP) to help with mesothelioma treatment. This model was designed for cases where patients had surgery, leaving them with two intact lungs. Maximizing Effectiveness, Minimizing Risk In this new study,…

A Game-Changer in Mesothelioma Therapy: Targeting YB-1 Protein
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A Game-Changer in Mesothelioma Therapy: Targeting YB-1 Protein

ByHolly Zink

An international team of researchers has discovered a unique YB-1 protein. It can make chemotherapy more effective at treating mesothelioma. Combating Mesothelioma with Precision Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer, especially when it affects the lining around our lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos. Finding effective treatments has been a challenge, but recent research has brought a ray of hope. Scientists have been studying a particular protein called Y-box-binding protein 1 (YB-1). It plays a vital role in the growth and movement of mesothelioma cells. When treating mesothelioma, one of the main approaches is chemotherapy. This powerful treatment uses drugs to target and kill cancer cells. The only FDA-approved chemotherapy drug combination is pemetrexed with cisplatin. Sometimes,…

Mesothelioma Spreading to the Brain and the Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery
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Mesothelioma Spreading to the Brain and the Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery

ByHolly Zink

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh shared a case about a mesothelioma patient whose cancer spread to their brain. Doctors used a treatment called stereotactic radiosurgery to treat the tumors in the brain. A Glimpse into Treatment Challenges The patient had a type of cancer called pleural mesothelioma. This cancer develops in the lining of the lungs. It is caused by inhaling tiny asbestos fibers that cause inflammation, which leads to tumors. Pleural mesothelioma occurs in about 2,000 people in the United States every year. The disease occurs more often in men than women. It can often take around 40 years for pleural mesothelioma to begin. The symptoms might include shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and fatigue. Pleural mesothelioma…

Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma Patients: Value and Timing
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Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma Patients: Value and Timing

ByHolly Zink

The value and safety of radiation therapy for mesothelioma patients are promising. Oncologists from the Fox Chase Cancer Center released new data on radiotherapy. What are the options for radiation therapy? What is the best timing? Who should receive it? This guide shows the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma Radiosensitivity and Treatment Combinations Mesothelioma tumors are radiosensitive. This means they are sensitive to X-rays and radiant energy forms. In other words, mesothelioma tumors are treatable with radiation therapy. The use of a multi-modality treatment has also shown potential for mesothelioma patients. A tri-modality treatment uses three different treatment types. The combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is most common. Understanding Timing and Adverse Effects There are…

Antibiotic May Boost Response to Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma
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Antibiotic May Boost Response to Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A common antibiotic may improve mesothelioma patients’ response to radiation therapy.  The concept is based on new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  Doctors there gave the antibiotic vancomycin to genetically modified mice. The mice had been modified to develop cancer. Mice that got the antibiotic had a better response to radiation therapy than untreated mice.  The effect applied not only to the treated tumor but also to tumors outside the treatment area. A heightened response to radiation therapy could be good news for patients with metastatic mesothelioma.  Understanding Cancer Response to Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy combats malignant mesothelioma by disrupting the DNA inside cancer cells. Mesothelioma tumors are irregularly-shaped which can make them…

IMRT for Long-Term Survival After Mesothelioma Surgery
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IMRT for Long-Term Survival After Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can safely slow or even stop mesothelioma progression after surgery as long as the dose is just right. A team of Texas radiation oncologists reached that conclusion after studying the treatment results of 18 mesothelioma patients between 2005 and 2014. IMRT is a highly targeted form of high-dose radiation. While it can have a powerfully negative effect on tumor cells, it can also have an equally negative effect on healthy lung tissue. Some patients have even died from pulmonary toxicity caused by IMRT. But in a report published in the journal Oncology, doctors from Texas A & M Medical Sciences Center and Baylor Scott and White Hospital found that, as long as the radiation dose…

Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited
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Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited

ByAlex Strauss

A form of highly-targeted radiation therapy for mesothelioma is better than it used to be, but is still risky. That is the message of a recent article on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Author Kenneth E. Rosenzweig, MD, a Radiation Oncologist with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reviewed recent studies on IMRT and mesothelioma. He concludes that, while the “troubling toxicity” associated with IMRT when it was first introduced has not been entirely eliminated, the fact that clinicians now have more experience with it is making a positive difference for mesothelioma patients. Before targeted therapies like IMRT were available, high-dose radiation was not usually a feasible option for mesothelioma since the irregular shape…

Mesothelioma Outcomes May Be Improved by New Radiation Therapy
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Mesothelioma Outcomes May Be Improved by New Radiation Therapy

ByAlex Strauss

There is evidence that a new type of radiation therapy may have advantages over other methods for treating mesothelioma patients after surgery. A marriage of spiral CT-scanning technology and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), helical tomotherapy offers enhanced precision and the ability to ‘sculpt’ the radiation dose to conform to the size and shape of the tumor being treated. Because mesothelioma tumors tend to be irregular in shape and spread out across the membranous mesothelial tissue, this sculpting ability may help doctors deliver just enough post-surgical radiation to kill remaining cancer cells without damaging large numbers of healthy cells. In a recent study on the technology at the University of Paris, a group of French researchers analyzed the treatment outcomes…

New Treatment for Mesothelioma Highlighted at Conference
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New Treatment for Mesothelioma Highlighted at Conference

ByAlex Strauss

Experts from around the globe will be meeting in Barcelona, Spain this month to discuss the benefits of a targeted type of radiation therapy that has shown promise in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. TomoTherapy is the brand name for an Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy system designed to deliver high doses of radiation directly into tumor cells, while minimizing the damage to surrounding healthy tissues. The developers of the technology will present 82 new studies of its impact on various cancers, including mesothelioma, at the conference sponsored by the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO). Mesothelioma, which involves the lining of the lungs and chest wall, is notoriously difficult to treat with radiation therapy because of the size…

IMRT Multimodality Therapy for Mesothelioma Appears Safe
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IMRT Multimodality Therapy for Mesothelioma Appears Safe

ByAlex Strauss

Pleural mesothelioma, a malignancy of the lung lining caused by breathing asbestos, is notoriously difficult to treat. While they can improve quality of life, traditional cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgical intervention have not been shown to improve survival rates in most mesothelioma patients beyond a few months. Researchers around the world are experimenting with advanced treatment options that may give mesothelioma patients new hope. A new study on Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) as part of a multi-modality treatment protocol appears to show improved safety over earlier studies that incorporated the same technology. IMRT is an advanced method of radiotherapy that uses a linear accelerator to deliver precise high doses of radiation directly into a tumor. One of…