Asbestos & Mesothelioma Studies
Unfortunately for mesothelioma patients with high levels of the PD-L1 protein, they have a worse overall survival compared to patients who have lower levels. A European study looking at 200 patients wanted to see if PD-L1 and PD-1, popular targets for immunotherapy drugs, impact survival independently without immunotherapy drugs present. The researchers found that the…
A very aggressive mesothelioma treatment is proving to be more beneficial compared to just chemotherapy and surgery alone. The more aggressive therapy utilizes multiple techniques creating a more successful treatment in certain patients. Mesothelioma treatment needs to be aggressive because it is a tough to treat and aggressive cancer. People diagnosed typically only live a…
Researchers at the Hyogo College of Medicine have found that pleurectomy/decortication surgery can improve quality of life in mesothelioma patients, even if they have declining lung function. The researchers looked at 45 patients who received pleurectomy/decortication surgery between the years 2014 and 2018. After the patients received surgery, lung function tests showed that most of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Mesothelioma is not found in as many women as men, but studies show that women can survive longer than men. Researchers at the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that a gene can help predict the prognosis and treatment outcome for women patients with mesothelioma. Researchers want to find therapies…
The ONCOS-102 immunotherapy vaccine was given the Fast-Track Designation, which will speed up regulatory approval. The vaccine is used to treat mesothelioma and other cancers. Targovax, which developed the treatment, is taking this as an endorsement from the FDA. Targovax is a small biotech company that mainly works with oncolytic viruses. The company believes that…
