Mesothelioma

aboutmesothelioma.net

The discovery of microscopic molecules called microRNAs offers new opportunities for the early diagnosis of cancer including malignant mesothelioma. MicroRNAs play a large role in the regulation of gene expression and have the potential to serve as biomarkers because they exhibit properties identifiable with specific type of tumors.

Early diagnosis of cancer generally leads to more effective treatment. So far, researchers have not identified any biomarkers with reasonable sensitivity and specificity to malignant mesothelioma, according to a 2012 study by German researchers published in the scientific journal PLoS One. Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen associated with asbestos exposure.

In the United States, doctors reported approximately 18,000 cases of malignant mesothelioma between 1999 and 2005. About 71,000 people in the U.S. are projected to be diagnosed with mesothelioma by 2054.

Reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis of mesothelioma need to be sensitive enough to detect tumors at early stages and specific enough to avoid false positives. Several groups of researchers have analyzed microRNA expression in malignant mesothelioma tissue samples. But the German researchers said the ideal biomarker would be one that could be observed by simply drawing a patient’s blood, a minimally-invasive procedure.

In the study, the researchers collected blood samples from 23 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma ranging in age from 34 to 84 years old. The patients had yet to undergo surgery, chemotherapy or radiation to treat their disease.

The researchers found that the microRNA identified as miR-103 showed a promising sensitivity and specificity to malignant mesothelioma. It is part of a group of microRNAs associated with cell division, stress response and formation of new blood vessels, suggestion the deregulation of the microRNAs may contribute to human diseases. The presence of miR-103 was useful as a biomarker in distinguishing mesothelioma patients from cancer-free subjects in 75 percent to 80 percent of cases, they reported. The researchers said miR-103 should be investigated further as part of a panel of biomarkers in a prospective study.

Approximately, 2,500 to 3,000 people a year are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. Most are older workers, retirees and veterans who were exposed to asbestos decades ago, making diagnosis more difficult. The symptoms of mesothelioma typically take 20 years to 50 years to appear, so someone exposed to asbestos in the 1960s or 1970s may only recently have begun experiencing shortness of breath or other symptoms.

Source: aboutmesothelioma.net