Mesothelioma
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…
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.
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…
Primary Outcome Measures Prevalence of germline BAP1 variants in the unselected general population of cancer patients [ Time Frame: 5 years ] Clinical phenotypes (this includes premalignant lesions, tumor type and age of onset) in at risk blood-line family members of the patients [ Time Frame: 5 years ] Secondary Outcome Measures Environmental risk factors modifying cancer risk [ Time Frame: 10 years ] Genetic risk factors…
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…
Researchers believe that early genetic testing for genetic mutations can help reduce the cases of mesothelioma and can help increase the survival of those suffering from the disease. Researchers found that new mutations in the BLM gene were making people more susceptible to developing mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos. The researchers believe that testing…
A study in the United Kingdom involving 332 patients who cannot receive surgery (unresectable) found that patients whose mesothelioma has relapsed can be treated with nivolumab safely. Nivolumab is an immunotherapy drug known as Opdivo, which is popular for treating non-small cell lung cancer. Opdivo is promising because it is the first drug tested to…
Using maintenance therapy with gemcitabine alongside chemotherapy can help increase survival in patients compared to patients just receiving palliative care. Gemcitabine is an antimetabolite, which prevents cancer cells from dividing into new cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually the first line treatment for mesothelioma, and if patients are able to receive surgery, it is used as…
Accelerated high dose radiation before surgery created a 65.9 month survival for mesothelioma patients. They were part of a clinical trial in Toronto at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center. The study is named SMART, an acronym for Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy. There were 96 patients who were treated between the years 2008 and…
This is a single-arm, open, II phase study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Toripalimab, pemetrexed and carboplatin in the treatment of locally advanced malignant MPM in 15 newly diagnosed patients with locally advanced malignant MPM.