Making Friends Amid the Heartbreak of Mesothelioma

When my father was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, I felt completely alone. Everyone in my family was doing their best, each in our own way, to process the news, and try to figure out what to do next. Immediately, we were granted a miracle and were contacted by a stranger who helped to point us in the right direction. That stranger is now our extended family. He and his family have become close friends of ours and we are so blessed that God placed them in our lives.

One by one, people began to come out of the woodwork, offering their support and telling me about their own experiences with this disease. Largely, thanks to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, I realized that we weren’t alone. There were people who had dedicated their lives to helping others just like my Dad, and who were there for me as well.

Over the course of the last four years, I am honored to have become an active member of the mesothelioma community. I have formed friendships with men and women all around the world, our common bond being unfortunate and unwilling members of this club. These individuals inspire me in so many ways. I have learned from them, laughed and cried with them, and worked with them toward our common goal of finding a cure.

To all of my mesothelioma family, thank you for showing me how to carry myself with grace in the face of heartbreak, just like you all do. You motivate me to do more, and I am truly humbled by your constant love and support.

Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

miRNAs Could Be the Key to New, Effective Treatments

Finding a way to stop lung cancer and mesothelioma cells from dividing and growing continues to confound scientists. While many treatments can kill off the cancer cells, there are always some rogue cells that escape death leading to metastasis. Now, researchers report they have discovered a new class of RNA molecules that fuel lung cancer, and targeting them could lead to new, effective treatments for the deadly cancers.

A team of researchers from Singapore report in a July 12 press release they have discovered a new class of microRNAs (miRNAs), called oncomiRs, hidden within cancer stem cells, that drive growth and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer. The miRNAs, designated as miR-1246 and miR-1290, are “crucial drivers” of tumor growth and progression, the researchers reported.

microRNAs, or miRNAs, are tiny molecules found within cells that serve a function in primary biological processes such as organ development, fat metabolism, cell proliferation and death. When miRNAs function properly, a person remains healthy. However, “disregulation” of miRNAs can lead to diseases, including mesothelioma and other cancers.

The researchers targeted the cancer stem cells, calling them “the major culprits for relapse in lung cancer,” with a new class of therapeutics known as locked nucleic acid (LNA). Using the LNAs they “successfully obliterated human lung tumours grown in mice models.”

MicroRNAs play a large role in the regulation of gene expression and have the potential to serve as biomarkers because they exhibit properties identifiable with specific type of tumors. To that end, the researchers concluded, “these miRNAs [miR-1246 and miR-1290] are clinically useful as biomarkers for tracking disease progression and as therapeutic targets.”

Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs, abdomen and heart. Asbestos exposure is the only proven cause of mesothelioma. Treatment for the terminal cancer closely follows that of lung cancer. Any breakthrough that leads to a better understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and management of lung cancer brings hope to the mesothelioma community.

Up to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Currently, there is no cure for the disease.

The authors of the study said that the “findings provide fresh insight into understanding therapy resistance in lung cancer and unveil new avenues to monitor and treat the disease more effectively.”

“This will enable scientists and oncologists to improve patient stratification, and to develop therapeutic methods that are targeted, precise, and can reach tumours in the quickest time possible,” said GIS Executive Director Prof Ng Huck Hui.

The team is now collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to develop a drug to be administered to humans.

Results of the study can be found in the June 21 issue of Nature Communications.

Cancer Research Get Boost from Stand Up To Cancer Telecast

Dozens of celebrities came together on stage Sept. 9 for the fifth biennial telecast of StandUp2Cancer (SU2C (http://www.aacr.org/NEWSROOM/PAGES/NEWS-RELEASE-LISTING.ASPX)) and used their star power to raise awareness and funds towards fighting cancer. SU2C’s event was focused on raising money for ground-breaking, collaborative cancer research, while educating the public about the challenges of cancer. The hour-long, commercial free show was broadcast simultaneously across Canada and the U.S. on over 60 channels including the major networks, ABC, CBS, NBC; Fox; USA; VH1; Bravo and HBO.

Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada), a Canadian registered charity, is proud to announce the Hollywood community is once again joining forces to support Stand Up To Cancer's sixth biennial televised fundraising special, the third inclusive of Canada, on Friday, Sept. 7 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT / 7:00 PM CT). Mahershala Ali, Kathy Bates, Katie Couric, Jennifer Garner, Tony Hale, Marg Helgenberger, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Marlee Matlin, Matthew McConaughey, Maria Menounos, Jillian Michaels, Trevor Noah, Dak Prescott, Rob Riggle, Karla Souza, David Spade, Keith Urban, Reese Witherspoon and Canadian Italia Ricci will participate in this memorable event — marking 10 years since the first telecast and 10 years of SU2C's lifesaving research achievements – and four years after the launch of Stand Up To Cancer Canada. Additional stars and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

“SU2C’s mission, to ensure that all cancer patients become cancer survivors, is one that is very close to my heart,” said the show’s executive producer and Academy Award-nominated actor Bradley Cooper, who lost his father, Charles Cooper, to lung cancer in 2011.

This theme was evident throughout the hour as celebrities who had battled cancer and survived, including Rita Wilson and Kathy Bates, urged viewers to get screened to prevent cancer or to participate in trials if they have already been diagnosed. They also lauded SU2C’s initiative to raise money critically important to fund “Dream Teams” with a goal to end cancer.

“I wouldn’t be standing here tonight if it wasn’t for the progress research has made in recent decades,” said Bates.

SU2C Dream Teams Bring Hope to Cancer Patients

The hour-long telethon presented facts and statistics, research information, and real-life stories that remind us all that cancer is far too prevalent in the United States, but that it can be beaten. SU2C-funded researchers, primarily funded through dream teams, have planned, launched or completed more than 160 clinical trials involving more than 9,000 patients, leading to FDA approval of two treatments, according to SU2C’s Sept. 1 press release (http://www.standup2cancer.org/press_release/view/more_stars_join_su2c_telecast_on_sept._9_will_rally_viewers_by_sharing_publ).

Viewers got a firsthand account from Mitch Carbon, a teen leukemia patient who was out of treatment options and had prepared himself for death until he was accepted into a clinical trial. The immunotherapy clinical trial, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from the St. Baldrick’s Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, gave him his life back and now he is a freshman in college hoping to enter a field where he can give back to other cancer patients.

100% of the monies raised during the telethon go directly to grants supporting cancer research. Since its first broadcast in 2008, Stand Up to Cancer has raised more than $370 million. The effort has funded 19 dream teams and six translational research teams. The SU2C dream teams “pursue the most promising research, accelerating the discovery of new therapies for cancer patients and/or advancing efforts in cancer prevention research.”

New Dream Team Targets Mutation in Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Patients

This year, a new dream team focused on KRAS-positive lung cancer, one of the most aggressive subtypes of lung cancer, is being funded through SU2C.

Following is the team’s plan, according to the SU2C website:

“The team has devised a three-pronged approach to create new treatments for patients with KRAS-mutant lung cancers. First, the researchers will identify the most effective therapies for targeting KRAS and other related biological pathways. Second, they will develop approaches to exploit the immune system for the treatment of KRAS-mutant lung cancers. Third, they will integrate targeted therapies with immunotherapies as a novel combined approach to treatment of KRAS-mutant lung cancer.”

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers, is highly aggressive and is resistant to many current treatments. Care often follows the same protocol as lung cancer. As a result, mesothelioma patients struggling to find effective treatments for the incurable cancer stand to benefit greatly from the amazing results of the SU2C Dream Teams. Continued funding, support and collaboration of these teams bring hope to the millions of Americans who battle cancer each year, as well as the 3,000 Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.

Cancer research is expensive and time-consuming, and for research related to a rare disease, such as mesothelioma, the costs can be even higher. Events such as this not only bring in much-needed funds, but they also raise awareness of the devastation cancer causes to patients and their families.

“We’re at a tipping point in the fight against cancer – the science and technology is there,” said Vice President Joe Biden who appeared on the stage. “We are on the cusp of ending cancer as we know it.”

Visit SU2C to find out more about the initiative.

Fundraising for Mesothelioma at the Dunbar Community Fest

It’s the time of year once again for my hometown’s community festival, the Dunbar Community Fest. It’s always at the end of September, a beautiful beginning to the Fall season, and this year it is being held on Sept. 24. Once again, my family is continuing our Fundraising Efforts for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation at this wonderful festival.

This community has supported my family throughout the years. During the time that Dad battled mesothelioma our friends in Dunbar were there for us during our ups and downs. We are grateful for their continued support as they remember Dad and help us raise funds for The Meso Foundation to help other families dealing with this cancer.

Each year, we try to do something a little different with our raffle table. One year, we introduced t-shirts, another we did a mystery prize, and another we were able to raffle off a trip to a local resort. This year, we will be selling our “Dining with Donnie” cookbooks, as well as offering our usual raffle items. We will also be raffling off a corn hole set.

Many of the people who live here are my family as well, and others might as well be! We appreciate the continued outpouring of love and we welcome hearing the memories of my Dad. It’s bound to be a day filled with laughter, smiles, and fun!

To find out more about the festival visit Dunbar Community Fest.

Oxygen-Focused Treatment May Overcome Drug Resistance in Mesothelioma

Cancer research is often focused on developing cancer treatments that target a specific gene or biomarker responsible for a particular cancer. Now, researchers report that by focusing on tumor oxygen levels and a treatment schedule using a combination of existing anti-cancer treatments survival in lung cancer patients may be improved. Mesothelioma patients, who often follow the same treatment protocol, could also benefit from this approach.

A team of scientists from the University of Minnesota and the University of Southern California realize that low levels of oxygen in cancer can lead to drug resistance and uncontrollable tumor growth in many cancers. The condition, known as hypoxia, is treated with hypoxia-activated prodrugs, or HAPs. HAPs can penetrate into the oxygen-starved areas of tumors that other cancer drugs cannot. But, HAPs are not effective as a single treatment, so the researchers turned their attention to finding a way to increase the success of them.

The researchers developed a mathematical model to assess the effectiveness of using a HAP (evofosfamide) in combination with standard cancer therapy to prevent the resistance to erlotinib in EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR is a protein found on the surface of some cells which causes the cells to divide and spread. It is found at abnormally high levels on the surface of lung cancer and mesothelioma. The researchers report that nearly all EGFR NSCLC patients will develop a resistance to erlotinib within a year, making the drug ineffective.

Erlotinib is in a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors that is used to treat NSCLC that has metastasized in patients previously treated with at least one other chemotherapy medication and have not gotten better.

After testing a multitude of treatment schedules combined with differing dosages, the team found that ultimately the best combination to prevent resistance to erlotinib was achieved by alternating the treatment of evofosfamide and erlotinib while limiting the down time between the dosages. By alternating between the two drugs, the researchers report, “the entire population of cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment” is constantly controlled by the drugs.”

“Alternating between these two drugs allows each one to provide the necessary control over the cancer cell population the other one is lacking,” the authors wrote in the study. “These results demonstrate that incorporating HAPs in combination with targeted therapies may be an effective tool in preventing resistance, and suggest an alternative use for HAPs.”

Nearly 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the incurable cancer, mesothelioma, each year. While recent advances in treatment for mesothelioma patients have improved survival for some patients, continued research is critically important to ensure existing treatments become even more effective. Each breakthrough or promising result from a study increases hope that mesothelioma patients can live longer, higher quality lives with the disease.

“These findings highlight the importance of designing combination therapies with drugs whose strengths complement each other in order to maximize the therapeutic benefits,” concluded the authors.

The study can be found in the Aug. 25 issue of PLOS Computational Biology.

Photo Credit: RxList.com

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