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…

Best Practices for Pleural Mesothelioma: Updated Recommendations from Europe’s Top Doctors
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Best Practices for Pleural Mesothelioma: Updated Recommendations from Europe’s Top Doctors

ByAlex Strauss

Europe’s top mesothelioma experts have released new best practices for pleural mesothelioma. They include the latest recommendations on diagnosis, staging, monitoring, and treatment. The task force was made up of members from:  European Respiratory Society (ERS) European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) This is the first time the best practices for pleural mesothelioma were updated since 2009. The group based the new recommendations on mesothelioma data gathered in the last decade.  Mesothelioma Remains a Global Challenge Malignant mesothelioma is one of the world’s most challenging cancers. Doctors know that asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma. But many other things about this disease are a mystery.  Some people with a…

Drug May help Mesothelioma Patients Overcome Resistance to Chemotherapy
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Drug May help Mesothelioma Patients Overcome Resistance to Chemotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

A newly-identified compound might eventually help mesothelioma patients overcome resistance to chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy resistance is one of the main reasons that mesothelioma treatments fail.  But researchers at Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified a compound that combats resistance to chemotherapy with cisplatin.  Cisplatin is one of the primary drugs in first-line chemotherapy for mesothelioma. If mesothelioma cells can be sensitized to it, patients may have better outcomes.   First-Line Treatment for Malignant Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that grows on the lining around the lungs. Peritoneal mesothelioma starts on the lining of the abdomen. Both types of mesothelioma are caused by asbestos exposure.  Chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta) is the treatment that doctors usually try…

Anti-Inflammatory Treatment for Mesothelioma Shows Long-Term Benefit
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Anti-Inflammatory Treatment for Mesothelioma Shows Long-Term Benefit

ByAlex Strauss

Doctors in London are reporting a case of long-term mesothelioma survival with anti-inflammatory treatment for mesothelioma. The 64-year-old pleural mesothelioma patient had been a heating engineer. When he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, he elected not to have standard cancer treatments.  His doctors advised him to start on a regimen of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs. On just the anti-inflammatory treatment for mesothelioma, the man was still alive four years after his diagnosis.  Mesothelioma and Inflammation Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the membrane around the lungs. It is most common in people who have worked or lived around asbestos.  When asbestos fibers get into the lungs, they stay there permanently. Studies suggest that the inflammation caused by these…

TTFields Treatment for Mesothelioma: Physician Acceptance is Critical
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TTFields Treatment for Mesothelioma: Physician Acceptance is Critical

ByAlex Strauss

A new article suggests that non-invasive TTFields treatment for mesothelioma has the potential to save lives – as long as enough physicians accept it.  TTFields stands for Tumor Treating Fields. It is an electricity-based treatment approved by the FDA for use along with standard mesothelioma chemotherapy.  Cancer researchers from West Cancer Center and Research Institute wrote the new article for The Oncologist. They say the success of TTFields treatment for mesothelioma depends on doctors learning the logistics of using it.  How Does TTFields Treatment for Mesothelioma Work? TTFields use low-intensity alternating electric fields. When these electric fields hit a mesothelioma tumor, they disrupt normal cell division. If cancer cells cannot divide properly, they are less likely to spread out of…

Mesothelioma Survival Rates Have Remained Flat for Decades
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Mesothelioma Survival Rates Have Remained Flat for Decades

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma survival rates have stayed steady for decades, even though treatments are improving. According to more than 25 years worth of data from the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank, people with malignant mesothelioma live a median of 15 months. That number has changed little since 1990. Charting Mesothelioma Patients Over Time Researchers from several major US cancer centers compiled the new report. The goal was to chart mesothelioma survival rates over time and identify factors that impact them. The group evaluated mesothelioma survival rates from 888 cases of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma in the NMVB. The NMVB houses information on more than 1400 mesothelioma cases diagnosed between 1990 and 2017. Overall mesothelioma survival rates stayed right around 15 months. But there…

Many Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Get No Treatment
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Many Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Get No Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

The majority of elderly mesothelioma patients are observed rather than treated and this can have a negative impact on their survival. That is the finding of a new study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. The study included more than 4,500 mesothelioma patients. Less than a quarter of these patients received any treatment for their mesothelioma. As a result, most of these patients lived less than six months. Treatment Options for Elderly Mesothelioma Patients Exposure to asbestos causes pleural mesothelioma. It can take decades after exposure for mesothelioma symptoms to occur. The median age for a malignant pleural mesothelioma diagnosis is 72. The older a patient is at diagnosis, the more likely they are to have other health problems….

Mesothelioma Survival Factors Revealed by New Study
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Mesothelioma Survival Factors Revealed by New Study

ByAlex Strauss

New research from the University of Pittsburgh reveals six primary mesothelioma survival factors. These characteristics appear to separate those who die of mesothelioma within just a few months from those who live much longer. The research focused on 888 cases of pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma listed in a national database. Patients received their mesothelioma diagnosis between 1990 and 2017. The study shows that most mesothelioma survival factors are out of patients’ control. Calculating Mesothelioma Survival Factors Not many people survive mesothelioma long term. It is one of the most aggressive and hard-to-treat types of cancer. By the time mesothelioma patients develop their first symptoms, the asbestos cancer is usually already at an advanced stage. Deciding the best way to treat…

New Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Treatment Reduces Tregs with Immunotoxin
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New Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Treatment Reduces Tregs with Immunotoxin

ByAlex Strauss

There is a new mesothelioma immunotherapy treatment in the works. This one is based on reducing the number of Tregs or regulatory T-cells around a mesothelioma tumor. Tregs are an important part of maintaining balance in the immune system. They help protect people against autoimmune diseases like MS and lupus. But in people with malignant mesothelioma and other types of cancer, too many Tregs can be a problem. Tregs respond to distress signals sent out by a tumor. They surround the tumor and protect it against attack from the immune system. The goal of mesothelioma immunotherapy treatment is to reactivate the immune system to fight the cancer. Developing a Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Treatment Molecular biologists at the National Cancer Institute and…

New Mesothelioma Drug Trial Begins
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New Mesothelioma Drug Trial Begins

ByAlex Strauss

A new mesothelioma drug trial is now underway. The trial will test a brand new type of immunotherapy medication called CA-170. CA-170 is designed to block an immune system suppressor called VISTA. It is the only VISTA-blocking medication currently in clinical trial. “CA-170 has demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability as well as preliminary anti-tumor activity in patients across multiple tumor types,” the company said in a statement. Mesothelioma Drug Trial Focuses on VISTA Malignant mesothelioma is highly resistant to standard cancer treatments. Many top researchers believe that immunotherapy drugs offer the best promise for curing mesothelioma. That is because cancers like malignant mesothelioma survive in part by evading detection by the immune system. They do this in a variety ways…