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.
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