Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Could Locking Out a Protein Halt Development of Mesothelioma?
Given the staggering number of Americans who die each year from lung cancer, researchers from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital joined forces to find a way to turn those statistics around. The team may have done just that by discovering a way to block a protein that “leads directly to cancer formation.”
After more than 10 years of research, the team found that high levels of the DCN1 protein led to an increase in lung cancer cases, and in lung cancer patients the protein directly correlated to a shorter life span. They were determined to find a way to block that protein and stop it from leading to early death, according to a June 26 press release from the University of Kentucky.
The researchers realized they needed to get to DCN1’s partner protein, UBE2M, and intercept it before it underwent a small modification known as N-terminal acetylation, after which it would bind to DCN1 and control the formation of cancer. Previous studies have shown that DCN1 promotes some squamous cell head, neck and lung cancers.
They were able to develop a compound that kept the DCN1 protein isolated and safe from the modified UBE2M. Likening the result to a lock and key system, if UBE2M was the key, and DCN1 was the lock, the compound, in effect, jammed the lock and stopped the key from entry. Further testing found the compound “effectively blocked DCN1 from binding to UBE2M.”
“To have spent decades on this research and have such promising results is truly exhilarating,” said Dr. Bhuvanesh Singh, a physician-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who laid the groundwork for the research.
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Dr. Bhuvanesh Singh
“This work represents a very important step towards developing a new approach to treat the most difficult of cancers and hopefully increase cure rates.”
When teams from some of the greatest cancer research centers in the U.S. get together, there are bound to be groundbreaking results. The collaboration between these three labs, according to the press release, “could mean relief to many of those suffering from a variety of diseases.”
As with all breakthrough research for lung cancer, the mesothelioma community takes notice. Pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-caused cancer of the lining of the lungs that is very aggressive, much like lung cancer, and fights off some of the strongest cancer-fighting agents. Prognosis is often less than one year for patients. However, finding a way to attack cancer growth agents, such as with this research, could mean increased survival for mesothelioma patients.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women with an estimated 222,500 new diagnoses and 155,870 deaths in 2017, according to the National Cancer Institute. According to the UK researchers, Kentucky leads the nation in incidence and death rates from lung cancer. Kentucky ranks 30th in number of deaths from mesothelioma. Nearly 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.
“We are excited about the implications of this research, which offer us a meaningful solution for addressing diseases like cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and infection,” said Brenda Schulman, PhD, Joseph Simone Chair in Basic Research, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital HHMI, Investigator.
See the full study in the June 5 issue of the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
http://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchembio.2231.html
Mesothelioma Patients’ Treatment Plans Can Match Their “Wants”
Towards the end of the presentation about mesothelioma at the orientation for new patients, the doctor always pauses and asks one question: “What does the patient want?” This sounds like a simple question, but as we are fortunate to see patients at the beginning of their journey, during the journey, and at the end of their journey, it is probably the most important question that is asked. Thinking about what is important to you may make your decisions easier.
This past week, as I was taking care of a patient, she shared with me that her treatment plans for her cancer are determined by what is important to her. Her husband has been very supportive and one thing that is important to her at this point is dining out with him. She is unable to cook and he has been doing that for her. But she enjoys seeing him relaxing, not having to be the one to cook and clean, and just enjoying simple conversation with him.
Another favorite thing she likes to do is admire and care for her garden. Although she cannot physically get down on the ground and weed and dig, others help out, and she now just enjoys looking at it. One of the greatest joys she experienced recently was the celebration of her church’s 100 year anniversary. This is how she wants to spend her time.
Recently, I asked the daughter of a mesothelioma patient what her mother wanted. She replied, “She wants to live.” Yes, we all want to live, but the point of the question was to uncover what is really important to the patient. If the treatment, side effects and possible complications leave her weak and unable to watch her grandchildren, is it going to take away and prevent her from doing things that she enjoys? Ultimately, she wanted to live to see her godchild’s wedding, and she would go through any treatment if it would get her there. She had made it clear that was important to her.
We all have one thing in common – our time on this earth is limited. What do you do with your time? What do you want? Reflect on this simple question. We are all different. What is right for you may not be what your family thinks or agrees with.
When diagnosed with mesothelioma, only the patient can accurately answer: “What do you want?”
Mesothelioma Advocacy Isn’t A One-Time Gig
Sometimes, I sit and wonder how many different ways I can discuss the importance of advocacy. How many ways can I write about how critical it is to spread awareness of mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos? Should I just sit back and think that I’ve done enough and let my past words and actions speak for themselves?
The answer is simple… absolutely not! Every single day, someone new is introduced into the mesothelioma community, whether it be as a patient, caregiver, researcher, friend, or concerned citizen. We cannot stop fighting just because we think that daily chatter may already be saturated with concerns.
Advocacy isn’t just for those currently clashing with this horrific disease. It is for those who have lost their lives fighting. It is for the future generations who will hopefully know nothing about mesothelioma, because it has been eradicated forever. It is for everyone.
Even if you think that an effort that you deem as small can’t impact someone, think again! A simple article posted on social media, a comment to an acquaintance, anything can help in this ongoing fight. It is important to keep this battle going and fight until the end, until mesothelioma is only a memory in the eyes of everyone in the world.
Could Creepy Crawlers Someday Be Useful in Mesothelioma Care?
While MesotheliomaHelp has reported numerous times about research that looks to nature, mostly in fruits and vegetables, to bring new treatments to mesothelioma patients, researchers are now looking at shiver-inducing worms and slugs for patient care. In two separate studies, researchers looked to the slimy critters for inspiration in developing medical products that can aid in patient care.
Slug Mucus Inspires Medical Glue
Researchers from Harvard University report that they developed a glue inspired by the slime from slugs that can be useful in surgery, according to July 28 article from the BBC. Trying to find a tissue adhesive, or glue, that can be used instead of stitches or staples on patients, researchers from Harvard University turned to the “Dusky Arion” slug, whose body is covered in a sticky mucus, as guidance.
The challenge of developing an adhesive product that can stick to damp surfaces, such as organs and skin, is flexible enough to move freely and is less damaging to the healthy tissues, had stymied researchers until they discovered the characteristics of slug mucus could be copied.
“We engineered our material to take on the key features of slug mucus and the result is really positive,” said Dr. Jianyu Li, Wyss Technology Development Fellow, Harvard University. “I’m really amazed by this system. We have solved a big challenge and opened up big opportunities in the medical setting.”
The “bio-glue” is incredibly strong, moves with the body and sticks to wet surfaces. According to the researchers the glue is not toxic and is three times stronger than current options, with adhesion occurring within minutes. They indicate that this family of adhesives could be useful for tissue adhesives, wound dressings, and tissue repair.
This finding can be especially useful for mesothelioma patients who undergo surgery as a form of treatment. One option is the extrapleural pneumonectomy, a surgery to remove a diseased lung and its surrounding layer of tissue known as the pleura. The alternative to EPP is the lung-sparing radical pleurectomy/decortication surgery, a complicated surgery that involves stripping away the diseased membrane lining the lung but keeping the lung intact. Both surgeries require extensive incisions that are typically sewn back up – bio glue might be a great alternative.
Wyss Founding Director Donald Ingber, who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as a Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard SEAS, said of the bio glue:
“Nature has frequently already found elegant solutions to common problems; it’s a matter of knowing where to look and recognizing a good idea when you see one. We are excited to see how this technology, inspired by a humble slug, might develop into a new technology for surgical repair and wound healing.”
The glue has proven effective in the lab on mice and on a pig’s heart, but significantly more research is required.
Read about the Harvard discovery in the July 28 issue of the journal Science.
Worm Could Be Universal Blood Donor
In another study, researchers from France found that the lugworm, a marine worm that burrows in the sand at low tide, has an “extraordinary ability to load up with life-giving oxygen” which may lead to a blood substitute that could save lives.
Researchers from Aquastream, a fish-farming facility on the Brittany coastline, and Hemarina, a French biotechnology company centered on the development of universal marine oxygen carriers, have partnered in this unique venture to find a way to harness the blood from the lugworm. This is the first collaboration into the medical use of lugworms. The companies must find a way to grow and harvest the worms, as well as finding a way to harvest the blood.
“The haemoglobin of the lugworm can transport 40 times more oxygen from the lungs to tissues than human haemoglobin,” says Gregory Raymond, a biologist at Aquastream, in a July 31 article on MedicalXpress. “It also has the advantage of being compatible with all blood types.”
While Aquastream focuses on bringing a “sustainable supply of the worms” to market, so far they can produce 1.3 million lugworms a year, Hemarina researchers are focusing on ways to extract the drops of hemaglobin from each worm.
“There is nowhere else in France or the world that has the capacity to produce lugworms in a controlled environment to ensure a supply of their haemoglobin,” said Aquastream director Nathalie Le Rouilly.
Mesothelioma patients are susceptible to anemia, a decrease in red blood cells that limits oxygen supply, often caused by the cancer itself or from the effects of chemotherapy, according to CancerConnect.com. Red blood cells contain the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all parts of the body, and in severe cases, patients may need a blood transfusion.
Harnessing this hemoglobin could transform medicine by providing a blood substitute that could save lives, speed recovery after surgery and help transplant patients, according to the research team.
There is still plenty more work to do in the lab, but if the researchers are able to bring it to market, there are plenty of other life-saving uses for the lugworm. The team even envisions using “freeze-dried lugworm blood” as blood supply backup after disasters and in combat zones.
Sources
- BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40730875 - Wyss Founding Director Donald Ingber
https://wyss.harvard.edu/sticky-when-wet-strong-adhesives-for-wound-healing/ - journal Science
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/357/6349/378 - MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-story-worm-bringer-medical-miracles.html
Combination Drug Therapy Approval for Lung Cancer Opens Door For Targeted Care for Pleural Mesothelioma
Lung cancer patients with a specific genetic mutation just received good news with the approval of a combination drug treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in June that it approved dabrafenib and trametinib as a combination therapy for use in non-small cell lung cancer patients expressing the BRAF V600E mutation. Certain pleural mesothelioma patients may also benefit from this recent approval.
The FDA approved the two drugs from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), based on success in a clinical trial of 93 patients with a median duration of response that ranged from six months to 12.6 months (depending on previous treatment status), according to a June 22 press release. The FDA also approved the Oncomine Dx Target Test to select those patients with NSCLC with the BRAF V600E mutation for treatment.
Novartis reports that “there is an urgency to treat people with this mutation, as BRAF V600E mutation-positive tumors have been shown to be more aggressive and may lead to a poorer prognosis.” According to Novartis, BRAF mutations are in just one to three percent of NSCLC cases worldwide. One study shows that BRAF is also a rare type of mutation in pleural mesothelioma, however, for an already rare disease with few treatment options, this approval brings a glimmer of hope to patients.
“Patients with BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic NSCLC have responded less favorably to standard chemotherapy, suggesting that there is a critical need for a targeted therapy,” said Bruno Strigini, CEO, Novartis Oncology, in a June 22 press release.
Treatment for pleural mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, and non-small cell lung cancer is often similar, with chemotherapy being one of the primary treatment modes. Chemotherapy is used to manage symptoms and to slow the growth of the disease, but both cancers are notably aggressive and often develop resistance to the drugs, and, eventually, the treatment fails.
This double therapy oral treatment is another step towards personalized cancer care that could benefit those battling mesothelioma. Personalized care targeted to a patient’s unique characteristics and genetic makeup, such as the BRAF biomarker, optimizes the potential for success of the treatment.
“This is an important milestone for the lung cancer community as we are continuing to better understand the genomic drivers of cancer and develop effective treatments targeted for these biomarkers,” said Bruce Johnson, MD, Professor of Medicine, Chief Clinical Research Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
This is the first approval for targeted treatment in the U.S. specifically for BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic NSCLC.
Talk to your mesothelioma care team to find out if this combination therapy will work for you.
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