Discovering the Link to Mesothelioma Growth
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Discovering the Link to Mesothelioma Growth

ByHolly Zink

Italian researchers have found that a molecule called cycle adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is involved in the growth of mesothelioma. cAMP acts as a messenger in our cells and affects different processes in the body. When the cAMP pathway is too active, it can contribute to the growth and spread of tumors. In this study, researchers looked at the levels of cAMP in mesothelioma tumors caused by toxic fibers like asbestos. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that grows on the lining of internal organs like the lungs and abdomen. It is caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is toxic to humans. Mesothelioma is a rare disease, so we do not know very much about how…

Australian Doctors Use Bacteria to Shrink Mesothelioma Tumors
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Australian Doctors Use Bacteria to Shrink Mesothelioma Tumors

ByAlex Strauss

Could bacteria responsible for problems ranging from sinusitis to food poisoning be used as a weapon in the fight against malignant mesothelioma? The results of a new study conducted by mesothelioma researchers at the University of Western Australia suggest that it might. The researchers focused their study on a compound made up of proteins produced by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, also called ‘Staph’ bacteria. The compound has been used clinically to induce pleurodesis, a closing up of the pleural space around the lungs that can become fluid-filled in people with mesothelioma. Based on its success in pleurodesis, the Australian team wondered if the S. aureus protein compound could also shrink tumors. Scientists in the University’s Centre for Asthma, Allergy and…

Surgery, Tumor Grade Have High Impact on Mesothelioma Survival
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Surgery, Tumor Grade Have High Impact on Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

A population based analysis of people with malignant pleural mesothelioma suggests that tumor grade and surgery have the greatest impact on overall survival. The study conducted by researchers in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester in New York analyzed the medical records of 9,701 mesothelioma patients from 1973 to 2006.   Their goal was to examine the variables that affect the overall survival in people with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Of the 9,701 patients followed, 55 percent were still alive six months after diagnosis.  Thirty-three percent survived for a year and another 5 percent were still living five years after their mesothelioma diagnosis.  Younger patients, women, those with the most common (epithelioid) type of…