Absent the discovery of a blockbuster drug to stop the advance of malignant mesothelioma, medical researchers in the next five years will focus on refining the selection of mesothelioma patients best suited for surgery and other treatments, according to doctors who treat mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lung or abdomen. The respiratory cancer is associated with inhaling asbestos dust and symptoms typically don’t appear until 20 years to 40 years after exposure. There is no known cure, but treatment can slow the advance of mesothelioma and prolong the lives of some mesothelioma patients. Surgery remains the best option for reducing the presence of malignant mesothelioma tumors, but not all mesothelioma patients are suitable for surgery.
In a recent article in Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, Drs. David Sugarbaker and Andrea Wolf, both of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, write that the role of surgery in treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma is to remove all visible tumors. Doctors generally use one of two procedures on mesothelioma patients who are undergo surgery.
One procedure, called an extrapleural pneumonectomy, is radical surgery involving the removal of the diseased lung, part of the diaphragm and part of the tissue lining the chest and covering the heart. The surgery is used for patients with mesothelioma that has spread to nearby tissues but has not metastasized throughout the body. Patients must be reasonably healthy to withstand the surgery.
The second procedure called pleurectomy/decortication, is used for patient with less extensive mesothelioma tumors. The surgery removes part of the tissue lining the chest but spares the lung.
Some patients can live longer by having a combination of radical surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Mesothelioma Treatment Regimen Results in Patient Surviving for Five Years
Promising results following the treatment of a young woman diagnosed with mesothelioma is spurring hope among some in the medical community that an important step may have been taken towards developing an eventual cure for the disease.
Karen Grant was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 29, relatively young for most that develop mesothelioma given its long latency period. Upon learning of the illness, Grant sought treatment at the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that was headed by Dr. David J. Sugarbaker, who also serves as the chief of the hospital’s Division of Thoracic Surgery and as a Richard Wilson Professor of Oncologic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
After she was deemed fit for surgery, Dr. Sugarbaker and his staff began an aggressive treatment regimen that included two extrapleural pneumonectomies to remove the mesothelioma cancer from each lung, laser surgery to kill any additional cancer cells that were initially missed, bathing both lungs with hot chemotherapy solution, as well as additional forms of treatment and rehabilitation.
The results of Dr. Sugarbaker’s treatment regimen, which he performed on Grant five years ago, have been nothing short of remarkable. Now in her mid-30s, lung scans and exams taken on Grant have shown no recurrence of any cancer. This is doubly impressive, as many mesothelioma patients are killed by the disease within one year of their diagnosis, and mesothelioma cancer cells can often reappear approximately 2-3 years after initial treatment for those who live that long.
Despite the success, Dr. Sugarbaker and his team are continuing their research to try and develop additional ways to kill mesothelioma cancer cells and treat patients with the disease more effectively. Nonetheless, Dr. Pasi Janne of the Dana-Farber Institute called the treatment developed by Dr. Sugarbaker so far a “milestone” that could be a significant step towards an eventual cure.
Karen Grant was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 29, relatively young for most that develop mesothelioma given its long latency period. Upon learning of the illness, Grant sought treatment at the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that was headed by Dr. David J. Sugarbaker, who also serves as the chief of the hospital’s Division of Thoracic Surgery and as a Richard Wilson Professor of Oncologic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
After she was deemed fit for surgery, Dr. Sugarbaker and his staff began an aggressive treatment regimen that included two extrapleural pneumonectomies to remove the mesothelioma cancer from each lung, laser surgery to kill any additional cancer cells that were initially missed, bathing both lungs with hot chemotherapy solution, as well as additional forms of treatment and rehabilitation.
The results of Dr. Sugarbaker’s treatment regimen, which he performed on Grant five years ago, have been nothing short of remarkable. Now in her mid-30s, lung scans and exams taken on Grant have shown no recurrence of any cancer. This is doubly impressive, as many mesothelioma patients are killed by the disease within one year of their diagnosis, and mesothelioma cancer cells can often reappear approximately 2-3 years after initial treatment for those who live that long.
Despite the success, Dr. Sugarbaker and his team are continuing their research to try and develop additional ways to kill mesothelioma cancer cells and treat patients with the disease more effectively. Nonetheless, Dr. Pasi Janne of the Dana-Farber Institute called the treatment developed by Dr. Sugarbaker so far a “milestone” that could be a significant step towards an eventual cure.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Two surgical options for mesothelioma patients
Dr. Raja Flores, mesothelioma specialist and chief of thoracic surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, says there are two approaches to surgery for mesothelioma patients. There are several factors, however, that surgeons consider before moving forward with surgery or choosing between the two approaches.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer specifically prone to the mesothelium, the lining of the lungs and other abdominal cavities. Caused by asbestos fibers and other occupational hazards, mesothelioma has no known curative treatments. The prognosis is extremely grim—the patient is typically given a life expectancy of six months to two years. Patient care centers on pain management.
The possibility of surgery lies heavily on the patient’s health. Pleural mesothelioma is an extremely painful and fatiguing disease. Chemotherapy drugs used to fight the cancer cause additional conditions such as anemia and neutropenia. These side effects further weaken the patient, raising the risks associated with surgery. While removal of cancerous tissues is beneficial and may relieve pain and extend life expectancy, it is certainly not curative.
In a New York Daily News article, Dr. Flores said the two surgeries used in mesothelioma cases are extra-pleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication. The first is the most commonly practiced approach and focuses on the removal of the infected lung. The second is the act of removing the cancerous tumors and lining of the lung while sparing the lung itself.
According to Dr. Flores, CT scans done prior to surgery are often misleading. Typically these tests underestimate the amount of tumors and infected tissues present. Surgeons often make the decision between an extra-pleural pneumonectomy and a pleurectomy/decortication once surgery has begun and they can more fully inspect the damage to lungs and lining.
There are no good early detection tools for mesothelioma. This is mostly due to the cancer’s developmental period; it can take between twenty and thirty years after asbestos fiber exposure for the cancer to demonstrate symptoms. Many patients with developing mesothelioma do not know they were ever exposed to the toxic chemical asbestos.
Dr. Flores says there is a broad range of symptoms associated with mesothelioma, shortness of breath being one. Chest pain is also a mesothelioma symptom and usually a sign that the cancer is more advanced. These symptoms, however, are common to many respiratory diseases. Mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed as curable illnesses such as pneumonia and influenza.
brought you by http://www.mesothelioma.net
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer specifically prone to the mesothelium, the lining of the lungs and other abdominal cavities. Caused by asbestos fibers and other occupational hazards, mesothelioma has no known curative treatments. The prognosis is extremely grim—the patient is typically given a life expectancy of six months to two years. Patient care centers on pain management.
The possibility of surgery lies heavily on the patient’s health. Pleural mesothelioma is an extremely painful and fatiguing disease. Chemotherapy drugs used to fight the cancer cause additional conditions such as anemia and neutropenia. These side effects further weaken the patient, raising the risks associated with surgery. While removal of cancerous tissues is beneficial and may relieve pain and extend life expectancy, it is certainly not curative.
In a New York Daily News article, Dr. Flores said the two surgeries used in mesothelioma cases are extra-pleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication. The first is the most commonly practiced approach and focuses on the removal of the infected lung. The second is the act of removing the cancerous tumors and lining of the lung while sparing the lung itself.
According to Dr. Flores, CT scans done prior to surgery are often misleading. Typically these tests underestimate the amount of tumors and infected tissues present. Surgeons often make the decision between an extra-pleural pneumonectomy and a pleurectomy/decortication once surgery has begun and they can more fully inspect the damage to lungs and lining.
There are no good early detection tools for mesothelioma. This is mostly due to the cancer’s developmental period; it can take between twenty and thirty years after asbestos fiber exposure for the cancer to demonstrate symptoms. Many patients with developing mesothelioma do not know they were ever exposed to the toxic chemical asbestos.
Dr. Flores says there is a broad range of symptoms associated with mesothelioma, shortness of breath being one. Chest pain is also a mesothelioma symptom and usually a sign that the cancer is more advanced. These symptoms, however, are common to many respiratory diseases. Mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed as curable illnesses such as pneumonia and influenza.
brought you by http://www.mesothelioma.net
Clinical and lab results after mesothelioma diagnosis may predict prognosis
2010 - Researchers from Dicle University in Diyarbakir, Turkey, have found that knowing certain clinical and laboratory results for mesothelioma patients may predict who will have a better or worse prognosis for the disease.
The research team reviewed medical information for 363 patients who had been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma over a 20-year period, including physician notes, X-rays, CT scans and laboratory results for the 217 men and 146 women in the study.
The Turkish team found that thickening of the pleura, or the lung lining, that exceeded one centimeter, and the presence of pleural fluid, indicated a poor prognosis for the patient. In addition, a low glucose level in the pleural fluid and a high level of C-reactive protein in the patient's blood also indicated a poor prognosis.
The study, published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Respiration, confirms previous research in Japan that indicated a high C-reactive protein level, as well as a high white blood cell count, is associated with higher mortality in mesothelioma patients.
The severity of the disease from previous asbestos exposure, and the expense of medical care to treat it, have led to a growing number of mesothelioma settlements for individuals and their families who live with the cancer.
brought you by http://www.mesorc.com
The research team reviewed medical information for 363 patients who had been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma over a 20-year period, including physician notes, X-rays, CT scans and laboratory results for the 217 men and 146 women in the study.
The Turkish team found that thickening of the pleura, or the lung lining, that exceeded one centimeter, and the presence of pleural fluid, indicated a poor prognosis for the patient. In addition, a low glucose level in the pleural fluid and a high level of C-reactive protein in the patient's blood also indicated a poor prognosis.
The study, published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Respiration, confirms previous research in Japan that indicated a high C-reactive protein level, as well as a high white blood cell count, is associated with higher mortality in mesothelioma patients.
The severity of the disease from previous asbestos exposure, and the expense of medical care to treat it, have led to a growing number of mesothelioma settlements for individuals and their families who live with the cancer.
brought you by http://www.mesorc.com
Illegal Asbestos Removal Burns New York Contractor
A New York businessman has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to conduct an inspection before an asbestos removal project, exposing workers and neighbors to deadly asbestos fibers. Breathing asbestos is linked to development of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen and other serious respiratory diseases.
Daniel Black, 56, president of Blackstone Business Enterprises Inc., a sheet metal and structural steel fabricator in Jamestown, New York, faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine for the Clean Air Act Violation. Blackstone Business will also pay a $205,000 penalty to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for citation related to improper asbestos removal and an additional $25,000 to the New York Department of Labor. Black also pleaded guilty to tax-related violations that came to light during the asbestos investigation.
In 2008, Black hired four temporary workers to remove asbestos insulation from steam pipes and cut down the steam pipes as scrap metal as part of a renovation of a four-story building at 100 Blackstone Avenue in Jamestown. The four men were exposed to asbestos during the renovation work, U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr., told The Post-Journal.
Asbestos was once used in a wide variety of building materials including insulation and tiles. Renovation and demolition activity is a common way that unprotected workers are exposed to asbestos today. For that reason, New York and federal laws strictly regulate the removal of asbestos and require contractors to conduct asbestos surveys to identity the material and contain it to prevent the potential release of toxic asbestos dust. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Black knew asbestos was present in the building because of prior asbestos projects conducted at Blackstone.
Investigators with the New York Department of Labor Asbestos Control Bureau and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration began investigating Blackstone in 2008 after being told that an asbestos disturbance project had occurred. They took samples and determined that asbestos was present at the site.
“These cases are very important to prosecute because the air we breathe, it’s critical that it remain untainted with asbestos,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango. “As renovation of older buildings occurs, it has the potential to be released into the environment, and it is the U.S. Attorney’s position that whenever such renovations may release asbestos into the atmosphere, everything needs to be done to appropriately handle the asbestos. Asbestos is very dangerous.”
Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with mesothelioma. People with mesothelioma typically develop symptoms 20 years to 40 years after exposure to asbestos.
brought you by http://www.aboutmesothelioma.net
Daniel Black, 56, president of Blackstone Business Enterprises Inc., a sheet metal and structural steel fabricator in Jamestown, New York, faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine for the Clean Air Act Violation. Blackstone Business will also pay a $205,000 penalty to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for citation related to improper asbestos removal and an additional $25,000 to the New York Department of Labor. Black also pleaded guilty to tax-related violations that came to light during the asbestos investigation.
In 2008, Black hired four temporary workers to remove asbestos insulation from steam pipes and cut down the steam pipes as scrap metal as part of a renovation of a four-story building at 100 Blackstone Avenue in Jamestown. The four men were exposed to asbestos during the renovation work, U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr., told The Post-Journal.
Asbestos was once used in a wide variety of building materials including insulation and tiles. Renovation and demolition activity is a common way that unprotected workers are exposed to asbestos today. For that reason, New York and federal laws strictly regulate the removal of asbestos and require contractors to conduct asbestos surveys to identity the material and contain it to prevent the potential release of toxic asbestos dust. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Black knew asbestos was present in the building because of prior asbestos projects conducted at Blackstone.
Investigators with the New York Department of Labor Asbestos Control Bureau and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration began investigating Blackstone in 2008 after being told that an asbestos disturbance project had occurred. They took samples and determined that asbestos was present at the site.
“These cases are very important to prosecute because the air we breathe, it’s critical that it remain untainted with asbestos,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango. “As renovation of older buildings occurs, it has the potential to be released into the environment, and it is the U.S. Attorney’s position that whenever such renovations may release asbestos into the atmosphere, everything needs to be done to appropriately handle the asbestos. Asbestos is very dangerous.”
Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with mesothelioma. People with mesothelioma typically develop symptoms 20 years to 40 years after exposure to asbestos.
brought you by http://www.aboutmesothelioma.net
Mesothelioma Experimental Treatments Making Headway in Clinical Trials
Although there is no cure for malignant mesothelioma, progress is being made in extending the life span of mesothelioma patients by combining traditional therapy with unique experimental treatments such as immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and gene therapy.
Because mesothelioma cannot be cured with traditional treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy, medical professionals have learned that fighting the cancer requires more than one mode of treatment. Known as multimodality therapy, doctors combine treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy or some unique form of treatment like immunotherapy to improve mesothelioma life expectancy.
Immunotherapy uses a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. There are two forms of immunotherapy used in mesothelioma, known as passive and active. Passive immunotherapy uses antibodies that may be administered alone or attached to other compounds, such as chemotherapeutic drugs. Active immunotherapy involves stimulation of the immune system with vaccines or biological agents like macrophages (white blood cells).
A treatment based on light, photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves three elements: a nontoxic photosensitizing compound, oxygen and visible light. PDT of the pleura is currently in an experimental phase and aims to eliminate remaining microscopic cancerous tissue after complete surgical removal of the tumor by means of intracavitary administration. PDT could be an important treatment option for mesothelioma patients following surgery because the growth pattern of mesothelioma tumors does not allow for 100 percent resection of all cancerous cells.
In gene therapy, genes are typically introduced into the body through the form of a virus that has been genetically altered with a copy of a normal gene. Once the virus enters targeted cells, the cells begin to produce normal proteins instead of defective ones. Coated DNA is another means of administering gene therapy in mesothelioma patient. Gene therapy is currently only available to patients who qualify for clinical trials because the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved gene therapy for public use.
Some of these experimental treatments are even being combined with each other rather than only with traditional therapies. For example, the objective of immuno-gene therapy is to transfer genetic material into cells to stimulate a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.
Recent studies suggest these experimental therapies could play a major role in the treatment of mesothelioma, and clinical trials continue to explore these therapies in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Patients can browse ClinicalTrials.gov for past and current trials investigating experimental treatments in malignant mesothelioma.
brought you from http://www.asbestos.com
Because mesothelioma cannot be cured with traditional treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy, medical professionals have learned that fighting the cancer requires more than one mode of treatment. Known as multimodality therapy, doctors combine treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy or some unique form of treatment like immunotherapy to improve mesothelioma life expectancy.
Immunotherapy uses a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. There are two forms of immunotherapy used in mesothelioma, known as passive and active. Passive immunotherapy uses antibodies that may be administered alone or attached to other compounds, such as chemotherapeutic drugs. Active immunotherapy involves stimulation of the immune system with vaccines or biological agents like macrophages (white blood cells).
A treatment based on light, photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves three elements: a nontoxic photosensitizing compound, oxygen and visible light. PDT of the pleura is currently in an experimental phase and aims to eliminate remaining microscopic cancerous tissue after complete surgical removal of the tumor by means of intracavitary administration. PDT could be an important treatment option for mesothelioma patients following surgery because the growth pattern of mesothelioma tumors does not allow for 100 percent resection of all cancerous cells.
In gene therapy, genes are typically introduced into the body through the form of a virus that has been genetically altered with a copy of a normal gene. Once the virus enters targeted cells, the cells begin to produce normal proteins instead of defective ones. Coated DNA is another means of administering gene therapy in mesothelioma patient. Gene therapy is currently only available to patients who qualify for clinical trials because the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved gene therapy for public use.
Some of these experimental treatments are even being combined with each other rather than only with traditional therapies. For example, the objective of immuno-gene therapy is to transfer genetic material into cells to stimulate a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.
Recent studies suggest these experimental therapies could play a major role in the treatment of mesothelioma, and clinical trials continue to explore these therapies in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Patients can browse ClinicalTrials.gov for past and current trials investigating experimental treatments in malignant mesothelioma.
brought you from http://www.asbestos.com
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Study Recruiting Mesothelioma Patients for Testing of Experimental Drug
A Phase II clinical trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is recruiting mesthelioma patients to test an experimental drug intended to block proteins that aid the growth of cancer cells. It will measure drug safety, patient response and survival rates.
Both men and women age 18 and older will be included in the trial. Patients must have undergone standard chemotherapy that has not been effective in halting their cancer. Patients may be diagnosed with either pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma. Both cancers are linked to asbestos exposure, and can take twenty, thirty years or more to develop after the initial exposure.
Estimated enrollment for the study is 55 patients and it will be conducted at the National Institute of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.
The trial is expected to be complete by April 2012.
brought you by http://www.mesotheliomanews.com
Both men and women age 18 and older will be included in the trial. Patients must have undergone standard chemotherapy that has not been effective in halting their cancer. Patients may be diagnosed with either pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma. Both cancers are linked to asbestos exposure, and can take twenty, thirty years or more to develop after the initial exposure.
Estimated enrollment for the study is 55 patients and it will be conducted at the National Institute of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.
The trial is expected to be complete by April 2012.
brought you by http://www.mesotheliomanews.com
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