CancerConsultants.com has an article about trying to find an effective chemotherapy regimen for mesothelioma. This is such an intractable form of cancer and resists forms of therapy that are effective for other cancers: radiation, surgery, simple chemotherapy.

The cutting edge of mesothelioma treatment involves combinaton therapy: more than one treatment. There’s a study out of Italy where they treated patients with sequential chemotherapy, where one drug (or group of drugs) is given for a while followed by the another group of drugs.

In this trial they used cisplatin plus gemcitabine, followed by mitoxantrone, methotrexate, and mitomycin. They got good results. The median survival was 13 months and 63% of the patients were still alive after one year. Now this is only one study, and the results weren’t miraculous, but they are encouraging and more evidence that combination therapy is generally the best way to go.

Piroxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has shown anti-tumoral activity which is amplified when combined with Cisplatin.

Researchers used two mesothelioma cell lines and treated cells with piroxicam and cisplatin alone then combined the two treatments.

Cell growth was significantly limited in both lines and treatment with either agent appeared to disrupt cell cycle phase distribution and expression of some regulatory proteins.

Their effects were significantly increased when used as a combination therapy. In one of the cell lines they appeared to create a synergistic effect on apoptosis (likely through the activation of caspase 8,9).

The data suggests that a combination of piroxicam and cisplatin should warrant further investigation because of their effects on apoptosis and cell cycles.

Oncolytics Biotech presented data that indicates malignant mesothelioma cells are sensitive to certain viruses. Their presentation titled “Combination Immunotherapy and Oncolytics Virotherapy for the Treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma” discussed in vitro data showing mesothelioma cells could be suitable targets for reoviruses which could then attack and compromise them.

The company currently has 7 ongoing phase I and phase II trials though none are currently for mesothelioma patients. Reoviruses, which the company is investigating, are generally gastrointestinal infections with the most common form being the rotavirus.

The goal of virotherapy is to isolate and reprogram viruses to only attack cancerous cells. It is still a relatively undeveloped field within cancer research but progress is being made.

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that accounts for approximately one percent of all cancer deaths worldwide. The cancer is caused through the inhalation of asbestos – a naturally occurring fiber that is often used for insulation or heat-resistant purposes. 

Just as asbestos exposure affects human health, so too does it affect the health of pets and companion animals. In rare cases, asbestos exposure among dogs and cats does occur. Sadly, such exposure may eventually lead to mesothelioma. 

Prolonged breathing problems, coughing or difficulty breathing witnessed in a dog or cat may be warning signs of mesothelioma. If a family member works around asbestos, fibers may remain on their clothing when they come home. These fibers may be inhaled or licked by the pet. Additionally, asbestos has been commonly used in building construction, and may be present in home walls. When mesothelioma in pets occurs, it is of course a tragedy. 

However, these pets may serve as important pioneers in new mesothelioma treatments. Oftentimes, these dogs and cats undergo experimental mesothelioma treatments that may one day be approved for use in humans. One such study, reported in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, found promising results for a mesothelioma treatment regimen that combined the use of piroxicam and platinum-based intracavity chemotherapy. 

Three companion animals took place in the study – two dogs and one cat. All participants experienced variable remission times. Most notably, one dog continues to be in remission three years following treatment. This is incredibly promising, given the fact that most human patients to do not survive more than a year following a mesothelioma diagnosis. 

The other dog survived for eight months following treatment, while the cat survived 6 months. While this is less encouraging, treatment did result in a 90 percent reduction in excessive fluid buildup. The researchers who published the paper suggest that the treatment results are promising enough to warrant future tests in animals, and possibly humans.

However, they note that mesothelioma is more likely to follow a benign course of advancement in dogs than in humans. This may be a hidden factor in the 3-year survival time of the one canine participant. 

Resources: http://www.jeccr.com/content/27/1/6

A new study from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found that patients who go to public hospitals for lung cancer care get less effective treatments than those who go to expensive cancer-oriented hospitals. The study also showed that patients who receive their care from public hospitals were nine times more likely to have severe symptoms when they check in for treatment than those who attend cancer centers such as MD Anderson. 

The study examined the care in two Houston public hospitals, one Miami public hospital, and MD Anderson, one of the most respected cancer care centers in the world. Dr. Charles Cleeland, the study’s author, said that the disparity of care between public hospitals and cancer centers has existed “for the last couple of decades”. He also noted that lung cancer care “is less well managed” for patients who are poor, unemployed, members of minority groups or those that have little to no health insurance. 

The number of public hospital patients experiencing symptoms before admitting themselves for care was nearly double that of cancer center patients. The study, which followed the patients’ progress for two months, showed major differences in the quality of care between the cancer center and the public hospitals. Dr. Cleeland said that patients in public hospitals that were displaying symptoms were “not being corrected”. Dr. Cleeland also noted that the reasons for the differences in care between public hospitals and well-known cancer centers are “very complex”. “I don’t think it’s the intention of those caring for those folks,” he said. However, he did cite that the lack of access to technical resources or cancer specialists for those underserved patients might be some of the reasons behind the disparity. A similar study conducted at the University of North Carolina found that African Americans are less likely than Caucasian patients to opt for surgery to remove lung tumors. Surgical tumor removal is often the most effective treatment in the early stages of the disease. Dr. Samuel Cykert, the UNC study’s author, attributed the differences to “unintended biases in physicians”. Dr. Cykert mentioned that doctors who work with underserved patients “would be less apt to recommend surgery” than they would for patients who could afford the procedure. “Advocating for oneself is very important,” Dr. Cykert said. “Being passive is bad.” The two doctors do agree on treating symptoms early, rather than allowing them to worsen before seeking help. Dr. Cleeland stressed that doctors, nurses and other health care professionals need to help patients with the symptoms of their lung cancer as much as with treating the cancer itself. “I think we need to strategize about how to help them (underserved patients)”, he said. “This (study) is characterizing their experience.” According to public health officials, 62 out of every 100,000 adults will be diagnosed with lung cancer each year.

Underserved patients are more likely to engage in cigarette smoking, the primary cause of lung cancer in America, and are also more likely to die from lung cancer. 

Sources: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/20/us-lung-cancer-patients-idUSTRE75J6Y320110620

Thanks to advancement made possible through the Human Genome Project, British researchers believe the world’s first cancer-killing pill may be on the horizon. According to the team’s timeline, such a pill may be available in as few as ten years. The success of this future pill will work by exploiting a specific gene flaw that is present in cancer’s DNA. In lab tests, the British team was able to show that a mutation of specific cancer cells effectively blocked the disease’s ability to repair damaged genetic material. As such, a pill or injection could potentially be made that switches on this mutation and shuts down important repair mechanisms that cause the illness to grow uncontrollably. Since such a drug would not affect the health of normal human cells, it is believed that treatment will not only be more effective, but also result in far fewer side effects. A research team led by Professor Ghulam Mufti at Kings College London announced the findings on October 24th. 

Mufti summed up the findings by saying, “The genetics of cancers are being rapidly unraveled. We are soon going to have a library of what genetic abnormalities lead to which cancers. If these are specific, we can target these abnormalities using new treatments.” Many researchers not affiliated with the study agree that all cancers are moving towards a targeted treatment process. Thanks in large part to the Human Genome Project, various research teams are now identifying potential genetic markers that may eventually lead to a cure for cancer. One of the first of such drugs is currently being tested at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer 

Research Centre in London. This drug works in exactly the same manner as described by Mulfti – by altering a tumor’s cells so they cannot successfully repair DNA properly. In early trials, the research team was able to show that breast cancer cells are killed while healthy cells are largely unaffected. The team also notes a complete lack of noticeable side effects. Similar methods are also currently in the works for curing such illnesses as cystic fibrosis. Current medical trials that utilize gene therapy could lead to an effective cystic fibrosis treatment in as little as five years. 

Sources:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/207376/New-drugs-to-target-cancer http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1323481/Cancer-killing-pill-exploits-flaw-diseases-DNA-close-development.html