Treatment cancer mesothelioma

Recently mesothelioma researchers have analyzed a
biomarker called calretinin as a diagnostic tool in
human blood or serum with what appear to be
promising results. Early detection of mesothelioma
- which historically has been hard to diagnose
because of its ill-defined symptoms and long lead
time for the cancer to develop - would be an
important step in fighting mesothelioma.
Calretinin is already a well-established
(immunohistochemical) marker in diagnosing
malignant mesothelioma. But its usefulness as a
diagnostic tool in human blood has been studied
very little. The aim of the study was to develop an
assay for calretinin in blood and to test its
usefulness as a minimally invasive diagnostic
marker for mesothelioma.
Researchers studied samples of 97 healthy
volunteers, 35 asbestos-exposed workers, and 42
malignant mesothelioma patients. Results showed
median calretinin values in healthy volunteers,
asbestos workers, and mesothelioma patients were
0.20, 0.33, and 0.84 ng/ml, respectively. Median
means half the subjects had levels higher than the
specified amount and half had lower levels.
Measured units were in nanograms per milliliter
(ng/ml).
The median values for patients with epithelioid and
biphasic mesothelioma were similar. Age, gender,
smoking status, or type of medium (plasma/serum)
on calretinin values did not influence the results.
Calretinin in human serum and plasma might be a
useful marker alone or combined with other markers
such as mesothelin. Because the results are based
on a small number of test subjects and further
testing needs to be done, no commercial test is
currently available.
The medical journal article on the study was
published in BMC Cancer on 28 May, 2010. The
study was carried out at the Institute for Prevention
and Occupational Medicine, in Bochum, Germany.
New Approaches To Treating Malignant
Mesothelioma
Successfully treating a serious disease such as
malignant mesothelioma depends on how early a
diagnosis can be made. One reason why malignant
mesothelioma is such a dangerous disease is that
its symptoms often do not present themselves until
the cancer is advanced. Traditional methods of
treating malignant mesothelioma revolve around
surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiotherapy
treatments.
Unfortunately, the traditional methods have shown
limited success for slowing or stopping the
aggressive nature of mesothelioma. No treatment,
to date, has been able to increase the life
expectancy of patients more than a few months.
New research, including research funded by the
Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, is
focusing on the development of new treatment
modalities.
New approaches to treating malignant
mesothelioma include:
New chemotherapy agents
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Immunotherapy
Gene therapy
Summing Up New Treatments
It is incredibly important to continue working
towards newer and more effective ways to treat
malignant mesothelioma in addition to all cancers.
The regulation of asbestos in the United States has
helped to limit future cases of mesothelioma in
America; however, a number of countries around the
world continue to mine asbestos, putting future
generations at risk of developing malignant
mesothelioma. By continuing to work towards
newer and more effective treatments, science can
potentially lengthen the lives of hundreds of
thousands of people around the world