Follow-Up Care for Mesothelioma: What Happens After Treatment?
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Follow-Up Care for Mesothelioma: What Happens After Treatment?

ByAlex Strauss

A new UK study on follow-up care for mesothelioma finds that patients need more continuity, timely information, and more input from their caregivers.  The study focused on three National Health Service facilities in the South of England. Two were secondary care hospitals and the third was a tertiary care center. A tertiary care center has special, high-level expertise in mesothelioma care.  Researchers talked to patients, nurses, caregivers, and members of practice groups called clinical commissioning groups. They used the feedback to develop the UK’s first set of best practices for follow-up care for mesothelioma. They now plan to share these best practices with clinicians across the country to improve after-care for all mesothelioma patients.  The Importance of Follow-Up Care for…

Chemoresistance in Mesothelioma: The Role of Genetics
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Chemoresistance in Mesothelioma: The Role of Genetics

ByAlex Strauss

A team of Swiss and German researchers have a theory about why so many mesothelioma patients experience chemoresistance.  Chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for asbestos cancer. But fewer than half of patients respond to it.  The new study suggests that this may have to do with an alteration on the BAP1 gene. Medicine cannot change a person’s underlying genetics. But knowing who is likely to experience chemoresistance could help patients and doctors choose the most effective treatments.  BAP1 Expression and Mesothelioma BAP1 stands for BRCA1 associated protein-1. People who have an inherited mutation of this gene produce less of the BAP1 protein. This seems to increase their risk for malignant mesothelioma and several other conditions. People with BAP1 loss…

Chemotherapy Resistance in Mesothelioma Patients: New Insights
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Chemotherapy Resistance in Mesothelioma Patients: New Insights

ByAlex Strauss

Canadian cancer researchers have discovered what may be a key cause of chemotherapy resistance in mesothelioma and other types of cancer. The news could lead to more effective ways of treating malignant mesothelioma.  Chemotherapy resistance is a major problem for mesothelioma patients. The FDA has approved two different drug therapies for mesothelioma. But neither approach seems to hold asbestos cancer at bay long term.  Scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto say it may be because cancer cells “hibernate” to escape attack. If doctors can understand this cancer cell defense mechanism, they might be able to undermine it.  The Problem of Chemotherapy Resistance Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of several illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos fibers…

Opdivo for Mesothelioma Recurrence is Safe and Effective, Study Finds
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Opdivo for Mesothelioma Recurrence is Safe and Effective, Study Finds

ByAlex Strauss

A new Japanese study appears to show that Opdivo for mesothelioma recurrence after surgery is safe and effective.  Opdivo (nivolumab) is an immunotherapy drug similar to Keytruda (pembrolizumab). It blocks a protein called PD-L1. PD-L1 helps mesothelioma cells avoid detection by the immune system.  In the latest study, 35 patients received Opdivo for mesothelioma recurrence. More than three quarters of them experienced either stable or decreased disease. Understanding How Nivolumab Works Nivolumab is most often used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. It makes tumors more vulnerable to immune system attack. Pleural mesothelioma has many of the same characteristics as lung cancer. This is one reason researchers are hopeful about Opdivo for mesothelioma recurrence.  The primary treatment for mesothelioma is…

Mesothelioma Recurrence After PD Surgery
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Mesothelioma Recurrence After PD Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

A new study finds that mesothelioma recurrence after PD surgery is common but most patients still live for more than a year afterwards. More than a third were still alive three years after recurrence. The study included 90 Japanese patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Those who lived for at least a year without mesothelioma recurrence after PD surgery had the best chance of longer term survival. A good performance status and undergoing additional treatment were also key to better outcomes.  Understanding Pleurectomy with Decortication (PD) Surgery Pleural mesothelioma is a virulent cancer that occurs on the membrane around the lungs. There is no cure for mesothelioma. Even with the best treatment, the cancer usually comes back. The goal of most…

It May Be Possible to Predict Recurrence of Mesothelioma with Help from AI
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It May Be Possible to Predict Recurrence of Mesothelioma with Help from AI

ByAlex Strauss

A newly-published report suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) might help pathologists predict recurrence of mesothelioma. The report focuses on technology developed by the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Japan. The Center claims the computer program taught itself to recognize key features in images of cancer.  Some of the features were ones that even pathologists did not know about. The findings suggest that AI and pathologists could predict recurrence of mesothelioma better than pathologists alone.  How AI Might Predict Recurrence of Mesothelioma  A computer program usually has to be “taught” to perform a certain task. But this limits how far the learning can go. Instead of “teaching” it about cancer, researchers let the RIKEN technology learn on its…

Tracking Mesothelioma Recurrence: FDG-PET/CT Versus CT
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Tracking Mesothelioma Recurrence: FDG-PET/CT Versus CT

ByAlex Strauss

FDG-PET/CT may be a more effective way to track malignant pleural mesothelioma recurrence than contrast-enhanced CT scanning.  That is the conclusion of cancer researchers with Japan’s Hyogo College of Medicine. The researchers focused on fifty patients who underwent radical surgery for pleural mesothelioma. Afterwards, doctors used both FDG-PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT scans to track mesothelioma progression. Two experienced examiners assessed the cases. They concluded that FDG-PET/CT was more accurate than CT for diagnosing mesothelioma recurrence. Mesothelioma Recurrence After Surgery Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. It arises in the layers of the pleural membrane that surrounds the lungs. Mesothelioma tumors tend to grow and spread quickly. Treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy can sometimes slow…

Conservative Surgery Leads to Better Mesothelioma Survival After Recurrence
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Conservative Surgery Leads to Better Mesothelioma Survival After Recurrence

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma survival after recurrence may be better with lung-preserving P/D surgery than with more radical EPP. Japanese researchers recently analyzed the cases of 44 mesothelioma patients who underwent either EPP or P/D. It took about the same amount of time for mesothelioma tumors to start growing again, no matter what type of surgery the patient had. The difference was in survival. Both overall survival and mesothelioma survival after recurrence were longer in the P/D patients. EPP vs. P/D: The Ongoing Debate Mesothelioma surgeons around the world are still divided about which type of mesothelioma surgery is best. On one hand, extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) removes more diseased tissue, including a lung. Some say this improves the odds of long term mesothelioma…

Avelumab May Offer a Second-Line Option for Recurrent Mesothelioma
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Avelumab May Offer a Second-Line Option for Recurrent Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

People with recurrent mesothelioma may get another chance at treatment with the immunotherapy drug avelumab. Malignant mesothelioma is highly resistant to standard cancer therapies. That means that the asbestos cancer usually comes back, or recurs, even after treatment. The most common treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy with Alimta. Alimta is the only drug approved specifically for mesothelioma. Patients with recurrent mesothelioma often have several rounds of chemotherapy with Alimta. But once the standard mesothelioma treatments stop working, patients do not have many options. Now a new study suggests that some cases of recurrent mesothelioma that stop responding to Alimta may respond to avelumab.   Considering Avelumab for Recurrent Mesothelioma Bavencio is the brand name for avelumab. It is a type…