Cryoablation Study for Mesothelioma Opening at UCLA

Researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center will soon begin studying the pre-surgery use of cryoablation as a potential early adjuvant therapy for patients with pleural mesothelioma. The pilot study will measure immune system stimulation through local tumor infiltration in hopes of extending patient survival in the future. Cryoablation, also known as cryotherapy or cryosurgery, freezes localized tumors with liquid nitrogen or argon gas. It has been proven effective in killing tumor cells with extreme cold. It is currently used on kidney, liver and prostate cancers, but its use in priming a person’s own immune system to fight cancer is still being explored with various malignancies. “The idea is possibly buying additional time after surgical resection by minimizing chances of recurrence, or giving the body a head start in fighting that recurrence,” Dr. Neema Jamshidi, diagnostic radiologist at UCLA, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “We hope to better understand the effect of cryoablation with mesothelioma.” Cryoablation Clinical Trial Opening Soon Jamshidi is the principal investigator of the one-center mesothelioma clinical trial that is expected to begin recruiting patients by the end of July. UCLA works closely with the Pacific Mesothelioma Center — a world leader in the treatment of this aggressive cancer — and renowned thoracic surgeon Dr. Robert B. Cameron. The cancer center at UCLA is one of the few specialty centers that has used...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news