Developing Optimal Parameters for Hyperpolarized Noble Gas and Inert Fluorinated Gas MRI of Lung Disorders
Purpose:The goal of this research is to optimize the MRI system to obtain ideal lung images using Hyperpolarized (HP) Noble and Inert Fluorinated Gases as contrast agents. Lung coils tuned to the frequencies of these gases will be used. This study will take place at TBRHSC in the Cardiorespiratory Department and in the Research MRI facility.
Read MoreSmoking Plus Asbestos Exposure – A Deadly Combination
In 2004, the American Thoracic Society called asbestos “the largest cause of occupational cancer in the United States and a significant cause of disease and disability from nonmalignant disease.” Asbestos is a known carcinogen. It has been found to be the cause of many different cancers in those who were exposed to the popular building…
Read MoreAutophagy Inhibitors Potentially Make Chemotherapy More Effective in Mesothelioma Patients
Autophagy is a natural and regulated self-degradative process in cells that plays a critical role in balancing sources of energy and removing aggravated proteins, damaged organelles, and pathogens. During autophagy, cells break down and recycle their different parts in order to make new cells. In mesothelioma, autophagy is necessary for mesothelial cell growth. A recent…
Read MoreBevacizumab – A Positive Treatment with Serious Side Effects
Bevacizumab (Avastin) is commonly viewed as chemotherapy treatment because when administered intravenously, it is particularly effective in controlling such illnesses such as lung cancer and colon cancer. However, it is a bit different than traditional chemotherapy treatments, which directly attack cancer cells. Bevacizumab fights cancer cells by cutting off oxygen and other nutrients the cells…
Read MorePevonedistat Alone and in Combination With Chemotherapy in Patients With Mesothelioma
Purpose:The purpose of this study is to test any good and bad effects of activity pevonedistat taken alone, and also to test the safety of pevonedistat in combination with standard chemotherapy, pemetrexed/cisplatin.
Read MoreNovember is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
The National Cancer Institute places lung cancer as the leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. One out of every four cancer deaths is attributable to lung cancer, and in 2016 alone The America Cancer Society an estimated 158,080 people passed away from this disease. Lung cancer begins in the lungs when…
Read MorePalliative Care for Mesothelioma Patients
What is Palliative Care? For serious illnesses, some patients may receive palliative care, or palliative treatment. Palliative care treats the symptoms of the disease, not the disease itself, in an attempt to provide relief and make the patient as comfortable as possible during their illness. Palliative treatment can be provided at the beginning of treatment,…
Read MoreMisconceptions about Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is lung cancer One of the most common areas of the body where mesothelioma develops is the lung, and because of this, many misunderstand mesothelioma to be a type of lung cancer. In actuality, mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium – found in the lining of the heart, lungs, abdomen, or internal reproductive organs.…
Read MorePleurectomy and Decortication Improve Survival, but May Impact Quality Of Life
Pleurectomy and Decortication (P/D) is a two-part surgical procedure that removes the pleural lining around the lungs (pleurectomy) and tumors along the surface area of the lung (decortication). To qualify for this surgery, mesothelioma patients must be in overall good health, and in the early stages of the disease. Since mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer…
Read MoreEffect of Expression of CD74 and VEGF on Outcome of Treatment in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Purpose:his is a prospective study evaluating the effect of expression of CD74 and VEGF on outcome of treatment in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma receiving Pemetrexed/Platinum protocol. The paraffin blocks of the patients will be tested for CD74 and VEGF before starting treatment using IHC and the results will be correlated with the outcome of treatment during evaluation.
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