Advice for Mesothelioma Patients and Caregivers: Understanding Blood-Based Biomarkers

Advice for Mesothelioma Patients and Caregivers: Understanding Blood-Based Biomarkers

ByHolly Zink

A pleural mesothelioma diagnosis can overwhelm patients and caregivers. However, knowing about recent research can help in making treatment decisions. For example, a key area is blood-based biomarkers. Two promising ones are soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRP) and cancer antigen 125 (CA-125). They help monitor pleural mesothelioma progression. A new article published in Thoracic Cancer offers advice for mesothelioma patients and caregivers on these biomarkers. Understanding SMRP and CA-125 SMRP and CA-125 are biomarkers found in the blood. They can provide valuable information about the presence and progression of pleural mesothelioma. SMRP levels tend to be elevated in patients with pleural mesothelioma, particularly those with epithelioid and biphasic histology. On the other hand, CA-125 levels may indicate the presence of abdominal…

Mesothelioma Diagnosis: SMRP Not the Answer
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Mesothelioma Diagnosis: SMRP Not the Answer

ByAlex Strauss

Soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRP), a protein found in the blood serum of some people, may not be as effective a biomarker for mesothelioma as it was once thought to be. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer of the internal membranes that surround the lungs, abdominal organs or heart. It is most often triggered by exposure to asbestos and is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Biomarkers, like SMRP, are often used to try to make cancer diagnoses earlier since these compounds are often produced in larger quantities by cancer cells than by healthy cells. But in a report in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, a team of researchers suggests that SMRP has some significant limitations when it comes to detecting mesothelioma. The…