Challenges and Hope: Mesothelioma in Children
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Challenges and Hope: Mesothelioma in Children

Mesothelioma is most often found in older adults, but in a very small number of cases, this cancer is diagnosed in children. There is not much research on mesothelioma in children. An international team of researchers looked at all mesothelioma cases occurring in children, teenagers and young adults diagnosed and treated in Europe. The team is called the European Cooperative Study Group on Pediatric Rare Tumors. Understanding the Unique Challenges in Pediatric Cases Mesothelioma is an aggressive and rare cancer. It develops in the lining of internal organs like the lungs and abdominal cavity. Reaching a diagnosis of this disease can be hard, and treatment can be even more difficult. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. This is a…

Understanding Treatment Options for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
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Understanding Treatment Options for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer and standard therapies are limited. Therefore, most patients consider one or more of three treatment options. These paths use different types of therapies and they are usually not exclusive. Mesothelioma patients can move from one type to another and, if their doctors agree, can sometimes use them in combination. A new publication gives an overview of the best treatment options currently available for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Standard therapies include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. If more than one of these therapies is used it is may be called multi-modality therapy. Oncologists are the doctors who provide chemo and radiation. Of course, surgeons provide surgeries. Understanding the Mesothelioma Diagnosis Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a…

How Do We Know If the Treatment is Working? Measuring Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Response
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How Do We Know If the Treatment is Working? Measuring Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Response

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. A growing number of mesotheliomas are being treated with novel immunotherapies. But clinicians still lack a meaningful way to measure mesothelioma treatment response. An article in Seminars in Nuclear Medicine lists five ways clinicians can measure how well a treatment plan is working. And a new artificial intelligence tool can measure mesothelioma tumors without any human input. Artificial intelligence may provide the key to treatment response in the future. Measuring Mesothelioma Treatment Response In malignant pleural mesothelioma, complex tumors result in inconsistent clinical assessment. There are five common ways to measure if a treatment plan is working. Generally, a clinician will look to see if the size or weight of a tumor has…

Breakthroughs in Mesothelioma in 2020
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Breakthroughs in Mesothelioma in 2020

In spite of a global pandemic, there were some major breakthroughs in mesothelioma in 2020 that made the year a hopeful one for people fighting asbestos cancer. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious illness caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.  Mesothelioma is still not curable. But researchers have made major breakthroughs in mesothelioma diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment this year.  Mesothelioma Treatment Advances Mesothelioma treatment saw the biggest breakthroughs in mesothelioma in 2020. The FDA approved the first systemic treatment for mesothelioma since 2004. That was the year that Alimta (pemetrexed) received approval.  They approved a combination of the immunotherapy drugs Opdivo and Yervoy. Yervoy helps activate and proliferate T-cells. Opdivo helps existing T-cells discover the mesothelioma  tumor. The patients who…

Immunotherapy for Advanced Mesothelioma: Surgery May Be the Key
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Immunotherapy for Advanced Mesothelioma: Surgery May Be the Key

An exciting new research development may help make immunotherapy vaccines effective for more mesothelioma patients, including those with advanced disease who have not been able to benefit from these treatments. Immunotherapy works by harnessing the power of the body’s own immune system and directing it to attack cancer cells. Unfortunately, as mesothelioma tumors grow, they release increasing amounts of an immune system suppressor designed to ward off an attack. The bigger the tumor, the more powerful the immune suppression and the less effective immunotherapy drugs are likely to be. At the same time, larger mesothelioma tumors may also produce less mesothelin, a protein that can be used to help immunotherapy vaccines target cancer cells. With less mesothelin and strong immunosuppression,…