Category: Mesothelioma
Researchers Report the EGFR Gene Found in Mesothelioma Silences Tumor Suppression Leading to Uncontrolled Growth
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene has been the focus of researchers for finding new, effective treatments for both lung cancer and mesothelioma patients. The gene, that is overexpressed in more than 50% of pleural mesothelioma patients, and in approximately 15% of lung cancer patients, is one of the primary targets for bringing personalized care to the cancer patients. Now, researchers report they understand just how the gene impacts cancer growth.
Researchers from Yale are referring to the EGFR gene as the “silencer” gene, because, they say, it “silences genes that typically suppress tumors.” The team, led by Narendra Wajapayee, assistant professor of pathology and a member of Yale Cancer Center, report in a June 23 press release, that this critical finding “may lead to the development of more effective, individualized treatment for patients with lung cancer and other cancer types.”
Wajapayee and the team found that EGFR negatively regulated the TET1 protein, important for controlling gene expression and required to suppress tumors, allowing the cancer cells continue to grow and divide.
“EGFR can target multiple unrelated tumor suppressor genes in different cancer types using a common mechanism,” said Wajapayee.
Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer, each year. Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are retired workers and veterans who were exposed to asbestos in a workplace or during military service decades ago. The most common form of the cancer is malignant pleural mesothelioma, affecting the lining of the lungs. Disease symptoms can take between 15 and 60 years to appear.
Mesothelioma often resists standard treatments and can build up a resistance to the powerful chemotherapy drugs used to attack the aggressive cancer. Although even targeted EGFR inhibitors can eventually become ineffective, personalized cancer treatment targeted to the unique characteristics of the patient optimizes the potential for success of the treatment.
“The finding informs the future direction of research and treatment of patients who don’t respond or develop resistance to drugs that inhibit EGFR,” said Wajapayee . “It will also help determine how effective cancer therapies will be against different EGFR mutations.”
The results of the study can be found in the June 23 issue of Cell Reports.
Sources:
- Researchers from Yale
http://news.yale.edu/2016/06/23/silencer-study-reveals-how-cancer-gene-promotes-tumor-growth - Cell Reports
http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)30700-8
Mesothelioma Caregivers Offer Physical and Emotional Help
Looking back on the time that I spent as a part-time caregiver for my father as he battled pleural mesothelioma, I realize that there were two very different, yet interconnected, parts of the job. Taking care of Dad required concrete, physical help as well as emotional support.
Some of the tasks that were involved in aiding my Dad changed throughout his fight. Before his diagnosis, he couldn’t really do much without being short of breath. At that point, he needed help with chores around the house, things that he would usually have done without batting an eye. After his diagnosis and surgery, he required help cleaning his incision site, navigating movement with his chest tubes, and regaining his strength.
Once Dad was recovered and completed his four rounds of chemotherapy, he felt great! He was cutting grass, playing with his bluegrass band, and taking walks much like he did before he fell ill. One thing that he did lose throughout this process was some muscle. A lot of the time he would get frustrated; he just couldn’t seem to do the things he could before we were presented with the term “mesothelioma.”
These were the times where the second part of caregiving kicked in. It was so vitally important for us to support Dad on a deeper level. He had to know that we were there for him to lean on when he was having a tough day accepting what had happened to him. He would often tell me that he was frustrated. Having been a man who could seemingly do anything and then all at once be changed, had to have been a hard thing to endure.
Loving Dad through his mesothelioma was the easy part; to know him was to love him. I know that he always felt that love; the love of family and friends, and the love of God. That is what carried him through.
Please remember that when you are caring for someone afflicted with this cancer, they are still the same person. Don’t allow them to be defined by a disease. Help them with their bodily needs, but don’t forget those emotional ones as well.
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Nurses and Mesothelioma Patients Benefit Equally from a Friendly Ear
This past week one of my co-workers, an RN who I have worked with for decades, lost a young family member to cancer. As a community we grieve for the loss of this young, newly-married man. His journey with cancer was swift, debilitating, and heart-wrenching to hear about. Through my co-worker, we learned what an ordeal it had been for him, and for everyone in his family. After he died she texted me with the news, and thanked me for all the support. This tragedy made me reflect on how important it is to listen more. We all have different life experiences and we can all offer something to someone going through a crisis – a suggestion, a story, or maybe just an ear.
Throughout life, our relationships note the important times and the mundane times of our life’s journey. Relationships are what keep our lives rich. Although patients and their families living with mesothelioma did not elect to go on the cancer journey, one of the unexpected side effects is that it can strengthen their relationships with each other.
As a nurse, I have been fortunate to have many coworkers with whom I have worked with for decades. We have known of each other’s relatives – husbands, parents, children – most we have never met, but we know a lot about them. We have been through life’s happy experiences including weddings, births, anniversaries, and birthdays. We have supported each other through personal hard times like the death of a parent, a divorce, illnesses and accidents.
We remember patients who have been gone for years, we remember funny stories and very sad stories. We support each other. We are a community of people bound by our jobs and a genuine caring for each other. Like the mesothelioma community we come from all different backgrounds, cultures, and have varied personalities and life experiences. Also, like the mesothelioma community, we might not know the lasting effect kindness and listening can have on a person dealing with a crisis.
As you or your loved one continue on this journey with mesothelioma, remember you do not have to go it alone. Reach out for support. As the Beatle’s song goes, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
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Birthday Wishes to My Dad
April 25 would have been my Dad’s 60th birthday. As I sit and ponder, I imagine what this day would have been like if mesothelioma hadn’t robbed us of him. It’s kind of difficult to think about, but my mind wanders there nonetheless.
When Dad turned 50, we had a huge surprise party for him. It was a night filled with music (provided by his band, of course), family, friends, and fellowship. I will never forget the beaming smile that he carried throughout the gathering; it was even more glowing than usual. Dad was so happy to be surrounded by those he loved, and touched that they took the time to be with him.
My father deserved to be celebrated every day, even though he never would have agreed with my sentiments. He was a humble man who felt that he was just doing what he was supposed to do. This meant helping others, seeing the best in every situation, and most of all, being true to his faith. There was not a fake bone in Dad’s body; with him, what you saw was truly what you got.
It is honestly heartbreaking to think that my Dad won’t be here to celebrate such a milestone with us here. I do, however, take comfort in knowing that whatever he’s doing up in Heaven pales in comparison with anything we could plan on earth. Happy birthday, Dad. We love and miss you, and we know that you’re having a beautiful celebration that will last for eternity.
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Metabolic Pathways, Key to Understand Mesothelioma Metastasis
The science behind understanding how mesothelioma cells continue to divide and spread despite being inundated with toxic treatments has confounded researchers for years. If cancer metastasis can be halted, patient survival will be improved. Now, researchers report they have uncovered a unique link between cancer pathways that leads to uncontrolled growth.
Researchers at Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI), led by Dr. Ralph DeBerardinis, Associate Professor of CRI and Pediatrics, Director of CRI’s Genetic and Metabolic Disease Program, and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism, found that two distinct metabolic cancer pathways are linked in such a way that cells adapt to the stress of cancer growth.
The researchers had a hunch that by focusing on “tumor-specific metabolic pathways” they could uncover a new, effective way to treat cancer. Building on previous findings by Dr. DeBarardinis, the team found cancer cells take advantage of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and the Krebs cycle pathways to successfully fight off toxins.
In short, cells typically grow by “attaching to nutrient-rich tissue called a matrix,” according to the study, in order to manage growth and survival. When they detach, however, the cells perish. Not so for the cancer cells, though, say the researchers. Apparently, cancer cells have found a way to work around the process.
“We knew that both the PPP and Krebs cycle provide metabolic benefits to cancer cells,” said Dr. Ralph DeBerardinis in an April 6 press release announcing the findings. “But we had no idea that they were linked in this unusual fashion.”
According to various studies, metastasis is the cause of nearly 90 percent of cancer deaths. Halting tumor growth and preventing metastasis in cancers, especially mesothelioma which is highly aggressive and is resistant to many cancer treatments, is critical for increasing survival in patients. This research offers hope to mesothelioma and lung cancer patients that slowing or halting tumor growth is possible.
The researchers note that the study was conducted in a lab with cultured cell models. The next step is further research on living organisms.
“We are particularly excited to test whether this pathway is required for metastasis, because cancer cells need to survive in a matrix-detached state in the circulation in order to metastasize,” said Dr. DeBarardinis.
See the full report in the April 6 issue of Nature.
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