Month: April 2016
Existing Anti-Cancer Drug May be Effective in Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Patients
Before oncologists can tackle a patient’s cancer they need to know the type of cancer, of course, but knowing what biomarkers comprise the cancer can lead to treatment with a targeted therapy. Targeted therapy is especially critical for aggressive cancers like mesothelioma and lung cancer. Now, researchers report they have found a genetic marker to help identify lung cancer patients who will benefit from an existing anti-cancer drug, imatinib.
Researchers from the Cancer Research UK, Manchester Institute report the Abelson (ABL) family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, ABL1 and ABL2, are “mutated or amplified” in nearly 10% of lung cancer cases. The markers, according to the researchers, are key to tumor growth and could give oncologists another way to identify and treat lung cancer patients.
“Drugs that block the activity of the ABL proteins have been used to successfully treat leukaemia patients, where ABL is overactive,” said Dr John Brognard, who led the study, in the March 22 press release announcing the findings. “However, until now, the role of ABL1 and ABL2 in other cancer types hasn’t really been explored.”
The researchers found that ABL1 mutations helped lung cancer cells thrive. However, when the ABL inhibitor, imatinib, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for leukemia and certain GI tumors, was applied in the lab, it effectively blocked tumor growth.
A 2008 study by researchers in Italy found that imatinib “enhances the therapeutic response to gemcitabine” in combination treatment for malignant mesothelioma.
Pleural mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer of the lining of the lungs, is often treated with similar protocols as lung cancer. Both cancers have shown to be aggressive and often reject and defeat many of the common treatments. However, care that focuses on a patient’s unique traits, such as specific biomarkers like ABL1, allows the oncologists to personalize treatment.
Medical care targeted to a patient’s unique characteristics and genetic makeup optimizes the potential for success of the treatment and offers treatment options that may not otherwise have been considered.
“Drugs like imatinib are already commercially available,” says Dr. Brognard. “This means that we now have an extra ready-made tool for the treatment of lung cancer – we just need to identify which patients will benefit by doing some additional tests.”
“Holy Grail of Medicine” Could Bring a New Way To Treat Mesothelioma
Cancer researchers have been focusing much of their attention on using nanotechnology to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to cancerous cells, thus, leaving healthy cells intact. Australian researchers have developed an approach much like the Trojan Horse delivery method Mesothelioma Help reported on last month, but the researchers are touting their method of deploying nanotechnology to kill cancer cells as the “holy grail of medicine.”
Researchers at Flinders University in South Australia are making this claim, and adding that this will revolutionize the way cancer is treated, due to the “smart packages” ability to attack and destroy cancer cells “more efficiently and reduce side effects.” The unique packages contain folate molecules that are attracted to cancer cells that have a lower pH level than healthy cells.
“The way we have designed the vehicle is that you can use it for any number of different cancer cells or combination of different cancer cells,” said Professor Colin Raston, co-lead of the research, according to a March 24 The Lead South Australia article. “You can load it up and target them using specific types of drugs, which we know are for those particular cancers.”
The researchers developed the anti-cancer delivery mechanism that is just 100 nanometres in diameter, or nearly 800 times finer than a human hair, according to the report. Inside the package is a dose of chemotherapy, that, when it finds the cancer cell with low pH levels, “it becomes unstable and delivers the anti-cancer drug inside,” Professor Raston said.
Raston adds that because of the unique way the package binds to the cancer cells, less of the drug is needed “shutting down all the side effects.”
Side effects from the often toxic doses of chemotherapy required to kill cancer cells are well-known and can be debilitating to many patients. For mesothelioma patients who are already in a weakened state, finding a way to bypass the nausea, low blood count, and fatigue can make a difference in the patients’ attitude and survival.
Mesothelioma is a serious cancer that occurs in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.
The research was conducted in a lab on lung cancer treated via a paclitaxel-laden smart package. Paclitaxel is used by some oncologists, typically in combination with another anti-cancer drug, for lung cancer and mesothelioma.
The researchers concluded, this approach “can significantly enhance the utility of nanoparticle delivery technology to tumours.” They added that animal experiments will need to be conducted to assess the “feasibility and safety” of the approach.
The study was published in the March 24 issue of Scientific Reports.
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep23489
Mesothelioma Nurse Encourages Patients to Find Their Strength
Most patients who have mesothelioma will need to go to rehab facilities after surgery, or at different points on their journey. These experiences are as varied as the patients themselves. Recently, while visiting a patient in rehab, I noticed a sign that read, “Find Your Strength.” Having been to this rehab many times, it struck me that I had never noticed this sign before.
Reflecting on the message, and the mesothelioma patient I was visiting, it struck me how much physical and emotional strength is required to deal with mesothelioma. The physical strength can be quantified by how the patient is breathing, his oxygen level, how well he is walking, appetite, pain level, and generally how they are feeling. The physical strength to deal with mesothelioma often comes with time, therapy, and patience.
The strength to deal with mesothelioma on an emotional level, however, can be daunting. What are your coping mechanisms? Are you a talker? Do you exercise, run, swim, walk, and did that help you to deal with stress before your diagnosis? Do you know what your emotional strengths are?
During crises in your life, you deal with things that you never thought you had the strength to get through. Your support system may be helpful at this time, but you need to let them know what you need.
The mesothelioma patient that I was visiting seemed to have found his strength. Tucked away in a sunny corner of his room, with his eyes closed listening to his wife reading to him, I found it hard to believe he was the same person that had left the mesothelioma hospital one week ago. He had been weak physically and emotionally withdrawn. He had reluctantly agreed to rehab.
Now, the scene in front of me was of someone at peace. His wife was reading from a book of spiritual readings. He appeared to be reflecting on the message and her voice. As the visit progressed and we talked of all they had been through, he made a request: “Say a prayer for me.” As I responded yes, the sign at the entryway came to mind.
“Find Your Strength.” This patient and his wife found theirs together.
During Asbestos Awareness Week Daughter of Mesothelioma Victim Reaffirms Commitment to Educating Others About Asbestos
“You worry too much about asbestos.” That’s what I’ve been told. To hear that I worry too much about the presence of the substance that killed my father is insensitive, cold, and inherently wrong. There is not enough concern about asbestos, which is why mesothelioma is a problem in the first place. Speaking these words to someone who has felt the snare of this disease is like pouring salt in a wound. It is painfully indescribable.
How can I explain the hurtfulness of their words? I can’t see a way, because they don’t know how I feel. They don’t feel the overwhelming sadness when I look at my daughter, knowing that her grandfather never got a chance to meet her; or the burden I carry silently to make sure that she knows everything about him that she possibly can.
They haven’t seen the countless times I’ve cried when no one was looking, just because I heard a song that brought back a treasured memory. They never picked up the phone to call my Dad to tell him something that would make him so proud, only to realize that no one is going to pick up. They haven’t noticed all the times I’ve needed them, but they just weren’t there.
They don’t understand my commitment to the mesothelioma community, and how many stories that have been shared with me, causing me to need to do more. These kinds of comments break me, but motivate me at the same time; it’s an odd juxtaposition.
No matter what, mesothelioma and its root cause will always be on my mind and the minds of those who have been impacted by this torturous cancer. We’ll pick up the slack of worrying for now…but we hope and pray that you’ll learn to care, too.
Mesothelioma Research May Benefit From Discovery That Silences Metastasis
Mesothelioma cancer cells thrive by splitting and dividing, resulting in metastasis of the cancer to other organs. Stopping tumor growth and preventing metastasis, especially in mesothelioma and lung cancer that are both highly aggressive and resistant to many cancer treatments, is critical for increasing survival in patients. Now, researchers report they have found a key molecule in lung cancer cells that can halt metastasis.
Researchers at Imperial College London report, in a March 21 press release, the MARK4 protein enables cancer cells to split off from its tumor of origin and move to other parts of the body. However, they also found that the miR-515-5p molecule interferes with the production of MARK4. In effect, the molecule “silences” the production of MARK4, preventing the cancer cells from migrating.
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_21-3-2016-14-56-5
“The ability of a cancer to spread around the body has a large impact on a patient’s survival,” said Professor Justin Stebbing, senior author of the study from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial. “However, at the moment we are still in the dark about why some cancers spread around the body – while others stay in one place. This study has given important insights into this process.”
It is cancer metastasis, and not the original cancer diagnosis itself, that is the cause of nearly all cancer deaths. In fact, according to various studies, 90 percent of all cancer deaths are due to metastasis. The American Cancer Society reports lung cancer can spread to almost any organ of the body, but most often it will spread to the adrenal glands, liver, bones, or brain. It can also spread to the other lung.
The Imperial College researchers looked at breast and lung cancers and found that reduced miR-515-5p and increased MARK4 levels in both of the cancers correlated to poor patient prognosis. They then increased the amount of miR-515-5p in mouse models using human breast cancer and lung cancer cells and found the higher level of the molecule prevented the spread of cancer cells.
The researchers next step is to assess if the MARK4 protein or the silencer molecule (miR-515-5p) should be anti-cancer drug targets. In addition, the team is investigating whether developing a test for the miR-515-5p molecule could provide a tool to indicate the likelihood of metastasis.
“These findings could have profound implications for treating breast and lung cancers, two of the biggest cancer killers worldwide,” said Dr. Olivier Pardo, lead author of the paper, also from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial.
Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers, can spread throughout the body by entering the blood stream or the lymphatic system. Due to the aggressive nature of the cancer, it is rare that mesothelioma cells remain confined to the site of origin and have not invaded neighboring tissue through metastasis. Research of this type brings hope to the mesothelioma community that new, effective treatments will soon be available.
See the Feb. 10 issue of the journal EMBO Reports for the full results of the study.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.15252/embr.201540970/suppinfo
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