Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Exploring Family Predisposition

The National Cancer Institute has opened a clinical trial using mesothelioma patients and their family members to explore predisposition to the cancer and potential solutions to negating it. The trial is a follow up to an earlier study of a genetic mutation that creates susceptibility to various cancers but a longer-than-normal survival with platinum-based chemotherapy treatment. “This is an important, long-term study that could have implications not only for a patient, but for family members, too,” Dr. Raffit Hassan, NCI senior investigator told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “Progress can be made in terms of prevention and early detection.” Tracking Inherited Mutations In the clinical trial, Hassan and his staff will be studying mutations of BAP1, a tumor-suppressor gene, and other similar-acting genes. Children as young as 2 years old will be eligible to participate. Participants who have a confirmed mutation will be encouraged to ask relatives to join the study. They also will have an option of being in a remote group — providing medical and family history by phone annually — or in a more closely monitored setting that includes blood tests, scans and physical exams. The mutations also have been associated with renal and basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous melanoma and meningioma. Relatives identified with the mutations but no cancer emergence would be encouraged to avoid risk factors such as exposure to asbestos and other toxins. It also could lead to ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news