Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?
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Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study says there is not enough evidence to support the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of pain associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland reviewed a range of past studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy by searching databases that date back as far as 1974. To be eligible to be included in their review, the study had to focus on malignant pleural mesothelioma and radiotherapy given “with the intent of improving pain”. The study also had to report doses and fractionation of the radiotherapy and how the pain responded. In all, the researchers found eight studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy that met the criteria. Two of the studies were prospective…

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…

Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma
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Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A team of medical researchers in Italy have achieved what they are calling “excellent” tumor control and survival results in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients using a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma typically spreads quickly across the lung-encasing membrane called the pleura. There is no known cure but treatments are improving. In the current prospective study, 20 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients underwent radical pleurectomy/decortication followed by high doses of radiation. After surgeons removed as much of the visible mesothelioma tumor and surrounding tissue as possible, patients received 50Gy of radiation to the effected side of their chest, delivered in 25 fractions. Regions of particular concern for mesothelioma regrowth got an extra radiation “boost” to…

New Program May Predict Mesothelioma Radiotherapy Response
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New Program May Predict Mesothelioma Radiotherapy Response

ByAlex Strauss

Doctors at a cancer research facility in Germany have recently tested a new way to help clinicians plan and predict outcomes for mesothelioma patients who have radiotherapy. One of the most difficult aspects of treating mesothelioma is creating an individualized treatment plan from the few available treatment options. Because mesothelioma tends to grow rapidly – often claiming lives within a year of diagnosis – it is crucial that doctors quickly choose the therapy combination that is most likely to produce results. Doctors investigating a new prognostic computer program at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg say the program produces a visual representation that may make mesothelioma treatment planning easier. Using population-based dose response curves and the  prescribed dose as the common…

New Agents May Enhance Mesothelioma Therapy
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New Agents May Enhance Mesothelioma Therapy

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the internal membranes that line the chest and abdomen and encase the heart. Once cancer has started on these membranes, it is extremely difficult to keep it from spreading to nearby organs. Conventional therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have little effect on mesothelioma. Now, two new studies out of Japan say there may be a way to change that. One study reports on an agent that may improve the cancer-killing power of radiotherapy. The other focused on the use of viruses to enhance the power of standard chemotherapy. For the radiotherapy study, researchers in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Okyama University examined the impact of manipulating microRNA molecules inside cells. In a previous study,…

New Radiotherapy Preserves Healthy Lung in Mesothelioma
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New Radiotherapy Preserves Healthy Lung in Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A method for targeted delivery of radiotherapy may be safer than conventional radiotherapy for slowing the spread of malignant pleural mesothelioma in patients who have had surgery. Mesothelioma is a virulent cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Although it can take up to 40 year to develop, when it does, it often spreads quickly across the mesothelium which surrounds the lungs. For most patients, prognosis is poor unless the spread of mesothelioma can be slowed down or stopped. Some patients undergo a surgical procedure called pleurectomy/decortication to remove the diseased pleural lining and as much of the cancerous tissue as possible from the lungs or chest wall. The concern following any cancer surgery is that the cancer can re-grow from cells that…

Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Experience Counts
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Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Experience Counts

ByAlex Strauss

When it comes to advanced radiotherapy techniques for mesothelioma, experience counts. That is the central message of a study conducted at Duke University Medical Center. Radiation Oncology researchers at Duke examined the records of mesothelioma patients who had received Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) following surgery between 2005 and 2010.  All the mesothelioma patients had undergone extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), a radical procedure that involves the removal of the pleura and other membranes, a lung, and all or part of the diaphragm. Radiotherapy can be especially challenging for mesothelioma – a cancer of the membranes around organs – because so many critical structures are located so close to the treatment area.  IMRT is designed to help direct more radiation into tumors while…

New Radiotherapy Technique May be Safer for Mesothelioma
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New Radiotherapy Technique May be Safer for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

There’s more evidence that an advanced method for delivering radiotherapy may improve survival for mesothelioma patients after surgery. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a surgical procedure for malignant pleural mesothelioma that involves removing the mesothelioma tumor, as well as the pleural lining where the tumor is located, the nearest lung, all or part of the diaphragm, and other internal membranes. It is often followed by adjuvant radiotherapy to kill remaining tumor cells. Because the radiation target area in post-operative mesothelioma patients is irregular in shape and located close to critical internal organs, many patients receive a targeted type of radiotherapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). But postoperative IMRT also carries a high risk of a potentially fatal lung condition called…

Radiotherapy and EPP is a Winning Combo for Some Mesothelioma Patients
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Radiotherapy and EPP is a Winning Combo for Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Another study has confirmed the value of radiotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for mesothelioma patients who undergo extrapleural pneumonectomy. A team of Italian researchers recently analyzed the records of 56 mesothelioma patients who had been treated with adjuvant radiotherapy after extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery (EPP) between 2005 and 2010. Caused by exposure to asbestos, malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer of the mesothelial lining around the lungs and other organs. Extrapleural pneumonectomy is a radical surgical procedure that involves removing not only the mesothelioma tumors, but also the lung closest to the tumor and a portion of the diaphragm. Although EPP is controversial due to its high rate of complications, a number of studies have shown it to increase survival, especially…

Mesothelioma Radiation ‘Boost’: A Surgical Alternative?
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Mesothelioma Radiation ‘Boost’: A Surgical Alternative?

ByAlex Strauss

For mesothelioma patients who are not candidates for surgery, new research suggests that an escalated dose of radiotherapy in the right place may help slow the cancer’s progression. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining around the lungs and other organs, is hard to treat with traditional therapies in part because of its atypical configuration. The cancer tends to spread across the thin, membranous tissue of the mesothelium in a ‘sheet’ formation, rather than a solid mass. The odd shape of mesothelioma tumors not only makes them difficult to remove surgically, but can also make them challenging to treat with radiation without harming vital organs beneath such as the lungs. But a group of radiology researchers in Milan, Italy found that,…