Protein Discovery Could Help Guide Mesothelioma Treatment

Scientists from Austria, Hungary and Croatia have identified an important biomarker in blood plasma as both an accurate predictor of malignant pleural mesothelioma survival and as a potential new guide for treatment. Researchers believe that fibrinogen, a clotting protein in plasma, can serve as a useful tool for doctors advising patients on the value of aggressive surgery. They found that higher levels of fibrinogen meant shorter survival periods and, conversely, that lower levels of fibrinogen translated into a longer survival rate. The multi-center study, which was published in the British Journal of Cancer, involved 175 patients whose average age was 63.5 years. Their fibrinogen levels were measured when they were diagnosed with mesothelioma. According to the study, 87.5 percent of patients with mesothelioma had higher-than-normal fibrinogen levels in their blood plasma. Those with the lowest level of fibrinogen had an average survival of 19.1 months. Those with the highest level lived an average of 8.5 months. Levels of Fibrinogen Could Predict Survival Rate Pleural mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive cancer that is caused primarily by an inhalation of toxic asbestos fibers. Although mesothelioma has a long latency period (10-50 years) between first exposure to asbestos and obvious symptoms, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is just 8-18 months. Specialty centers have had success with a multi-modality treatment approach that includes chemotherapy, surge...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Research & Clinical Trials Source Type: news