Posts by Steven Chervenick
The Two Major Mesothelioma Surgeries Have Similar Death Rates
Japanese researchers have found that the main two types of surgery for mesothelioma have similar risks of death. The surgeries either remove the diseased lung lining and one of the lungs or just the lining. Doctors do not agree what surgery is best for mesothelioma patients, but both surgeries have their benefits and drawbacks. When…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence Will Soon Help Diagnose Mesothelioma
Artificial intelligence could help treat mesothelioma in the future. Researchers in Scotland have been developing a prototype imaging system to help with diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment of mesothelioma. It is being developed at the University of Glasgow and Canon Medical Research Europe. The artificial intelligence uses computer software to effectively detect and measure…
Read MoreA Combination of Tremelimumab and Durvalumab Can Extend Mesothelioma Survival
An Italian study has found that the combination of two immunotherapy drugs can create a long-term survival in mesothelioma patients. The two drugs, tremelimumab and durvalumab, were just given orphan drug status to treat liver cancer in the last year. The best results in the mesothelioma study were seen in patients with a high level…
Read MoreProspectively Collected Pleural Biopsies for Validation of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Prognostic Biomarkers
Primary Outcome Measures Pre-treatment Prognostic Algorithm Validation [ Time Frame: 4 years ] The primary objective is to utilize a novel prognostic algorithm to predict the outcome of MPM patients. This algorithm includes 4 different tests: molecular, radiological, and blood based. It will be performed on 240 prospectively-collected samples. A score of 0-4 will be assigned to each patient…
Read MoreAn Inhaled Vaccine Could Potentially Help Mesothelioma Patients in the Future
An inhaled vaccine could be used for mesothelioma treatment soon. Research done at MIT is showing that the inhaled vaccine can trigger an immune response for certain infections and possibly lung-based cancers. This is great news for people with mesothelioma. Lung infections typically start on mucosal membranes, so researchers created a vaccine that can bind…
Read MoreMolecular, Pathologic Intra Tumoral Heterogeneity in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (SCITH-MESO)
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare pleural cancer, which could be primary or secondary to an asbestos exposure. To enhance our knowledge of this rare disease, an exploration of genetic and tumor mechanism is mandatory. One of the principal difficulty is to harvest sufficient tumour pieces to perform multi-omics analysis. The goal of the SCITH-MESO study is to harvest larges pieces of tumour during a routine surgical procedure of MPM diagnosis by mean of pleural biopsies during VATS surgery. Operating samples will increase a tissue bank collection (CRB).
Read MoreA Phase III Clinical Trial is Looking at the Combination of Durvalumab and Chemotherapy to Treat Mesothelioma
A new clinical trial involving durvalumab should be closely monitored by the Food and Drug Administration. The phase III clinical trial is being performed in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Ann Arbor as well as places in New Zealand and Australia. The randomized trial is known as DREAM3R. It wants to figure out if overall survival improves…
Read MoreSecond-Line Chemotherapy Could Help Some Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patients
Oncologists in Japan have found a way to determine which patients would best benefit from second-line chemotherapy. Second-line treatment is a second treatment that doctors perform after trying another treatment first. When the first treatment doesn’t work or stops working, a second-line treatment is tried to see if it will benefit patients. Patients between the…
Read MoreSecond Mesothelioma Surgeries Can Help Extend Lives and Improve Quality of Life of Patients
Surgery can be hard on the body, but it can help some mesothelioma patients if done a second time. People could still have a good quality of life and even an extended survival if they undergo the aggressive surgery. This surgery is not common and would not be recommended for everyone, but people who fit…
Read MoreDielectric Properties of Matched Tissue Samples From Thoracic Malignancies and Corresponding Normal Tissues
The purpose of the Dielectrics Properties of Thoracic Malignancies Study (DPTMS) is to provide a wealth of knowledge for investigators involved in establishing a new and effective treatment for a variety of solid tumors using tumor treatment fields. It is intended to provide biospecimen (tumor/healthy) together with demographic data (age, sex, race, occupational history, and other epidemiologic information), and clinical data (stage, treatment, survival information, and annotated CT’s). Our specific aims are to test the following hypotheses: 1) Electric properties of thoracic tumors differ from electric properties of surrounding healthy tissue 2) Different tumor types will have different electric properties 3) Electric properties of individual tumors are heterogeneous 4) Electric properties of tumors are related to the structure and composition of the underlying tissue 5) Use of standard medical imaging data (CT) will permit mapping of electric properties.
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