New Test Gives Earlier Detection of Mesothelioma

A research team out of Oxford University says they have created a test that could allow earlier detection of mesothelioma in patients, giving their doctors useful time to treat the rare asbestos-related cancer.

By looking at the pleural fluid samples from more than 200 patients of a respiratory clinic, the research team discovered that mesothelioma patients had meothelin levels that were six times higher than patients with secondary lung cancers and 10 times higher than patients with benign conditions. Presently, doctors use a diagnostic test known as pleural fluid cytology, a lab test that looks for cancer cells; however, the test is not very sensitive.

According to a report issued in the American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, the test examines amounts of a protein closely associated to mesothlelioma that is found in fluid around the lungs. Several conditions could cause extra fluid in the lining of the lungs. However, nine out of 10 people with mesothelioma suffer from the condition, which cause difficult breathing as well as chest pain.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos and breathing asbestos fibers. It is a very dangerous disease, which is frequently at a very advanced stage when a mesothelioma diagnosis is made. Early symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest wall pain or significant weight loss. Since the mesothelioma symptoms are not always realized, by the time the cancer is diagnosed, the average survival time is often under a year.



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