Somalogic Inc., a Colorado based company, has unveiled a new screening technology that promises to improve the diagnosis process for both mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer. Rachel Ostroff, the director of clinical research at Somalogic Inc., discussed the company’s findings and the conclusions of their recent research at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting which took place in Denver earlier this week. The importance of Somalogic Inc.’s research lies in the possible improvement of early detection methods for the cancers. Early detection can have a dramatic effect on survival rates for cancer patients, often making years of survival a possibility where months is the accepted norm. Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is normally associated with a prognosis of just six to eighteen months. Due to the increased efficacy of mesothelioma treatments in early detection patients, however, an accurate, timely diagnosis could mean several more years of survival. “Currently these cancers are detected at an advanced stage,” said Rachel Ostroff, “where the possibility of cure is minimal.” “Detection of these aggressive cancers at an earlier stage would identify patients for early treatment, which may improve their survival and quality of life.” Pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma together take about as many American lives in one year as traffic accidents do. Improving survival rates and continuing to research more effective, curative treatments will have a substantial impact on American health as a whole. The new screening technology developed by Somalogic Inc. uses genetic material called aptamers found both in the bloodstream and in tissue samples to detect increased risk factors associated with mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer. These aptamers, or bio-markers, attach to specific proteins which are sought by researchers and examined using complex equipment. Somalogic Inc. has developed a process which causes these markers to prefer certain proteins, making the detection process simpler and more reliable. “It’s very easy to discover biomarkers,” said Rachel Ostroff, in reference to the aptamers her company was studying, “it is very hard to validate them.” The company is backed by the NEC Corporation of Japan, which invested some $5 million into the project to ensure usable, practical results. Ostroff allowed that the analysis of bio-markers was a complex task fraught with potential misinterpretation, but told the gathering she was demonstrating the technology to that an accurate, conclusive analysis was possible. “We’ll look at enough of these parameters to make sure we are looking at disease biomarkers.”
September 30, 2010
September 22, 2010
Gene therapy proves promising for mesothelioma
A team of scientists in Maryland have uncovered a link between the expression of a specific gene and the developmental characteristics of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in certain patients. The discovery suggests that further research could lead to better screening methods for the disease and possibly even new ways of controlling and battling the cancer in particular patients.
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to microscopic asbestos fibers. Terminal and rapidly progressing, the dangerous disease is still considered rare as it affects less than three thousand Americans each year. The cancer generally develops in three different areas: the area around the lung, referred to as pleural mesothelioma; the abdominal region, referred to as peritoneal mesothelioma; and the lining of the heart, known as pericardial mesothelioma.
The development of mesothelioma is normally associated with the accidental inhalation of asbestos dust which takes place in certain industrial work places. The dust passes through many of the body’s membranes unhindered due to its peculiar shape and microscopic dimensions, but becomes entangled in a soft tissue known as the mesothelium. Some speculate that peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the mesothelial tissues of the abdomen, is actually caused by ingestion of asbestos fibers compared to inhalation of the dust normally recognized as the cause.
The researchers in Maryland began the study to investigate the possible causes of the wide variety of reactions to peritoneal mesothelioma observed in patients. According to the scientists: “There is marked variability in its clinical behavior. Some patients die rapidly, and others survive for many years.”
The study, which included the analysis of forty-one different tumor samples from mesothelioma patients, revealed that the growth of the cancerous tumors and the development of the blood vessels vital to the tumors growth had a relationship with the expression of particular genes in the patients. The “signaling chemicals” which were responsible for the RNA and protein production critical to the tumor’s ongoing development, known as PI3K and mTOR, were over-expressed in patients whose tumors grew more quickly and uncontrollably.
The researchers found that patients whose “signaling chemicals” were associated with rapidly progressing malignant peritoneal mesothelioma had a mean survival rate of just 24 months. Patients who did not exhibit this over-expression of PI3K and mTOR tended to survive with the illness far longer, a median of some 69.5 months.
Subsequent testing showed that inhibiting the over-expression of the indicated genes resulted in drastically slower development and progression of cancerous tumors in mesothelioma patients. While the research is still considered preliminary, the study concluded: “Targeting the PI3K and mTOR signaling pathways may have significant therapeutic value in patients with MPM.”
September 15, 2010
New radiotherapy equipment appears promising
The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics recently published the results of a study concerning the efficacy of TomoTherapy, a proprietary intensity modulated radiation therapy system which is designed to combat cancer with intense bursts of radiation. The device delivers doses of radiation directly into tumor sites and its proponents claim that it cause less damage to surrounding tissues than other leading radiotherapy treatments.
Eighty-two studies involving the device are being featured at a conference sponsored by the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), where its developers are presenting its documented impact on several different cancers including mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, affects the soft tissue lining which encases and protects the body’s vital organs. One of the historical complications of mesothelioma is the disease’s proximity to organs and healthy tissues, a proximity which makes it difficult to treat in general and almost impossible to effectively attack with radiation. While some doctors have reported success using radiation to treat mesothelioma, the majority of cases preclude the treatment option as the risk of damaging healthy tissues is too high.
Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer. While effective radiotherapy isn’t expected to contribute to a cure for the disease, its effective use could increase patient survival times.
TomoTherapy’s developers claim that it is able to target cancerous cells more effectively, and that it is capable of delivering powerful “boosts” of radiation which destroy tumors more quickly and accurately.
One study which is being featured at the ESTRO conference was conducted by the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan. It demonstrates that TomoTherapy’s Simultaneous Integrate Boost feature, or SIB, improved one year survival rates in patients by as much as seventy-two percent. Patients who received SIB during their treatment did not experience a cancer relapse for some sixteen months, or ten months longer than the control group which did not receive SIB.
While the new radiotherapy methods are still under investigation, it appears as if they may join regular mesothelioma treatment regimens within the next few years.
September 8, 2010
Mesothelioma awareness continues to rise
Mesothelioma awareness appears to be on the rise, a fact which could play an important role in producing increased funding for the disease’s research and prevention. Last year Florida announced the decision to annually recognize September the 26th as Mesothelioma Awareness day, and the United States may be slated to follow the Sunshine State’s lead with a national recognition day beginning in 2011.
Mesothelioma has made its way into some popular media as well. The disease was discussed last July in the ABC drama BostonMed, in which both Charles Chew, a mesothelioma patient, and Dr. David Sugarbaker, a real-life mesothelioma surgeon, were featured in significant roles.
Mesothelioma, a cancer of the soft tissue which encases the body’s vital organs, is caused almost exclusively by exposure to the mineral asbestos. Some ninety thousand people worldwide, three thousand of which are in the United States, are killed by the disease every year. While the total amount of deaths caused by asbestos related diseases may seem negligible in comparison to major killers like heart disease or traffic accidents, the tragedy lies in the entirely preventable nature of the disease.
Mesothelioma patients are often exposed to asbestos at their place of employment through irresponsible, negligent professional practices. Once accidentally inhaled or ingested, asbestos fibers cause a scarring reaction in the mesothelial tissues which can develop into malignant tumors over years, decades, or more. While the disease can take an incredibly long time to develop, its prognosis is frighteningly grim once malignant tumors are developed. Most mesothelioma patients live just six to eighteen months beyond diagnosis.
Dr. Sugarbaker is a well known authority on mesothelioma treatment, and the founder of the International Mesothelioma Program at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. His cutting edge surgical approaches, which involve radical, invasive treatments often recommended for younger mesothelioma patients, have produced unheard of results which have extended survival for more than five years in some cases.
The BostonMed episode, according to Dr. Sugarbaker, has helped to increase public awareness of mesothelioma, but may not have painted an optimistic enough picture of the disease’s treatment options. With constantly improving medical science, new research, and increased funding resulting from growing awareness of the disease, patients’ outlooks are better every year. According to Sugarbaker, “when hope is in the equation, anything is possible.”
With public awareness on the rise and constant developments in both treatment and prevention of mesothelioma, the disease’s grim reputation could be ready for change.
September 2, 2010
National Mesothelioma Awareness Day for September, 2010
Representative Betty McCollum and Senator Patty Murray have introduced a motion to establish September 26th as “National Mesothelioma Awareness Day,” a day committed to rallying support for the disease’s victims.
Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the soft tissue which encases the body’s vital organs, claims some ninety to one-hundred thousand lives each year worldwide. The disease has been positively linked with exposure to asbestos, a substance used frequently as an insulator and sealant, and as an additive in many industrial compounds.
While knowledge of the adverse effects of asbestos was established in the early twentieth century, many governments have been slow to adopt laws that could curb exposure to the dangerous substance. Around fifty-two nations around the globe, including the vast majority of the European Union as well as Australia and New Zealand, have completely banned asbestos from the industrial market. America, Britain, Russia, China and Canada, however, have thus far failed to implement a total ban but instead have introduced strict regulations and restrictions.
In the United States, a total ban on asbestos was attempted in the late 1980′s. The law, proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, was overturned just a few years later by asbestos industry corporations seeking to protect their profits.
The recognition of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day hasn’t been passed into law yet. The bill, also known as H. 771, is mired in the house’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is chaired by Representative Edolphus Towns.
The search for a mesothelioma cure, however, and the effort to increase the public’s awareness of the disease, are gaining more support today than any time in the past. Florida, for example, passed a bill last year instating the twenty-sixth of September as the state’s own Mesothelioma Awareness Day. It will be recognized for the first time this year.
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, commonly referred to as the Meso Foundation, is playing a huge role in championing the cause. The organization is ramping up its efforts year after year, hosting marathons, conferences and other events to raise money, increase popular support, and call the medical community as well as the government to action.
The Meso Foundation has high hopes for the coming year. With the possibility of a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day taking place for the first time in 2010, they’re hoping to coordinate their efforts to maximize their campaign’s efficacy. Representatives of the Meso Foundation will be in New York on September 26th for the taping of the Today Show, and they will be placing awareness ads in the high profile 10 Rockefeller display window during the week surrounding the 26th.
Meanwhile, asbestos exposure continues to affect hundreds of thousands of lives each year. With the possible recognition of an annual Mesothelioma Awareness day starting in 2010, however, the disease’s ugly history may be breaching the beginning of the end.