Mesothelioma Help Cancer News

World Cancer Day Another Chance to Bring Attention to Mesothelioma

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

The National Cancer Institute reports 95% of the cancer diagnoses are dependent on choices we make every day, such as food selection, smoking decisions, sun exposure and exercise habits. Making poor choices can negatively impact our ability to age gracefully and to enjoy a full, productive life. Although Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma doubtful had control over the circumstances leading to their disease, raising awareness about all causes of cancer on Feb 4, World Cancer Day, may help prevent others from having to deal with the devastation that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

Nearly 8.2 million people across the globe die from cancer each year. Feb 4 is one day that is set aside every year to “spread the word and raise the profile of cancer in people’s minds and in the world’s media,” according to WorldCancerDay.org. With the goal to unite the world’s population in the fight against cancer, the organization hopes that by raising awareness and educating the public about the disease, countless lives will be saved.

“World Cancer Day is a chance to reflect on what everyone can do to reduce the impact of this devastating disease, now, and for the future. We wish it to be a springboard for positive change. Take action for yourself, your organisation or your community/country, as everyone can make a difference and inspire others. ‘We can. I can.’ beat cancer,” noted Professor Tezer Kutluk, President, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

For the mesothelioma community, this is another chance to shine a light on the pain and suffering over 3,000 Americans have to deal with each day as they are told they have mesothelioma. The rare, incurable disease, brought on by past asbestos exposure, can take decades for the cancer to develop, primarily impacting military veterans and trade workers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 125 million people are annually exposed to asbestos in the workplace. The only sure way to stop the suffering and deaths caused by mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease is by preventing exposure, and WHO has been calling for a ban of asbestos use throughout the world. Once widely used in many applications, asbestos is now classified as a human carcinogen. Although the U.S. government regulates the use of asbestos today, it is still not banned in the U.S., as many mistakenly believe.

One of the primary objectives of World Cancer Day is to reach as much of the world’s population as possible during the day. The organization believes that any action anyone takes to educate others has an impact. Through the campaign theme, “We can. I can.”, everyone is encouraged to get involved in the fight against cancer.

“Join us on World Cancer Day to take action on cancer by making health and well-being commitments, participating in the official ‘Talking Hands’ social media activity and getting involved in hundreds of other awareness raising initiatives that are happening worldwide,” said Kutluk.

Patient and Caregiver Dealing With a Mesothelioma Recurrence

• Lisa Hyde-Barrett
• Nurse's Corner

“Cancer that has recurred (come back), usually after a period of time during which the cancer could not be detected. Cancer may come back to the same place as the original (primary) tumor or to another place in the body. Also called recurrent cancer,” is the National Cancer Institute’s definition of recurrence.

Over the years, I have cared for many patients who have not only had to deal with the initial diagnosis of mesothelioma, but also with subsequent recurrences. Sometimes, like the patient I saw this week, recurrence is mentally challenging to the patient and the family. The patient, a man in his early 70s, had his disease return to the other lung, the non-operative side. He is physically weak and having trouble breathing. Mentally, though, he is alert but full of despair. His caregiver is angry and frustrated. It is hard not to be filled with these emotions after they have tried so hard to fight this disease with the best tools that are available, but still it has progressed and returned.

The caregiver was angry at the doctor, hospital, the rest of the family, anybody she came into contact with. Dealing with her anger, and his despair, can be very challenging. The focus needs to shift by turning the emotions into fighting the disease not each other. Fight the symptoms, the pain, the shortness of breath-make those the enemy.

While dealing with all of the emotion, the medical team must focus on the patient‘s desires. When asked what he wanted to do, the  man said he wants to be home for his last days. Even while his team looks for ways to make this a reality, his caregiver cannot see her way for it to happen. It will take time and continuous support for both the patient and the caregiver to work through everything.

How do people cope with their emotions when mesothelioma returns? We have seen a variety of responses all unique to each patient. Visit the National Cancer Society web site for some very helpful advice and resources for the caregiver and patient.

Everyone’s mesothelioma and situation is different, and a recurrence, for some is just a setback that can be overcome both physically and emotionally. Many patients have progressed to where mesothelioma is treated as a chronic, ongoing disease.

The faces of recurrence are as varied as each individual’s journey with this aggressive disease.  During these times it is the most difficult to remain positive. Reach out, there are resources and people to help you and your family get through the dark days.

FDA Grants Orphan Designation to Investigational Mesothelioma Drug

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

Boehringer Ingelheim announced in December that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to its investigational cancer drug nintedanib for the treatment of mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is one of the nearly 7,000 diseases designated as rare, or “orphan,” in the United States. An orphan disease status is assigned to a disease or disorder if it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time. Mesothelioma is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year, and nearly the same number die from the asbestos-caused disease. There is no cure for the cancer.

The FDA notes that the Orphan Drug Designation program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics which are defined as those intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders, or that affect more than 200,000 persons but the companies are not expected to recover the costs of developing and marketing a treatment drug.

According to Boehringer Ingelheim, the maker of nintedanib, also known as BIBF 1120, the drug is an oral triple angiokinase inhibitor which simultaneously inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR 1-3), platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR 1-3) signaling pathways. These three different angiokinase receptors play an important role in blood vessel formation and in tumor growth and metastases.

Nintedanib “has shown promise as a potential treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma in clinical trials to-date, and this designation is a validating milestone in its development,” said Martina Flammer, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Development & Medical Affairs Specialty Care, Boehringer Ingelheim in a Dec. 14 press release from Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are proud to receive this designation for nintedanib from the FDA, resulting from our ongoing commitment to researching potential treatment options for rare cancers such as mesothelioma.”

The FDA granted designation based on the positive results from the ongoing Phase II/III LUME-Meso trial. Boehringer reports LUME-Meso is an international trial evaluating the efficacy and safety profile of nintedanib plus chemotherapy (pemetrexed/cisplatin) followed by nintedanib, versus placebo plus chemotherapy (pemetrexed/cisplatin) followed by placebo, in patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

“We are very encouraged by these recent data; the [clinical trial] results have led to an extension of the study into a Phase III confirmatory trial that is now underway and will provide further insight into the potential of nintedanib for patients with MPM [malignant pleural mesothelioma],” said lead investigator, Professor Giorgio V. Scagliotti, University of Torino, Chair of the Department of Oncology, Italy, at the 17th IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna.

Patients are currently being recruited worldwide for the trial. To find out more, see ClinicalTrials.gov.

Sources:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=%22malignant+mesothelioma%22&recr=Open&pg=1
• Boehringer Ingelheim
  https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/press-release/nintedanib-granted-orphan-drug-designation-treatment-mesothelioma
• 17th IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer
  https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/press-release/clinically-meaningful-data-oral-nintedanib-mesothelioma-presented-world-conference

Victim’s Daughter Answers Question, “What Is Mesothelioma?”

• Joseph Belluck
• Faces of Mesothelioma

“But what is mesothelioma?” This question usually follows when I tell people how my Dad passed away or why I’m fundraising. I then go into what causes it, the treatments Dad went through… the “science” of the disease. Most of the time, people nod their heads and go on with their day. But they don’t know the part about what mesothelioma really is to those who live it.

Mesothelioma is a thief, I’ve said this before. It steals your loved ones, their quality of life, and their comfort. In the last five years, I have seen so many people lose parents, spouses, and friends from this cancer. I, myself, have lost people that I care about to mesothelioma that I have gotten to know through being a part of this community.

Mesothelioma is a way of life. Unfortunately, when you are struck with this diagnosis, it consumes every part of you. Patients are constantly seeing doctors, receiving treatment, and thinking about the fact that they have mesothelioma. Caregivers are always looking for ways to help their loved one. And the truth of the matter is, for me, those three months between Dad’s scans were always torturous. You never knew what would be around the next corner. It truly takes precedence over every other aspect of your life.

Mesothelioma is unforgiving, unapologetic, and does not discriminate. I have known very young people and the elderly who have been stricken with this cancer. It doesn’t care who you are or what you do. It can’t be bothered by the fact that you have a family who you love and who needs you. It simply takes.

Mesothelioma is, in fact, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, but it is so much more. This disease has changed my life and the lives of countless others in ways that we never could have imagined.

UK Researchers Identify Gene That May Limit Metastasis in Mesothelioma

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

Previous studies report that metastasis is the cause of nearly 90 percent of cancer deaths, but it remains poorly understood. Once cells mutate and spread to distant regions of the body the cancer becomes difficult, and in the case of pleural mesothelioma, impossible, to eradicate. Getting a handle on the spread of cancer is critical for increasing survival. Now, researchers report they have found a gene that can reduce metastasis by three-fourths.

Using mice models, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute of the UK identified 23 genes that either increased or decreased the spread of cancer cells to the lungs. They also found that these genes impacted the immune system, the body’s natural defense mechanism for fighting cancer. They homed in on the Spns2 gene and found that when the gene was removed, the largest change occurred resulting in a reduction of nearly four times in the spread of tumors to the lungs. The researchers reported that the effect of this gene on colon, lung and breast cancers also resulted in reduced metastasis.

“Loss of the Spns2 gene causes the greatest reduction in the formation of tumour colonies and represents a novel therapeutic target,” said Dr. David Adams from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in a Jan. 11 press release. “Drugs that target this could help reduce or prevent the spread of tumours through the body.”

Stopping tumor growth and preventing metastasis is especially critical for increasing survival in mesothelioma and lung cancer patients. Mesothelioma is one of the most aggressive cancers, and one of the reasons is due to the ability of asbestos fibers to become embedded in the lining of the lungs and to fester for years, even decades, before any symptoms develop. Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, it is typically in an advanced stage where treatment is moot.

This research, however, led the researchers to better understand the Spns2 gene’s impact on the immune system and in tumor spread. This combination brings hope to many in the cancer community that an effective treatment could deliver a one-two punch by waking up the immune system and halting metastasis.

Expert Insight

Dr Justine Alford, Cancer Research UK

“Cancer that has spread is tough to treat, so research such as this is vital in the search for ways to tackle this process.”

Share on Facebook

These findings suggest another unique cancer characteristic to be considered when personalizing care for lung cancer and mesothelioma patients. Targeted therapy improves the prognosis in people suffering from mesothelioma and other cancers.

“This work supports the emerging area of immunotherapy, where the bodies’ own immune system is harnessed to fight cancer,” said Dr. Anneliese Speak of the Sanger Institute. “Investigation of further targets in the Spns2 pathway, or other targets identified in this study could help develop potential therapies.”