Biomarker Found to Help Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos with no known cure that is often diagnosed in advanced stages, resulting in poor prognosis.  Due to a long latency period of ten to forty years from time of initial exposure to development of symptoms as well as non-specific symptoms that are often missed or misdiagnosed, mesothelioma is often not discovered by physicians until it has reached Stage IV.

Almost all advanced stage cancers have poor survival rates.  Therefore ways to diagnose mesothelioma at earlier stages is vital, not just for prolonging survival but also for improving efficacy of treatment.

Researchers from Hyogo Prefectural Tsukaguchi Hospital and Hyogo College of Medicine conducted a study that shows that levels of VEGF, which stands for vascular endothelial growth factor, could be used not only to detect and diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma at earlier stages but also to give more accurate prognosis upon diagnosis.

The results from the study showed that higher levels of VEGF indicate the presence of mesothelioma, and therefore could be one way to use this biomarker as a way to catch the cancer early on.  The results also show that the higher the levels of VEGF, the shorter the survival time and less success with therapeutic interventions.

For now, standard therapies for cancer, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, do not help mesothelioma patients, especially if the disease has progressed to advanced stages.  More often than not, surgery is not an option, either due to the location of the cancer or because the patient is not in good enough health to withstand an operation.

The longest survival times for anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma have been five years, and these cases are only when the cancer has been discovered at earlier stages and treatments started immediately.  Therefore, early diagnosis is key to longer periods with higher quality of life and improved survival rates.

If you have known or suspected prior exposure to asbestos or have been diagnosed with any form of mesothelioma (pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal), ask your treating physician or oncologist about testing for your VEGF levels.    It could make the difference of living many more years with a much higher quality of life.  For more information about the study, read Biomarker Discovered to Predict Mesothelioma & Provide Early Intervention.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 at 9:51 am and is filed under Mesothelioma Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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New biomarker discovered for mesothelioma

Researchers recently discovered that calretinin, a vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein, acts as a potentially effective biomarker signaling the presence or onset of mesothelioma. While the results are still preliminary, the research could contribute to the development of a far more effective and less intrusive method of achieving an early diagnosis and even identifying high risk individuals.

Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, attacks the tissue lining around the lungs, heart, and abdomen which is known as the mesothelium. When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they often become lodged in the mesothelial tissues after passing through the lung, stomach or intestinal walls. Asbestos fibers which become entangled in the mesothelium cause a scarring reaction which in time, often some ten to fifty years, can develop into a malignant tumor.

Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer. Due to the disease’s ambiguous symptoms and incredibly high latency time, (the amount of time it takes to present from initial exposure), many victims aren’t properly diagnosed until the cancer has entered its last stages. Mesothelioma patients generally survive only six to eighteen months after their tumor is discovered.

The calretinin research and other discoveries of the same sort could offer the hope of early diagnosis to some asbestos workers. An early diagnosis often broadens treatment options and improves overall survival rates.

“Calretinin is one of the well-established immunohistochemical markers in the diagnostics of malignant mesothelioma,” the calretinin researchers explained. “Its utility as a diagnostic tool in human blood, however, is scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for human calretinin in blood and to assess its usefulness as a potential minimally invasive diagnostic marker for MM.”

The study measured calretinin levels in ninety-seven healthy volunteers, thirty-five asbestos workers, and forty-two mesothelioma patients. The calretinin values correlated promisingly with the volunteers, showing 0.20, 0.33, and 0.84 ng/ml respectively.

While the findings are promising, more research is necessary to draw final conclusions.

“On the basis of our initial results,” said the researchers, “we suggest that the measurement of calretinin in human serum and plasma might be a useful marker for the diagnosis of MM, alone or combined with other markers such as soluble mesothelin. However, these results are based on relatively small numbers and further studies on more patients, including subgroups of subjects with other tumors and non-malignant lung or pleural diseases, are needed to confirm our initial data. Such a study is presently ongoing.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 11:42 AM and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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