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- Mesothelin Finding Could Lead to Early Detection of Mesothelioma
- New York Attorney Calls for International Ban on Mesothelioma-Causing Asbestos
- Protein Can be Reliable for Diagnosing Malignant Mesothelioma
- Biomarker Successes Remain Elusive For Mesothelioma and Cancer Researchers
- Avastin May Not be Effective for Breast Cancer, But is Still an Option for Mesothelioma
- Options for Funding Mesothelioma Research
- Golf Outing to Raise Funds for Mesothelioma Research
- 3 Year Mesothelioma Survivor Stays Busy Raising Awareness of the Disease
- MesotheliomaHelp Website Offers Mesothelioma-Related FAQs
- CDMRP System Offers Funding Opportunity to Help Military Mesothelioma Sufferers
Friday, April 16, 2010
by Nancy Meredith
A German researcher has found that terminal cancer patients that receive palliative radiotherapy treatment are not benefitting as their oncologists thought they would. This led to the conclusion that while physicians expected to improve the patient’s quality of life they did not take the time to appropriately customize the radiation therapy to the patient. For mesothelioma patients, radiation is often used in a palliative manner to reduce the pain associated with the disease.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive and painful cancer that occurs in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. Currently there is no known cure for mesothelioma, although the disease can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.
The traditional therapies of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often used in concert for multimodal therapy in the majority of mesothelioma treatment plans. Radiation is often the last treatment used in the care of the patient.
Radiation treatment, which uses radiation to kill cancer cells, for end-stage cancer patients is intended to control pain, stop bleeding, and relieve pressure, even though the cancer can no longer be controlled. The expectation is that the patients will maintain a good quality of life until the end.
The study found, however, that terminal patients are spending most of their remaining life undergoing treatments, but only 26% of them reported any pain reduction.
Dr. Stephan Gripp, of the University Hospital Duesseldorf in Germany, believes that excessive radiotherapy in end-stage cancer patients is a reflection of overoptimistic prognoses and unrealistic concerns about radiation damage from the patients’ doctors. The average survival time for mesothelioma patients varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.
He goes on to say that the oncologists are inaccurately projecting the patients life span leading to “unduly prolonged therapy regimens” that are not completed or from which the patient withdraws.
He added that physicians need better methods for estimating how long their end-stage cancer patients will live, as well as recommending that that they use shorter-duration radiation schedules for palliative radiotherapy.
With new research in the field of radiotherapy, including using proton beams, mesothelioma tumors that are often located close to other organs can be targeted with greater precision limiting damage to the surrounding tissue, potentially leading to improved palliative treatment.
Palliative Radiation Treatment
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Labels: Featured Story
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Researchers in London have estimated that when a malignant mesothelioma patient undergoes surgery to remove a portion of the cancerous lining of the lung or abdomen the survival rate increases by approximately nine months.
The researchers further found that mesothelioma patients who had multi-modal treatment of surgery and chemotherapy or radiotherapy showed the best results. They survived about 32 months on average – or roughly twice as long as patients who had other types of treatments.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen closely associated with asbestos exposure. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.
When analyzing the results of the types of treatment, the researchers divided the treatment data into four groups:
- Mesothelioma patients who did not have surgery;
- Mesothelioma patients who had their chest cavity opened surgically, but did not have organs removed;
- Mesothelioma patients who had tissue such as a lung and the lining of the lung removed, but did not undergo chemotherapy afterward;
- Mesothelioma patients who had organs and cancerous tumors removed as well as receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Researchers at the University College London published the results in the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: Treatment News
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has released the NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Led by Lee M. Krug, MD of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the guidelines were presented at the 15th annual NCCN conference.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma has an extended latency period with symptoms sometimes taking between 20-40 years to appear. By the time the symptoms appear the disease has progressed to an advanced stage, with life-threatening complications.
While there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation. Each case of mesothelioma can be different, and determining the appropriate treatment often depends on the expertise of the treating physician
With the new treatment guidelines, doctors can rely on the evidence-based recommendations finding information regarding surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and staging information.
Among the recommendations, the guidelines suggest the use of pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin “as the optimal first-line combination chemotherapy regimen for patients.” Krug noted that while mesothelioma was previously thought to be chemoresistant, new evidence suggests that certain chemotherapy regimens can benefit patients.
The most recent version of this and all the NCCN Guidelines are available free of charge at NCCN.org.
Release of Guidelines Announced
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Labels: mesothelioma, Treatment News
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
When Paul Poth, a Boston attorney, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the age of 38 he was dismayed by the lack of resources his physicians had available to them for his treatment. He soon realized that this is the case for many rare cancers, including mesothelioma, and hoping to make a difference he and his family formed TargetCancer. Poth died shortly after founding TargetCancer.
TargetCancer “promotes the development of lifesaving treatment protocols for rare cancers. Through fundraising, outreach, and advocacy, TargetCancer supports those living with rare cancers and funds research initiatives at the forefront of cancer treatment – efforts that treat the individual as well as the disease.” Some of the cancers targeted include hepatobiliary (bile duct) cancer, from which Poth died, esophageal cancer, mesothelioma, certain brain tumors, and others.
Mesothelioma, an unusual form of cancer which can take up to five decades to be properly diagnosed, is responsible for approximately 3,000 new cases each year in the United States. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation. Research continues to find a cure for the disease.
In February TargetCancer launched “The Right Track.” This initiative offers a series of concerts, events, and music downloads of which 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to TargetCancer. The music available on this site is rare and previously unreleased tracks donated by performers. See The Right Track to download songs.
In July 2009, TargetCancer made its first donation to the Center for Molecular Therapeutics at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: For Your Family
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has announced the agenda for The International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma. The symposium, to be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC on June 10-12, is a conference for the entire mesothelioma community, including patients, their families, caregivers and advocates.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Close to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the cancer yearly. There is no known cure for the disease.
In addition to advocacy information and orientation and tributes to mesothelioma patients and their loved ones, various medical experts will be on hand to present research findings and medical information related to mesothelioma treatment.
Following are some of the sesssions being presented:
- Present and Future Trends in Malignant Mesothelioma: Thoracic Surgeon, Researcher, and Medical Oncology Perspectives
- What’s new in Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Exciting Developments from Laboratories and Clinics Around the World
- Radiation Oncology — Understanding the Applicability
- Update on Clinical Trials
As of March 10, 2010, the following presenters have confirmed:
- Julie Brahmer, MD, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
- John Chabot, MD, Columbia University Medical Center
- Joseph Friedberg, MD, Penn Presbytarian Medical Center
- Mary Hesdorffer, NP, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
- Hedy Kindler, MD, University of Chicago Medical Center
- Linda Lee, MD, Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine & Digestive Center
- Harvey Pass, MD, New York University Medical Center
- Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
See http://www.curemeso.org/ for additional information or to register for the conference.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: For Your Family
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Friday, April 9, 2010
The American College of Chest Physicians’ website current Case Puzzler presents the case of a 70-year old woman with no history of occupational exposure to vapors, gases, dusts, fibers, or fumes, who is diagnosed with malignant epitheloid mesothelioma. Her physicians determined that she was a victim of “bystander asbestos exposure” from asbestos dust brought home on her father’s clothes throughout her childhood.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that is primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until up to 50 years after initial exposure to the asbestos. A wide array of workers were exposed to asbestos including shipyard workers, factory workers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers, laborers, machinists, mechanics, powerhouse workers, and electricians.
Asbestos is so toxic that mesothelioma has been diagnosed in family members whose only exposure came from contact with the fibers that adhered to the clothes of the worker/tradesperson who actually worked with asbestos products. The woman’s father died of cancer of unknown primary site. The type of work in which he was engaged was not revealed.
The case study leads the reader through the steps of diagnosis including showing the results of the initial abdominal and chest CT scans indicating a left-sided pleural effusion. The next test, thoracentesis, was performed showing atypical cells suggestive of, but not diagnostic of, a malignancy.
The “answer” shows the complete diagnosis as well as a discussion including the patient’s medical history and information on mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment.
Case Puzzlers are brief clinical vignettes on various educational topics. Developed by members of the American College of Chest Physicians’ NetWorks, it provides members with an opportunity to sharpen their skills.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: diagnosis, mesothelioma
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
Thursday, April 8, 2010
by Nancy Meredith
Researchers from the PARTNER network (Particle Training Network for European Radiotherapy) offered a workshop this year to show others in the field how the use of hadron therapy, using protons or light ions, can be more effective in the treatment of certain cancers than the traditional form of radiotherapy.
A Swedish group of oncologists are also encouraging the therapy saying proton therapy in mesothelioma patients can be used to give a better limitation of the dose in lung tissue and the tissue can, thus, facilitate a higher tumor dose.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial cells, caused by breathing in asbestos fibers that become lodged in the thin membrane that lines and encases the lungs. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.
The mesothelioma tumors are often located close to other organs which limits the ability of the oncologists to order radiation treatment in high enough doses to successfully attack the cancer. However, by using beams of hadrons for radiotherapy, deep-seated tumors can be targeted with greater precision limiting damage to the surrounding tissue.
The PARTNER network is fueling and encouraging proton beam research in the next generation of researchers. Designed as a training program for young researchers, PARTNER brings together students from ten European institutes. PARTNER believes that “potentially hadron therapy can have a very major impact on health of citizens.”
In their paper “The Potential of Proton Beam Radiation Therapy in Lung Cancer (Including Mesothelioma),” researchers found that in Sweden approximately 20 mesothelioma patients per year can benefit from the proton beam therapy. They further say that if chemotherapy is developed in the future that better targets the mesothelioma than the followup radiation therapy may benefit more patients.
Sources:
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Labels: Featured Story
posted by Nancy Meredith at 7:30 AM
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The American Thoracic Society’s 2010 conference “Where Today’s Science Meets Tomorrow’s Care” will be held May 14-19, 2010, in New Orleans. Included among the many topics offered are various sessions on pleural diseases such as mesothelioma.
Pleural Mesothelioma is a cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure and is most commonly found in the outer lining of the lungs called the mesothelium. Mesothelioma has an extended latency period with symptoms sometimes taking between 20-40 years to appear. Treatment of mesothelioma typically requires a team of specialists including a pulmonologist, oncologist, thoracic surgeon and radiologist.
The ATS International Conference is the largest US meeting for healthcare professionals in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine‘s Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Nursing, will offer the President’s Lecture discussing “the challenges he faced convincing traditional scientists and quality and safety experts to adapt their viewpoints to include patient quality and safety as an area of science.”
Dr. J.M. Seely of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Ottawa Hospital is one of the chairs and speakers for the Thoracic Imaging event and will provide a session on Pleural Disease and Pleural Ultrasounds. Seely has previously presented topics and published research on mesothelioma including a paper entitled: “Malignant pleural mesothelioma: computed tomography and correlation with histology.”
See the full agenda on the American Thoracic Society website.
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Labels: mesothelioma
posted by Nancy Meredith at 7:55 AM
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Southwest Oncology Group and the National Cancer Institute are finalizing the Phase I/Randomized Phase II clinical trial “Pemetrexed Disodium and Cisplatin With or Without Cediranib Maleate in Treating Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.” The trial studied the side effects and best dose of cediranib maleate when given together with pemetrexed disodium and cisplatin.
Cediranib is a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer. The medicine binds to and inhibits all three vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF-1,-2,-3) tyrosine kinases, thereby blocking VEGF-signaling, angiogenesis, and tumor cell growth.
The rationale for the trial states that cediranib maleate may stop the growth of mesothelioma tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. The researchers hope that by giving pemetrexed disodium and cisplatin together with cediranib maleate more tumor cells will be killed.
Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many standard cancer treatments. Currently there is no known cure for mesothelioma, and the average survival time varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.
This study is not yet open for participant recruitment.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: Research News
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:06 AM
Monday, April 5, 2010
Physicians now have instant access to the full set of questions in the Pulmonary and Critical Care programs from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). ACCP has just launched Version 2.0 of the ACCP-SEEK App for iPhone/iPod Touch. ACCP-SEEK is designed to reinforce training and experience and disseminate important new knowledge in the field. Pulmonologists will benefit from this by reviewing case-based questions on lung disorders such as mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many standard cancer treatments. Treatment of mesothelioma typically requires a team of specialists including a pulmonologist, oncologist, thoracic surgeon and radiologist.
The app contains all 200 questions from ACCP-SEEK Volume XVIII: Critical Care Medicine and 200 questions from ACCP-SEEK Volume XIX: Pulmonary Medicine.
ACCP-SEEK is a case-based study tool that is developed for Board Preparation or for general self-directed learning. The questions contain histories, lab results, and images, and provide education concerning current diagnostic and treatment strategies.
The app contains questions, answers, rationale for the answers, supporting references, case studies and the ability to email and to link to various material.
© MesotheliomaHelp.Net. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting or republication of this article or any portion of its content is permitted but must include the MesotheliomaHelp.Net link.
Labels: For Your Family
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM