Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Mesothelioma has a poor prognosis, with a median survival rate of less than nine months from time of diagnosis.  Beyond being difficult to diagnose in early stages, mesothelioma has been shown to be resistant to standard therapies.  Research continues to focus of finding new diagnostic methods and more effective treatments to extend survival times and improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Recent research from Genoa, Italy suggests that a better understanding of the biology of mesothelioma may lead to new therapeutic strategies for treating the disease.   The goal of the study was to examine cell lines that could differentiate tumors and provide gene expression profiles that would aid in diagnosing pleural meosthelioma. 

Using human pleural mesothelioma cell tissue in vitro, the researchers were able to identify several markers that had strong positive correlation with mesothelioma.  The four main markers were:

·         Mesothelin (MSLN)

·         Calretinin (CALB2)

·         BMI-1, a stemness marker, and

·         DKK1, a WNT inhibitor

The scientist suggest further research into the biology properties of mesothelioma tumor cell lines as these could be useful markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of mesothelioma.  The full study results are published in the latest edition of BioMed Central.