Mesothelioma and Early Lung Cancer Identified by Screening

Using computed tomography scans to screen former asbestos workers can detect both early and late-stage lung cancer and late-stage mesothelioma, according to a study in the May Journal of Thoracic Oncology. However, it’s still not clear whether screening for these cancers might improve patients’ prognoses.
Exposure to asbestos fibers is a known risk factor for lung cancer and the cause of mesothelioma. Although asbestos is still not completely banned in the U.S., it was phased out of American industry to a large degree beginning in the 1970s.  However because asbestos-related diseases can take 20 to 40 years to emerge after people have been exposed, former asbestos workers and those exposed to products containing this carcinogen continue to be diagnosed with asbestos caused cancers.
As researchers search for better treatments and even a cure for these diseases, they are also focusing on new diagnostic methods that might identify the cancers earlier. Early diagnosis is particularly crucial with mesothelioma, because many patients survive only one year after they first start to show signs, and symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from those of other lung diseases.
One potential screening method uses low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to evaluate the lungs and their lining (pleura). LDCT can locate plaques in the lungs, which are a sign of asbestos exposure and have been linked to an increased cancer risk.
Currently, there are no recommendations about using LDCT or any other method to screen people who have been exposed to asbestos, and screening isn’t routinely done. “There are currently no methods for the early detection of mesothelioma available,” says lead author Heidi Roberts, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Toronto.  “This is why we are doing the research.”
To determine the effectiveness of LDCT as a screening tool for asbestos-related lung cancers, Dr. Roberts and her colleagues recruited 516 people (most of them men) who had been exposed to asbestos at least 20 years before, or who had known plaques. Participants were given LDCT scans of the chest. Patients who had abnormal scans were given follow-up tests. Those with normal test results were invited to have an annual LDCT scan.
Of the 516 participants, 357 had evidence of plaques. Based on the results of the first scan and annual scans, six of the patients were diagnosed with lung cancers and four were diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Although LDCT was able to detect advanced mesothelioma, as well as early- and late-stage lung cancers, it was not able to diagnose early mesothelioma. The study authors say they need to continue screening patients to help them get a better idea of what early mesothelioma looks like. Also, they say adding biomarkers (substances in the blood that indicate the presence of cancer) to the screening process may provide greater sensitivity to help diagnose those at very high risk for mesothelioma.
Even as techniques are fine-tuned, screening is just one step of a three-tiered effort to combat these cancers, according to Dr. Roberts. “The second step is the parallel development of biomarkers, and the third step is the parallel development of treatment strategies,” she says. “These have to be developed hand-in-hand in order to make this a useful and meaningful tool.”

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Surgery portion of new mesothelioma treatment plan found effective

Pleurectomy/decortication, a type of surgery involving the removal of the outermost lining surrounding the lungs, was assessed in a study presented at the 2009 European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology.
A particular kind of surgery performed as a part of a treatment plan intended for patients with malignant mesothelioma was considered successful preceding chemotherapy treatment in a study presented May 3 at the 2009 European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology.
The surgical method known as a pleurectomy/decortication (a type of surgery involving the removal of the outermost lining surrounding the lungs) was assessed in the study. The study observed the procedure in combination with chemotherapy and radiation in a three-fold treatment approach.
A group of experts, including Dr. Servet Bölükbas and Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken, devised the study to check the efficiency of pleurectomy/decortication as the surgical component in malignant pleural mesothelioma treatment rather than pneumonectomy (removal of a lung).
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Patients usually exhibit mesothelioma symptoms several decades following initial exposure, permitting the cancer to progress to later developmental stages. A multimodal therapy method using two or more methods of treatment is frequently suggested for mesothelioma patients.
Thirty-five patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were enrolled in the study over a five-year period from November 2002 through October 2007. Patients underwent the pleurectomy/decortications procedure prior to four chemotherapy sessions (using cisplatin and pemetrexed) and radiation to the chest wall and mediastinum (a group of structures in the thorax) roughly four to six weeks following the surgery. Approximately 94 percent of the patients finished the treatment regimen.
The one year survival rate was 75 percent with a median survival rate of 33.2 months. The two year survival rate was 61 percent with the three year survival rate reported at 43 percent.
The researchers concluded that the use of pleurectomy/decortication as the surgical component in a multimodal treatment plan using chemotherapy and radiation demonstrated positive survival results and morbidity calls for extra testing.

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Mesothelioma Treatment Option Found Effective

A treatment option for mesothelioma cancer patients has recently been evaluated at a European medical conference. A surgical procedure known as a pleurectomy/decortication, which involves the removal of the outermost lining of the lungs, is intended for patients suffering from malignant mesothelioma.
According to a study presented at the 2009 European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology, the surgery was considered successful when it preceded chemotherapy treatment and was used as part of a three-fold treatment approach along with radiation therapy.
The study was devised by a group of mesothelioma treatment experts to validate the efficiency of the pleurectomy/decortication procedure another type of surgery: pneumonectomy, the medical term for the removal of a lung.
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Due to a long latency period, patients often develop mesothelioma symptoms several decades after the initial exposure.
Mesothelioma patients are often advised by doctors to undertake multiple forms of treatment at once in order to have the highest chance of survival. One popular treatment combination involves Alimta, a type of chemotherapy, following resectable surgery.
For this study, thirty-five patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were observed over a five-year period from November 2002 through October 2007. Patients underwent the pleurectomy/decortications procedure prior to four chemotherapy sessions and radiation to the chest wall and thorax.
Approximately 94 percent of the patients finished the treatment regimen. The one year survival rate was 75 percent, the two year survival rate was 61 percent, and the three year survival rate reported at 43 percent.
The researchers believe that further study is needed, but pleurectomy/decortication did demonstrate positive survival results. Here in the United States, leading oncologists, such as Dr. Carrie Redlich of Yale University, are working to find a cure for this devastating disease.

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The second most common type of mesothelioma cancer - The Peritoneal cancer

Dallas, TX: The peritoneal type of cancer is found in 10% to 20% of the total Mesothelioma patients. The disease attacks the organs, protected by the mesothelium of the abdominal organs and the abdominal cavity.
Like all other cancers, peritoneal mesothelioma is caused by the exposure to asbestos. Similarly, its latency period is very long, ranging from 20 to 40 years, after which the symptoms appear.
The following is the description from the onset of the asbestos to the development of the symptoms ,the treatment and the prognosis of the peritoneal cancer.
The appearance of its symptoms: After the inhaling or the swallowing of asbestos, this mineral follows the tract of the abdominal cavity, and sticks to the related organs or tissues, for the development of cancer.
After crossing the dormant period of two to four decades, the disease activates. The common normal cells of the abdominal cavity stop their growth and development, and start dividing, without any control. This additional cell grows uncontrollable, and the peritoneum thickens, resulting in the growth of cancerous tumors. The abdominal fluid also starts producing. The organs of the cavity now keep floating in this fluid.
Lumps appear on the skin under the abdomen, weight loss, constant abdominal and back pain, fever, fatigue and nausea are the main features.
The analysis and diagnosis of these symptoms: After the study of these symptoms, the examination of the patient’s physical condition, his medical history, pathological tests with emphasis on the fluid and the cancerous tissues, are conducted,
CT Scans, x-rays and biopsy tests are performed to confirm the cancerous growth, its localization, its spread, and its advancement. After the study of these tests, the line of treatment is determined.
The line of treatment: If the cancerous growth is localized, the tumor cells or the infected organ are removed surgically. The therapy of radiation and chemotherapy are usually combined together for the treatments where the growth has spread to the neighboring areas,
Sometimes, the patients, on their own will and desire, undergo some new therapies and clinical trial for the reduction of pain and other miseries, and find comfort and relaxation. Yet, there are others, who are too weak to have surgery, take the choice of the palliative system of treatment, and get relief from pain and physical stress .
Prognosis for the peritoneal cancer: Factors like the advancement of the disease, the age of the patient, location of the tumors and the development of the other symptoms, help the doctors to suggest a prognosis,
10% of such patients, with a comparative better physique and controlled cell growth, can survive for five years, after diagnosis. 40% of the total peritoneal patients have a survival chance of 6-12 months.
Till 1990 the mesothelioma cancer prognosis was very low, and it was rare for a patient to survive for more than one year. The new treatments are increasing the survival rate, although at present the average prognosis is about a year.

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Mesothelioma and the Effects of Asbestos Exposure

With the recent trial involving W.R. Grace & Company, the federal government and the citizens of Libby, Montana, the topic of asbestos-related illness is receiving additional national attention. There are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year in the United States and those numbers are expected to climb in the near future.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. In some cases though, reports have documented a small number of patients that have contracted the disease without ever being exposed to asbestos fibers.

Exposure occurs when the microscopic fibers that make up asbestos are either inhaled or ingested into the body. This typically happens after asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed and release asbestos fibers into the air.

In the past, some of the more common locations for asbestos exposure (predominantly for men) have included the construction, shipyard, railroad, power plant, chemical plant, manufacturing, mining and automotive industries.

However, other indirect cases of asbestos exposure, known as secondary exposure, have affected the lives of women and children. Many of the men who worked with asbestos would unknowingly carry home asbestos fibers on their skin and clothes, exposing their wives, children and friends to the toxic mineral. To date, secondary exposure has been responsible for an impactful portion of malignant mesotheliomacases.

Diagnosing this disease can be an extremely difficult task, as many of the symptoms patients often experience will resemble those of minor and more common health conditions. In addition, the severe latency period associated with mesothelioma (usually ranging anywhere from 20 to 50 years) can allow the disease to progress to later stages of development by the time diagnosis occurs.

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission have instilled strict regulations concerning asbestos, even though not all asbestos material is banned. Products that contain 1 percent or more asbestos fiber are considered to be asbestos-containing.

Those who suspect asbestos in their home or workplace should speak with an asbestos consultant. Approximately 80 percent of homes built before 1980 are likely to contain some amount of asbestos. It is important to note that if intact and stable, asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health threat as long as they are routinely checked for potential damage.

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