Malignant pleural mesothelioma, the rare and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, continues to challenge scientists. Despite the dedication and persistence of researchers from around the world, the median survival time following chemotherapy treatment stubbornly remains at fifteen or sixteen months. But according to renowned cancer researcher Paul Baas, MD, PhD of
It was developed in China and still a long way from being perfected, but a team of researchers say that they’ve developed a simple and quick blood test that can identify cancers like malignant mesothelioma years before patients begin to show symptoms. Early tests have confirmed that the tool – called PanSeer – correctly diagnosed 95%
Most people’s familiarity with malignant mesothelioma comes from late-night television ads urging victims to contact attorneys, but thanks to a Yahoo.com profile on survivor Heath Von St. James, the rare and fatal form of cancer is getting a big boost of attention.
Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are three of the top treatments for malignant mesothelioma, and research is suggesting that immunotherapy may soon be added to the list, but now scientists from Nagoya University are adding another potential tool to oncologists’ toolbox: they say that tests of near-infrared irradiation combined with a cancer-targeting compound have been
Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma go through a rigorous staging and assessment protocol once their cancer has been diagnosed. The goal is to determine how advanced their cancer is, what their overall health status is and where the tumors are so that the best possible treatment plan can be put in place. One of the
If you have a known exposure to asbestos, whether from the workplace, exposure to a family member who worked with the substance, or some other source, you have long been aware of your risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases. As if those fears were not stressful enough, those same individuals are now
The SMART (surgery for mesothelioma after radiation therapy) protocol for pleural mesothelioma is a multimodal treatment strategy. Combining radiation and surgery in a novel way, SMART is helping mesothelioma patients live longer. What Is the SMART Protocol? The SMART protocol is a multimodal treatment, which means it uses more than one type of treatment to
Mesothelioma and immunodeficiency disorders are related because the immune system defends the body against malignancy. Individuals with deficient immune systems may be at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma after asbestos exposure. What Is Immunodeficiency? Also sometimes called immune deficiency, immunodeficiency is not a disease or condition in itself but a symptom or complication. Any
When a patient is diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, they’re generally given a better prognosis than those diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma impacts the abdominal cavity rather than the thoracic cavity that holds the lungs, and generally responds best to a combination of surgery and heated chemotherapy poured directly into the surgical cavity. The exception
Heated chemotherapy administered following removal of cancerous tumors has long been viewed as an effective treatment for patients diagnosed with peritoneal malignant mesothelioma, but its use in pleural mesothelioma has not been as accepted. But physicians from the University of Munich recently completed a study that led them to conclude that the procedure, known as