Month: March 2016
UK Researchers Identify Drug To Target Mesothelioma Cell Death
Mesothelioma is known to be a resilient cancer due to its aggressive nature and its ability to fight off the very drugs meant to halt its progression. Its resistance to drugs is attributed to its apoptotic defect, which prevents the medicines from killing the cancer cells. Now, researchers report a new drug can bypass that defect and induce cell death.
Researchers from the University of Bradford, in collaboration with researchers from University of Surrey, report cancer cells should die when signals from the immune system and healthy cells tell them to do so. According to the researchers, though, cancer cells have a variety of strategies to ignore those signals and elude death.
“We already know that it’s [mesothelioma] resistant to available drugs, which is why we need entirely new treatments,” says Professor Richard Morgan, from the University of Bradford’s Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, in a March 14 press release.
The drug, known as HRX9, however, works by preventing the cancer cells from avoiding apoptosis. HRX9 targets the HOX gene family that helps to determine cell identity during development. These genes “are significantly dysregulated in malignant mesothelioma,” according to the researchers. When dysregulated, in effect the gene “switch” remains on allowing cancer cells to grow. This drug impacts that switch, and leads to the cells’ death.
“There’s a range of drugs which try to force apoptosis in different cancers, but this is the first one to work in mesothelioma, ” says Morgan.
In the study, the researchers found that human mesothelioma tumors in mice models stopped growing after just three weeks of treatment with HRX9. The tumors had “a complete loss of tumour blood vessels and widespread cancer cell death.”
“People living with mesothelioma often tell us that among their first reactions to diagnosis is despair at the lack of treatment available,” said Ian Jarrold, Head of Research at British Lung Foundation. “We hope that the progress being made in research we fund will soon provide new treatments and new hope for patients.”
The study was published in the Feb. 11 issue of BMC Journal.
Based on Results of Prostate Cancer Study, Specialist Centers Most Likely Offer Best Mesothelioma Care
Due to mesothelioma’s relative rarity among the general population, it is recommended that patients seek out a mesothelioma specialist center. Mesothelioma specialists are aware of the latest research and they are able to develop a more informed treatment plan than would a physician who does not specialize in the disease. Researchers at one of the most prominent mesothelioma centers in the world tested this theory on prostate cancer patients and found that those treated at a high-volume radiation center see better survival rates.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital looked at records of nearly 20,000 high-risk prostate cancer patients who received radiation at over 1,000 facilities. The data showed that when treated at “higher-volume facilities,” i.e., the top 20 percent by prostate radiation volume, patients consistently had better survival rates than those treated at lower-volume facilities.
“Our paper shows that experience counts,” said Paul Nguyen, MD, a physician researcher in the department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and corresponding author of the new paper, in a March 14 press release. “For men with aggressive prostate cancer, survival is improved if they receive their radiation treatments at a high volume facility as opposed to a lower volume facility.”
In the case of mesothelioma care, a mesothelioma specialist will develop the treatment protocol and will supervise its implementation, while the patient still meets with his or her personal doctor. Mesothelioma has a unique set of treatment requirements and specialists serve a key role in interpreting and defining the best approach for caring for the patient.
The Medical Team
At a mesothelioma treatment center, several types of physicians can be involved in the treatment of mesothelioma. Often physicians’ specialties will overlap and several doctors may be available to offer treatment and support in the same discipline. Types of specialists that may be included on a team are:
- Oncologists. Medical professional specializing in cancer.
- Thoracic surgeons. Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the thorax or the chest including the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm.
- Pulmonologists. Physicians specializing in the treatment of diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract.
- Chemotherapy (oncology) Nurse. The RN or team of nurses responsible for patient assessment, chemotherapy administration and supportive care during the chemotherapy treatment.
- Radiation Therapist. The radiation therapist develops a treatment plan in conjunction with a radiation oncologist, explains the treatment plan to the patient, and administers the radiation.
In addition to the above specialists, many other medical professionals will be supporting the patient’s needs such as nutritionists, pharmacists, and the primary care physician.
“At a higher volume facility, not only will the radiation oncologist will have more experience at designing and delivering the appropriate treatment fields, but the multidisciplinary team of pathologists, radiologists, urologists, and medical oncologists will have greater expertise in making accurate diagnoses and tailoring the systemic therapy regimen to ensure the best-possible outcome for the patient,” said Dr. Nguyen.
The researchers report other cancer datasets are being planned for review “to corroborate the strong effect seen here.”
Brigham and Women’s is home to the International Mesothelioma Program. Managing over 300 mesothelioma consultations per year, the International Mesothelioma Program is the largest program of its kind in the world. The Program has a mission “to offer state-of-the-art treatment to patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.”
Find the full study in the March 15, 2016 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.
http://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016%2815%2926845-9/abstract
Sources:
- International Mesothelioma Program
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/surgery/thoracic-surgery/mesothelioma/default.aspx - (Brigham and Women’s Hospital ) March 14 press release
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/pressreleases/PressRelease.aspx?sub=0&PageID=2299
Mesothelioma Patients Encouraged to Take Time to Smell the Roses
Spring is quickly approaching, a time where new life and new beginnings are all around us. If you are a mesothelioma patient, caregiver, family or friend, now is the perfect time for a fresh start.
When you are presented with a mesothelioma diagnosis, it is easy to become detached and want to keep to yourself. Spring is a great time to change that. Why not get out and enjoy all the beauty that this world has to share. Take a walk, sit outside, visit a friend. As the old adage says, “take some time to smell the roses!”
My Dad always believed that it was the simplest things that mattered most; that the littlest nuance could make the biggest impact. Every new day is full of promise so take advantage of the time that God has blessed you with and let others bless you, too! Look around you and take notice of things that you would usually take for granted. The sunshine and beauty of springtime could be just the medicine you need!
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Trojan Horse Drug Delivery Method Shown Effective in Drug Resistant Cancer May Also Kill Mesothelioma Cells
MesotheliomaHelp has previously reported on a drug delivery method where the drug sneaks up on the cancer cells via a Trojan horse concept. Now, researchers have developed another Trojan horse delivery method where a drug is hidden inside a DNA capsule.
According to researchers from The Ohio State University, using “DNA origami,” where an anti-cancer drug is enclosed in a capsule of folded up DNA, the targeted cancer cells absorbed the medicine inside the capsule and died. The laboratory test was performed against leukemia cells that had built up a resistance against the drug, however, by hiding the drug in the DNA it was once again effective.
“DNA origami nanostructures have a lot of potential for drug delivery, not just for making effective drug delivery vehicles, but enabling new ways to study drug delivery,” said Carlos Castro, director of the Laboratory for Nanoengineering and Biodesign, in a Feb. 23 press release from the University.
In the study, the researchers discovered that when leukemia cancer cells are treated with daunorubicin, a chemotherapy used to treat leukemia, after the cancer has developed a resistance to the anti-cancer drug, the medicine is fought off by being pumped out through the cell walls.
However, the researchers found that when daunorubicin was cloaked within the DNA capsule, the cancer cells actually drew the capsules in mistaking it for food. Once the capsule was inside the cell it broke down flooding the cancer with the drug, effectively killing the leukemia cells.
The technique should potentially work on most any form of drug-resistant cancer if further work shows it can be effectively translated to animal models, according to study co-author John Byrd of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This is very good news to the mesothelioma community.
Mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer that attacks the lining of the organs, is like many cancers with few effective treatments and no cure. According to many researchers, the likelihood that mesothelioma will build up a resistance to the very drugs designed to combat the cancer is extremely high. The Ohio State researchers believe that their findings can lead to a new drug delivery method that can restore the effectiveness of the anti-cancer drugs.
“Potentially, we can also tailor these structures to make them deliver drugs selectively to cancer cells and not to other parts of the body where they can cause side effects,” said Byrd.
The study was confined to laboratory cells. Results of the research must next be proven in mouse models before testing on human cancers, which could be years down the road.
To find out more about the DNA Trojan horse see the Nov. 19, 2015 issue of Small.
Deja Vu: Woman Faces 2nd Mesothelioma Diagnosis in the Family
One of the most rewarding parts of being a nurse is meeting different people, hearing their stories, and learning from them. This past week a couple in their late 60’s, he has pleural mesothelioma, were sharing how mesothelioma had been a part of their lives for quite a while. Unlike most victims of mesothelioma, though, they had been aware of the devastation that mesothelioma causes: the woman’s father had died of mesothelioma nearly forty years ago.
At that time, her father was told by his doctor to go home and get his affairs in order. She remembered how devastating the news, and his subsequent death, had been on her family. Her father’s diagnosis turned into a death sentence that happened within six months of his diagnosis.
In the fall of 2015, after her husband had not been feeling well, he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. He was told by his local doctor that he should go home and get his affairs in order. But once this wife and daughter of mesothelioma victims was able to process the latest news, she sprung into action. Her husband’s diagnosis and care was going to be different.
Thirty years ago we did not have the internet, and this woman refused to believe that no progress had been made and that, still, nothing could be done. She found some very helpful web sites, researched some leading doctors in the field, and attempted to find any clinical trials that might apply to her husband. Together they set their plan into motion.
She also located support for herself and her husband in dealing with mesothelioma. None of these resources were available to her father or her family so long ago. As she talked about what options they now had with mesothelioma, she shared her shock that her husband and father had been told the same thing. Now, with the benefit of the internet, and progress with mesothelioma, they felt they had options.
Listening to her story, I was struck by how much still needs to be done to help the newly diagnosed mesothelioma patient. It is not easy to wade through all the on-line information, it it time consuming and not all the information is current or accurate. Clinical trials are sometimes difficult to understand, and the process to becoming enrolled in a trial, and researching options can be overwhelming. Dealing with a new cancer diagnosis and all the changes that brings in your world is a very stressful time.
The chances of a woman having a father die of mesothelioma and then her husband being diagnosed with the same disease have to be astronomically low. But this time the woman and her husband have different options and are going to fight back. Hopefully, the outcome will be much different.
If you have any questions regarding any aspect of your mesothelioma treatment, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
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