The quest to end malignant mesothelioma takes many forms: some researchers use surgery to eliminate tumors from the body, and others look to novel drugs to do the same. A pair of renowned physicians at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center are taking a different approach. They have received a three-year, $1.2 million grant to see whether they can prevent the rare, asbestos-related cancer from forming in the first place.
Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Mesothelioma Research Team Explores Use of Cancer Preventative Agent
The two mesothelioma physicians who are embarking on this new exploration are Dr. Joseph Friedberg, the Co-Director of the Mesothelioma and Pleural Disease Program and Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief at Temple Health, and Dr. Joseph Testa, the Chief of Genomic Medicine at Fox Chase who holds the Carol & Kenneth E. Weg Chair in Human Genetics.
The two will be studying sulforaphane, a derivative of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, and its potential for preventing malignant pleural mesothelioma tumors from forming. Dr. Testa’s previous research had pointed to the substance’s role in altering genetic components involved in DNA damage and repair, inflammation, immune suppression, and other process of cancer growth and spread.
Drug Development Program Explores Substance’s Ability to Prevent Mesothelioma
The funding for the mesothelioma study comes from the National Cancer Institute’s PREVENT Cancer Preclinical Drug Development Program. Drs. Testa and Friedberg hope that sulforaphane and Avmacol, a commercially available broccoli seed and sprout extract, will prevent or reduce the incidence and progression of mesothelioma in those exposed to asbestos earlier in their lives.
Speaking of the study, Dr. Friedberg said, “When your mom told you to eat your vegetables, that was actually really good advice. I routinely see patients who had the same exposure to asbestos as their family member who I am treating for mesothelioma. Right now, we have nothing to offer them but surveillance. Now, imagine if we are able to prove in the laboratory that we can prevent the formation of mesothelioma with a simple, nontoxic substance like this, and we can tell people: ‘Here’s something you can take that can’t hurt, and it may help you not end up with this terrible cancer.’ What greater legacy could you have?”
Research like that being conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center offers real hope to end malignant pleural mesothelioma. For information about other resources and developments, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
