Mesothelioma News and Research

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Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers.

Verastem announces initiation of VS-4718 Phase 1 trial in patients with advanced cancer

Verastem, Inc., focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced the initiation of a Phase 1 trial of VS-4718, a novel, small molecule inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase, in patients with advanced cancer.

26 Jun 2013

Verastem's VS-6063 gets orphan drug designation from European Commission for use in mesothelioma

Verastem, Inc., focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced that VS-6063 has received orphan medicinal product designation from the European Commission for use in mesothelioma.

13 Jun 2013

Combination of cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC may reduce mortality in abdominal cancers patients

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) have determined that cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS/HIPEC), a complex procedure to treat advanced abdominal cancers, can be done safely, and may be an effective therapy for select patients. Study results are published in the June issue of Cancer Medicine.

12 Jun 2013

Researchers develop first portable, real-time airborne asbestos detector

Asbestos was once called a miracle material because of its toughness and fire-resistant properties. It was used as insulation, incorporated into cement and even woven into firemen's protective clothing. Over time, however, scientists pinned the cause of lung cancers such as mesothelioma on asbestos fiber inhalation. Asbestos was banned in the many industrialized countries in the 1980s, but the threat lingers on in the ceilings, walls and floors of old buildings and homes.

3 May 2013

New collaboration to expand vaccine approaches for melanoma

Aduro BioTech, Inc. announces a collaboration with Charles G. Drake, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Oncology, Immunology and Urology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center to evaluate the therapeutic approach of anti-PD-1 in combination with one or both of Aduro's vaccine technologies based on live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes and STING-activating adjuvants.

23 Apr 2013

Preclinical studies show bladder cancers, mesotheliomas respond to treatment with ADI-PEG 20

Scientists from academic institutions reported at the 2013 annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting, results from preclinical studies which showed that certain bladder cancers and mesotheliomas have metabolic changes and are more likely to respond to treatment with ADI-PEG 20 (pegylated arginine deiminase) if they are deficient in the enzyme, argininosuccinate synthetase.

18 Apr 2013

Dual-signaling CAR T cells show potent anti-cancer activity in animal model

The need to distinguish between normal cells and tumor cells is a feature that has been long sought for most types of cancer drugs.

8 Apr 2013

PARP inhibitors can be novel treatment strategy for cisplatin-resistant cancer

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors may be a novel treatment strategy for patients with cancer that has become resistant to the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Apr 2013

Philip and Cheryl Milstein provide $20M to support advancement of medicine at CUMC

Continuing their family's multigenerational connection to Columbia and support of its leadership in medicine, Philip (CC '71) and Cheryl Milstein (Barnard '82) have made a $20 million commitment to Columbia University Medical Center.

19 Mar 2013

Scientists to create new human monoclonal antibody targeting protein associated with cancer

Researchers have discovered a unique monoclonal antibody that can effectively reach inside a cancer cell, a key goal for these important anticancer agents, since most proteins that cause cancer or are associated with cancer are buried inside cancer cells.

14 Mar 2013

Verastem commences VS-6063 plus paclitaxel Phase 1/1b trial in advanced ovarian cancer

Verastem, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced the initiation of a Phase 1/1b trial of VS-6063 in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

5 Feb 2013

Aduro completes enrollment in CRS-207 and GVAX pancreas cancer vaccine Phase 2 trial

Aduro BioTech, Inc. announces completion of enrollment in the Phase 2 clinical trial of the sequential administration of two cancer vaccines, Aduro's CRS-207 and GVAX Pancreas Cancer Vaccine, in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

30 Nov 2012

Unacceptable levels of asbestos leads to closure of Welsh high school

A specialist industrial disease lawyer has said that the closure of a Welsh high school after ten times more than acceptable levels of asbestos were found comes as no surprise, adding that the hidden danger of asbestos in our schools has been known for years.

23 Nov 2012

Fibulin-3 effective biomarker for pleural mesothelioma

Research suggests that levels of fibulin-3 in plasma and effusions may aid in determining the diagnosis and prognosis of pleural mesothelioma.

16 Nov 2012

First analysis of IASLC malignant pleural mesothelioma database

The International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) staging system has been widely used, however, widespread concerns exist about the validity of the current malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) staging system.

16 Oct 2012

Fibulin-3 protein may help identify mesothelioma in early stages

Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have discovered the protein product of a little-known gene may one day prove useful in identifying and monitoring the development of mesothelioma in early stages, when aggressive treatment can have an impact on the progression of disease and patient prognosis.

11 Oct 2012

Germline BAP1 mutations associated with novel cancer syndrome

University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers have discovered germline BAP1 mutations are associated with a novel cancer syndrome characterized by malignant mesothelioma, uveal melanoma, cutaneous melanoma and atypical melanocytic tumors. Germline mutations are hereditary gene defects that are present in every cell.

7 Sep 2012

Study explains how FPGS increases effectiveness of pemetrexed in mesothelioma patients

Previous studies have hypothesized that low levels of the enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS) likely mark patients who will benefit from the drug pemetrexed - but results have been inconclusive at best and at times contradictory. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology provides an explanation why: only in combination with high levels of a second enzyme, FPGS, does low TS predict response to pemetrexed in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

31 Aug 2012

NCCN announces new guidelines for patients with pancreatic Cancer

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with the support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, announces the latest addition to the library of NCCN Guidelines for PatientsTM, patient-friendly translations of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

30 Aug 2012

Lung cells not affected by tiny fibres: Study

Health risks posed to people who work with tiny fibres used in manufacturing industries could be reduced, thanks to new research.

23 Aug 2012