Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Drug Targeting Specific Protein Could Lead to Personalized Mesothelioma Treatment
Anti-cancer drugs known as kinase inhibitors have often been used in the treatment of pleural mesothelioma and many other cancers. The drugs attack the protein kinases in an effort to prevent cell division and to kill the cancerous cells. Now, researchers report they have found that an investigative drug can effectively shrink tumors in patients with lung cancer and other difficult to treat cancers with a specific kinase. Pleural mesothelioma patients could benefit as well.
According to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in the first-in-human study of the investigational, oral drug BLU-667, “the drug appears to be promising” in cancers caused by an alteration in the receptor tyrosine kinase known as RET, or rearranged during transfection. The drug is “a highly potent and selective RET inhibitor” shown to have limited toxicity in the patients.
“Tumor reductions and durable responses were observed in most patients, especially those patients whose cancer progressed with chemotherapy and multi-kinase inhibitors,” said Vivek Subbiah, M.D., Assistant professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center, in an April 15 press release.
In the study of 43 patients with advanced tumors not eligible for surgery, 26 patients with thyroid cancer, 15 with non-small cell lung cancer, and two with other RET-driven cancers, the overall response rate was 37 percent for RET-driven cancers, with responses of 45 percent for non-small cell lung cancer and 32 percent for thyroid.
“Overall, the data show the precision targeted therapy with next-generation kinase inhibitors can have a powerful impact for patients with RET-driven cancers,” said Dr. Subbiah.
Kinases function as drivers for numerous types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Kinases are involved in the gradual transformation of normal tissue in the lining of the lung into malignant pleural mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos. Various kinase inhibitors have been used to treat mesothelioma and other cancers, but according to Dr. Subbiah, these “earlier generations of multiple kinase inhibitors” have limited success and come with significant side effects.”
Although researchers have made progress in recent years, identifying an effective treatment modality for the fatal mesothelioma remains elusive. Taking a personalized approach to the treatment of mesothelioma by targeting a patient’s unique genetic characteristics, such as the RET biomarker, offers the most effective treatment options.
“By offering a highly selective medicine tailored for this oncogenic driver, we hope this new therapy will enable patients to benefit from the recent advances in genomic profiling that have revolutionized treatment options for patients with kinase-driven diseases.”
Find the results of the study in the April 15 issue of Cancer Discovery.
Fear is a Real Part of a Mesothelioma Diagnosis
When a doctor tells the patient has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, we sometimes see a paralyzing fear in both patients and their family members.
This past week, at a new patient orientation meeting designed to introduce the support team, give general information regarding mesothelioma, explain what practical supports are available, and to generally reduce a patient’s and the family’s anxiety, the presentation did not seem to be helping one family. By the end of the meeting their fear was still palpable.
Fear, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” Researchers have identified in the literature three major cancer related fears: fear of death, fear of recurrence, fear of stigma.
The fear of death and a cancer diagnosis can be paralyzing. Although, for some, the amount of time further away from the diagnosis the patient gets, fear begins to diminish. The emotional scars that being diagnosed with cancer can inflict, all individual factors, contribute to when a person is able to resume a “new normal life.”
The ‘fear of recurrence’ emotions can also vary in patients, ranging from worry and sleepless nights, to thoughts of suicide. On the positive side, once diagnosed with a recurrence, the person is already more knowledgeable about their disease, able to navigate the healthcare system, and know that it is possible to return to a “new normal.”
Cancer diagnosis can still carry a stigma. Changes in the dynamics of family relationships, role changes in a relationship, ability or inability to return to work can all stigmatize a person with a cancer diagnosis. The stigma can be in how the patient sees himself, or how he thinks others perceive him.
Fear is a four-letter word, as is hope. When facing a serious cancer diagnosis like malignant mesothelioma, the most important thing is to not lose hope.
At the conclusion of the meeting while speaking with this family, they were able to verbalize their fears. The patient was elderly, the onset had been abrupt, and they had heard that surgery was very “rough.” They were not willing or ready to lose their husband and father to this disease. Once their fears were acknowledged, we were able to remind the patient and family of the facts. His general overall physical fitness, his early diagnosis, localized disease, type of mesothelioma, and a warm caring family to help him through and around obstacles in the future, were all positives in their journey with mesothelioma.
Balancing fear and allowing for hope is an important part in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Community Ponders Significance of Newly Discovered Organ
For years, researchers have struggled to find the reason mesothelioma and other cancers aggressively grow and spread throughout the body. Primarily, the focus has been on the spread of cancer cells through the bloodstream. Now, researchers report they have discovered a new organ that could be responsible for unbridled cancer growth.
In a recent discovery, researchers from New York University’s School of Medicine report they found a new organ that sits one layer below the skin. The mesh-like interstitium, as it has been named, is a layer of interstitial tissue filled with and surrounded by interstitial fluid. Although they have known about the tissue and fluid, the way the tissue had been examined in the past, with the fluid removed, it was seen as just another piece of tissue.
According to a March 27 article in the CNN, when the researchers kept the tissue alive and examined it more closely, they found that it has a unitary structure with compartments filled with fluids. The researchers surmised some of the fluid is lymph fluid, of the lymphatic system that supports immunity, and flows through the body through these interconnected compartments. The flow of fluids can also spread diseases, including cancer.
Because the interstitium has a single structure and a single function, Neil Theise, a professor at NYU’s School of Medicine and author on the paper, says it meets the criterium to be considered an organ. The interstitium is throughout the body, like the skin, but he says, it is even larger than the skin.
Thiese believes the interstitium could change the way doctors think about cancer and other diseases. “It’s been known that when cancer invades this layer, either in the skin or in the viscera, that’s when it first becomes able to spread outside the organ of where it arose,” said Theise.
“This discovery will open up new research pathways for inflammation and cancer progression,” added Dr. Petros Constantinos Benias, co-lead author of the study, a member of the Feinstein Institute and an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health.
Mesothelioma is the signature cancer of asbestos caused by inflammation from inhaling the microscopic fibers. The cancer can spread rapidly, and treatments are focused on trying to halt metastasis. This new understanding of how the cancer may travel through the interstitium could lead to a new approach for halting cancer growth.
Much more research still needs to be conducted, but the team suggests that whereas currently blood and tissue samples are used as a diagnostic tool, interstitial fluids may be effective.
“We are optimistic that with what we learned, we’ll soon be able to study and target the interstitial space for diagnosis of disease and perhaps for novel personalized treatments,” said Dr. Benias.
Find the study in the March 27 issue of Scientific Reports.
“When someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone who loves them does, too.” –Terri Clark
Author: Brianne Hoglin
It’s nearly impossible to forget the moments in life when you receive news that forever places a mark on your personal story. When I was a freshman in college, hundreds of miles away from my family and home I was studying one evening when I got a phone call from my mom, who offered me the heart-wrenching news that my grandfather had finally lost his second battle with lung cancer and passed away moments earlier. That week had been especially hard on him, concluding a difficult summer where a second fight with lung cancer proved much more furious than the first. As his family it was a painful season of life for us as well to watch the exponential increase in the cruelty of his symptoms, the decline in quality of living, and the steady damage to his will to continue fighting. At reception of the news I remember feebly falling to the ground in the hallway and just crying uncontrollably, with no relief or comfort coming from the teachers and peers that tried to console me. At that moment I remember feeling like the room was spinning and at the root of it all I just felt so helpless.
That feeling of helplessness is often a huge weight that hangs on the patients dealing with any type of cancer as well as their families. Mesothelioma is one such cancer that affects thousands of individuals every year, and which has seen an increase in diagnosed cases within the span of recent years [1]. With the only known cause of mesothelioma being exposure to asbestos, there is an additional burden placed on the sufferers of this disease and their families with the consideration of the neglect for prevention, and the absence of sufficient information provided to them regarding the risk presented by asbestos exposure. Many workers in the United States in laborer occupations such as emergency responders, industrial manufacturers and builders, and factory workers have had unreasonably high exposure rates to asbestos and in response have unfortunately seen high incidence of mesothelioma symptoms and diagnoses [2]. While now there is much more information available and more precautions taken, by the nature of the development of the disease, most of the affected individuals most likely suffered exposure 10-40 years ago [1]. And even though there are treatment options available, the reality of mesothelioma presents a discouraging prognosis, especially depending on the stage of cancer which the patient is facing when the initial diagnosis is made.
Since I have seen firsthand the effects and stress put onto a family by the cruel outcome of watching a loved one endure the symptoms, both physical and psychological, caused by the terrible diagnosis of a lung specific cancer I am rigorously inspired to make a difference in in the lives of those fighting this overwhelming battle. As a result, the desire to help alleviate as much as that feeling of complete helplessness as possible is a constant driving factor which inspires me every day to continue to pursue a future career in medicine. My own personal experience along with the testimonies of people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other cancers lights an indestructible fire within me. I passionately anticipate the opportunity to someday have the skill and facility to provide some relief to families and patients impacted by a threatening diagnosis. I hope to do this by making adequate information and appropriate treatments available to them. This passion further drives me to tackle the high challenge of medical school and the work required to become a competent medical doctor. When it comes down to the foundation of things, simply put, I want to offer the best care possible to the individuals, focusing on the patient and the opportunity for a beneficial relationship rather than only the disease.
However, treatment and support for patients and their families is only part of the battle when it comes to this disease. While mesothelioma has limited treatments available, there is boundless occasion for prevention. As a community of citizens we should consider it a priority to not only educate people of the dangers and risks their occupation may afford, but to also make it accessible and required for adequate preventative measures to be taken. While huge strides have been made to make asbestos exposure much less likely, there is still high risk to be payed attention to. Simply by spreading awareness and taking responsibility onto ourselves, we have the potential to make a huge impact. Especially with the network that current social media provides, playing our individual roles is literally at our fingertips.
An online community can not only help spread awareness and aid prevention efforts, but it can also be a valuable resource to those suffering from the effects of mesothelioma and other cancers. With online support groups and advice, there is a nearly unlimited possibility for patients and their families to avoid completely the feeling of aloneness. I would encourage anyone faced with cancer to not be ashamed or timid in seeking out support, but rather to take advantage of every resource offered to them. And along with receiving support, sharing personal stories and experiences could benefit a whole other community of people. After all, as people we need community and are much stronger together.
I would hope that everyone, regardless of their own personal experience with mesothelioma or any cancer, would take it upon themselves to help build a community of support and awareness to combat the devastating nature of the disease and help make a lasting difference in the lives of the thousands affected. This should be done both in honor of those who have fought, or are fighting mesothelioma, as well as in celebration of the lives that can be changed for the better by preventing the disease from ever surfacing. Because cancer is something that not only affects the person diagnosed, but like Terri Clark said in her quote regarding her mother’s battle with cancer, it spreads to affect everyone involved.
Works Cited
[1] “Mesothelioma Cancer: Prevalence, Occurrence, Causes and Legal View.” Carcinomasymptoms.com. 2003-2015. Web. 2 Sept. 2015.
http://carcinomasymptoms.com/cancer-symptom.htm
[2] “Mesothelioma Prognosis & Survival Rate Information.” MesotheliomaHelp.org. Belluck & Fox, LLP, 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 2 Sept. 2015.
[3] Clark, Terri. Lifehack Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2015.
http://quotes.lifehack.org/quote/terri-clark/when-someone-has-cancer-the-whole-family
About
Brianne Hoglin
I am a premed student pursuing a major in Molecular Biology as well as a minor in Chemistry at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Outside of academics I am a part of the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Track and Cross Country programs here at Lipscomb and a mentor for the IDEAL Program for students with disabilities. Since my start of participation in the essay competition I have talked with some people about the facts I have learned, and shared my thoughts on what we should do to raise awareness as a community. My participation in this experience has also raised thoughts to me about how my career as a doctor can be used to help raise awareness, possibly by me becoming a specialist in oncology.
The Silent Killer
There is no such thing as safe exposure to asbestos. Airborne exposure to these microscopic, fibrous minerals leads to asbestos-related cancers, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, and results in death for an estimated 107,000 innocent individuals each year. The horrid truth is that all deaths and illnesses related to asbestos are entirely preventable, yet each day 30 Americans will die of an asbestos-related illness. The manufacturing, import and export, and use of asbestos in every day products continues, however, despite publication of scientific evidence that proves the life-terminating effects of the material.
The first uses of asbestos, which literally means “unquenchable” or “inextinguishable,” dates back to over 2,000 years ago on the ancient Greek island of Ewoia, believed to be home of the first asbestos mine. The “near-magical properties” of asbestos, from its tensile strength to its ability to resist fire, heat, and acid, resulted in popular use and the development of a thriving asbestos industry. Countries across the globe contributed to this industry for decades prior to the discovery of its detrimental health effects. Industrialized countries, including the United States, have used this inexpensive, naturally occurring, fibrous mineral for a wide array of products, including pipe and ceiling insulation, ship-building materials, brake shoes and pads, bricks, roofing, and flooring, and more.
With the rise of the Industrial Revolution during the late 1800s, asbestos use in the U.S. began to flourish and gained significant popularity in a number of industries. Even with its historically documented biological effects, it began to be used as insulation for steam pipes, turbines, boilers, kilns, ovens, and other high-temperature products. As the centuries waned, asbestos use continued and found its way to the U.S. Navy. The silent killer was utilized to insulate virtually ever chamber in the navy vessels and thousands of the veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War were exposed to asbestos while aboard military aircraft and navy ships. Asbestos was also employed in the production of over 300 products necessary in the construction and preservation of navy vessels, such as valves, adhesives, cables and gaskets.
With the progression of time, more and more uses for asbestos were discovered, even after several studies in the U.S. in the early-1900s noted that asbestos workers were dying unnaturally young and major medical journals began to publish articles that directly linked asbestos to cancer. Asbestos use continued to surge in the automobile industry, in brake and clutch lining, and in the construction industry, in a variety of products including cement, roof of shingles, floor and ceiling tiles, siding, stucco, plaster, and more. Unfortunately, records indicate that industries continued to ignore the noted dangers of asbestos and continued to unjustly expose its employees to the deadly material for the sake of profits. It wasn’t until 1971 that government legislation, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, intervened and began to regulate asbestos exposure.
Presently, however, the U.S. still has not banned asbestos and continues to stubbornly import chrysotile asbestos to “meet manufacturing needs,” despite the strong scientific evidence of the severe health risks associated with asbestos exposure. Ships docked in U.S. ports still unload asbestos in the states of Louisiana, Texas, California and New Jersey – just to name a few. For the past two years, the chloralkali industry has increased usages, even though viable and affordable asbestos substitutes exist and have been utilized in other countries. More than 31 million tons of asbestos was imported from 1900 to present, which has and continues to compromise workers’ health and safety. An estimated 35 million U.S. homes, schools, and buildings contain asbestos-contaminated materials. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that in the U.S., “An estimated 1.3 million employees in the construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job.” In May 2010, the United States President’s Cancer Panel reported, “Construction workers were found to be 11 times more likely to develop mesothelioma, due to asbestos exposures at the site.” Additionally, it was reported that 2,600 tons of asbestos was collected after the Joplin, Missouri tornado and tons of toxic debris littered the coastline after Hurricane Sandy. Occupational exposures can occur during maintenance, construction, abatement, and hazardous debris removal. Analyzing the asbestos import rates and morbidity/mortality rates, the ongoing asbestos problem in the U.S. is obvious. The correlations of the findings are not limited to the United States because they also have global ramifications. This data from the U.S. analysis when correlated to global occupational exposure reveals a global public health trend that affects all of the Americas.
When my father was diagnosed with stage-four mesothelioma in 2002, the most progressive stage of the cancer, the doctors said the particles had been lingering in his system without any symptoms for 25 years and estimated he had one month to live. Ironically, while working and trying to make a living for himself, he was unknowingly exposed to a toxic material that would financially cost him more for treatment than what he was making at work, and eventually cost him his life. He went against the doctor’s estimates and fought with the cancer for seven years. In those seven years, he overcame surgeries, numerous chemotherapy sessions, and lived his life in a constant struggle. Asbestos-related cancer victims go on to die painful, brutal deaths. In the last sixth months of his life, similar to what many patients will endure, he could not eat, hardly slept, had a tube shoved up his nose, and suffered excessively as a result of exposure to this material. Exposure to asbestos did not only result in a physical and emotional struggle for my father, but for my whole family. Even if other members of my family, anyone my father influenced, or myself were not directly exposed to it, we all had to face the consequences of asbestos. Asbestos not only affects millions of its victims, but also billions of families, friends, and communities around the world.
To protect the health of all people in the world – industrial workers, construction workers, spouses and children, now and in generations to come – it is essential to spread asbestos and mesothelioma awareness. More than two million tons of this material is produced each year, and according to the International Social Security Administration, figures for asbestos manufacture and use have begun to climb again. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, in 2012 alone, 1,060 tons of asbestos were imported into the U.S. to meet so-called “manufacturing needs.” Asbestos lingers not only in the workplace, but also in the environment. In countries like the U.S. where asbestos continues to be used today, asbestos-contaminated dust accumulates in thousands of communities. Safer substitutes to replace this killer have already been implemented successfully in 52 countries. The only realistic and sustainable answer to this pandemic is complete removal of asbestos worldwide. The primary influence on governments to ban asbestos comes from the voice of the public. Very rarely do people see a story on asbestos in the media, but when the public is educated and acts on the information, the greatest success is seen. The fate of hundreds relies on citizens to promote awareness and come together to demand all countries to ban the manufacture, trade and use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing products as soon as possible. Ultimately, what’s worth more – an inexpensive material or our lives?
References
- ADAO (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization). “Education.” 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.
http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/education - American Public Health Association. “The Elimination of Asbestos.” 2009. Web. 14 October 2013.
http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/eLibrary/Educational_Materials/APHA_Asbestos_Resolution.pdf - Collegium Ramazzini. “Asbestos is Still With Us: Repeat Call for a Universal Ban.” 20 April 2010. Bologna, Italy: Collegium Ramazinni. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
http://www.collegiumramazzini.org/download/15_FifteenthCRStatement(2010).pdf - Environmental Working Group. “Asbestos Is Still Not Banned.” Environmental Working Group. 4 Mar. 2004. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
http://www.ewg.org/research/asbestos-think-again/asbestos-still-not-banned - Haynes, Rebecca. “A Worn-Out Welcome: Renewed Call for a Global Ban on Asbestos.” Environmental Health Perspective 118:a298-a303. doi:10.1289/ehp.118-a298
- International Labour Organization. “The ILO Position on Safety in the Use of Asbestos.”
- The ILO Position on Safety in the Use of Asbestos. 06 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
http://www.ilo.org/asia/whatwedo/publications/WCMS_182426/lang–en/index.htm - ISSA (International Social Security Association). “Asbestos: Towards a Worldwide Ban.” Geneva: International Social Security Association, 2006. Web. 14 Oct. 2013
http://www.issa.int/Resursy/ISSA-Publications/Asbestos-Towards-a-worldwide-ban - Mesothelioma Treatment Centers. “Life Expectancy of Mesothelioma Cancer Patients.” Mesothelioma Treatment, Options & Guidelines, Asbestos Cancer Diagnosis & Support. Web. 14 Oct. 2013
http://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/mesothelioma-cancer/life-expectancy/ - Morris, Jim. “Overview: Exporting an Epidemic – Dangers in the Dust.” The Center for Public Integrity. 21 July 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
https://www.publicintegrity.org/health/public-health/asbestos/dangers-dust - The Lancet. “9/11.” TheLancet.com. 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2013
http://secure.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/action/cookieAbsent - United States Environmental Protection Agency. “EPA.” Learn About Asbestos. 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013
http://www2.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos#effects - Welch, LS. 2007. “Asbestos Exposure Causes Mesothelioma, But Not This Asbestos Exposure: Anamicus Brief to the Michigan Supreme Court. Int J Occup Environ Health. 13:318-327.
- WHO (World Health Organization). “Elimination of Asbestos-Related Disease.” 2006. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2006/WHO_SDE_OEH_06.03_eng.pdf
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