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…

Combination Therapy with Mesothelioma Surgery Leads to Longer Survival
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Combination Therapy with Mesothelioma Surgery Leads to Longer Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A new study finds almost a quarter of people who had combination therapy with mesothelioma surgery were still alive five years later. The study was published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Researchers at University Hospitals KU Leuven in Belgium studied nearly 200 mesothelioma patients from 2003 to 2014. Many people do not live beyond about 18 months after a mesothelioma diagnosis. But the Belgian team says, for the right patients, there is a way to improve the odds. They say combination therapy with radical mesothelioma surgery offers a 1 in 4 chance of surviving for 5 years or more. Two Types of Mesothelioma Surgery There are two major schools of thought about mesothelioma surgery. Some surgeons say it…

Light-Based Therapy Extends Mesothelioma Survival
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Light-Based Therapy Extends Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

The newest research on photodynamic therapy appears to confirm what multiple recent studies have found – that PDT is a safe and effective way to prolong survival in pleural mesothelioma patients after surgery. A new meta-analysis of 16 studies on PDT for mesothelioma finds that the technique efficiently kills mesothelioma cells left behind after lung-sparing pleurectomy. For each of the studies, the French research team analyzed the specific PDT technique used, the level of toxicity, and the effect on survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. “After two decades of clinical studies, intrapleural photodynamic therapy after surgical resection became a safe treatment that significantly improved the survival of patients,” reports lead researcher Camille Munck of Inserm in Loos, France. Mesothelioma…

Japanese Doctors Test Potential New Target for Mesothelioma Therapy
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Japanese Doctors Test Potential New Target for Mesothelioma Therapy

ByAlex Strauss

. Mesothelioma is a fast-growing and currently incurable cancer that occurs most often in people who have been exposed to the mineral asbestos. It grows on the linings around the lungs or other organs making surgery and targeted radiotherapy especially difficult. Current chemotherapy drugs typically do not improve survival by more than a few months and researchers around the world continue to search for a way to attack mesothelioma at the cellular level. Now, a new study out of Japan suggests that ganglioside GM2, a surface glycolipid that is overexpressed in a number of cancer types including multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, and mesothelioma, may offer a way to do that. Glycolipids provide energy and serve as markers for cellular recognition. Oncologists…

Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Shows Promise
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Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Shows Promise

ByAlex Strauss

Despite the continuing efforts of researchers around the world, there is currently no standardized cure for mesothelioma. The asbestos-linked cancer is fast-growing and often resistant to conventional therapies. But a growing number of studies have pointed to the value of unconventional treatments like immunotherapy for mesothelioma. Immunotherapy refers to any treatment protocol which aims to harness the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells.  In a recent article in The Lancet Oncology, two National Cancer Institute researchers summarized some of the most promising immunotherapy approaches now being investigated for mesothelioma: In dendritic cell-based immunotherapy, dendritic cells are harvested from the patient. Outside the body, these cells are stimulated to activate a cytotoxic response against cancer cells.  When they are…