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Researchers Confirm Chromosome Deletion Among Mesothelioma Patients

Thursday, April 30, 2009

One of the primary reasons for the greater effectiveness of contemporary cancer treatments has come from a better understanding of the biological foundations of the tumorgeneic process itself. This research has allowed scientists to develop models that better describe the growth patterns of cancer cells, which has also allowed them to develop therapies that target specific aspects of this process. However, not all forms of cancer have yet benefitted from this type of research. In the case of malignant mesothelioma, for example, much more research is still needed to better understand its developmental biology. Physicians and researchers remain hopeful that more research will lead to more effective therapies, so investigations into its biology are being conducted in labs throughout the world.

One of the active areas of this research involves the analysis of the specific chromosomal structures within mesothelioma cells. Researchers have turned their attention to the unique patterns of translocation and deletion found in these cell types so as to learn more about the genetic changes that lead to their growth. An article on this topic, co-authored by one of the true luminaries in the treatment of mesothelioma— David Sugarbaker of Brigham & Woman’s Hospital in Boston— recently appeared in the journal Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

In the article “Chromosomal Deletion in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,” Dr. Sugarbaker and Dr. Siyamek-Miandoab of the New York Medical College describe a study they conducted which looked at the chromosome structures of 40 patients with pleural mesothelioma. Of these patients, 22 demonstrated some evidence of deleted chromosomes, with the most common deletions listed as: 1p, 3p, 6q, 9p and 22q. Prior research has not only identified these areas as the most common among mesothelioma patients, but it has also identified 6q as the location of three separate tumor suppressor genes whose loss has been implicated in mesothelioma genesis. In this study, the authors report that deletions in 6q were the most common (15 of the 22 patients: 68%).

The authors state that greater genomic analysis of mesothelioma cells could identify new avenues of treatment for this tragic disease and they conclude their article with a call for more funding and research on this important topic.

Labels: mesothelioma, pleuralmesothelioma, treatments

posted by Joseph DiCastro at 10:15 AM
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