Why Do Women with Mesothelioma Survive Longer than Men?

A recent study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has pinpointed for the first time gender-specific genetic mutations in mesothelioma patients that could lead to future treatment advances. Women with mesothelioma typically have a survival advantage over men with the same disease, as numerous studies have currently shown. But now, scientists are beginning to understand why that advantage exists, and how it could lead to more effective treatment for everyone. "We were trying to identify genetic differences to help provide targets for specific therapies," Dr. Assunta De Rienzo, co-director of the Thoracic Surgery Laboratory at Brigham and Women's, told Asbestos.com. "If you can really understand why women do better, you can do something to help the men." De Rienzo led the study titled "Gender-Specific Molecular and Clinical Features Underlie Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma." Dr. Raphael Bueno, chief of the thoracic surgery division at Brigham and Women, and Dr. David Sugarbaker, director of the Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, also participated in the research. As an instructor in surgery at Harvard Medical School, De Rienzo focused her research on the genetics and genomics of mesothelioma, using her background in molecular biology and cancer genetics. Finding Molecular Pathways in Men and Women with Mesothelioma "The idea is identifying specific groups of patients who will be helped by specific drugs," De Rienzo said. "You can try and...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Research & Clinical Trials Source Type: news