Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Results of two different studies have been released that may offer hope to those who are suffering from mesothelioma, a fatal cancer in the lining of the lungs or abdomen which is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos.

 

One study, developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), shows promising results in shrinking tumors caused by mesothelioma. In the study, genetically engineered T cells were injected into tumors or veins of mice that had developed mesothelioma resulting in the disappearance or shrinkage of the malignant tumors. The injected immune cells target mesothelin, a protein found on the surface of several types of cancer cells, especially expressed in mesotheliomas.

 

Complete results of the study appeared online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For more information about the research, please go to the following links:

*        http://ccr.cancer.gov/staff/staff.asp?profileid=5782

*        http://www.med.upenn.edu/camb/faculty/gt/june.html

*        http://www.cancer.gov

*        http://www.nih.gov

 

Another study published by the The American Association for Thoracic Surgery showed positive results in prolonging the life of patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma when heated cisplatin was delivered into the cavity left after cancerous organs were surgically removed and the drug amifostine was given intravenously to offset the effects of the cisplastin.  The study concluded that "early stage and negative extrapleural lymph nodes were associated with prolonged survival," often more than doubling a patient's life expectancy.

 

Information regarding treatment, compensation, and legal representation for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma can also be found at http://www.mesothelioma-attorney.com.