Mesothelioma Pathology Outlines

In Italy it represents 0.4% of all malignancies diagnosed in men and 0.2% of those diagnosed in women. The study was born from the collaboration between ENEA, CNR and the "Federico II" University of Naples Mesothelioma is a tumor that arises from the cells that line the mesothelium. It is a fabric that covers the surface of the serous membranes which, in turn, line the inner wall of the chest, abdomen and space around the heart. Depending on the affected area, the mesothelium takes on different names. The main risk factor for this disease is exposure to asbestos.  This term indicates a family of minerals rather common in nature with a fibrous structure very resistant to heat. Its fibers, if inhaled, settle in the lungs and can damage the mesothelial cells causing, in some cases, pleural cancer. Other less common risk factors are exposure to zeolites with erionitis, radiation to the chest and abdomen, thorium injections (used in medicine until 1950).  According ...

Recently we had the opportunity to study 2 cases of mesothelioma in young workers. A 40-year-old secretary, whose office was close to foundry furnaces and a 35-year-old worker, at another foundry. Both patients presented a pleural mesothelioma with peritoneal extension. It is known the use of asbestos in foundry companies, both in thermal protection equipment, and for being present in their facilities (doors and walls of furnaces). Both patients developed the tumor in periods of latency close to 10 years. The period of latency is defined as the time interval between the first exposure to asbestos and the appearance of mesothelioma. In most of the published series, this latency period ranges between 20 and 40 years (1), although the variability is very high, with cases described with latency periods of less than 10 years and others over 60 years. It is admitted that mesothelioma is the malignant tumor with longer latency periods and this knowledge has overshadowed ...

With the beginning of the industrial revolution, many thermal power stations flourished in order to provide electricity to our country. Nowadays, thermal power plants are still essential as a source of energy, giving our country the electricity and heat supply it needs. Although the builders of the first power stations recognized the importance of ensuring the health of workers due to the large amount of electricity generated there, some other risks remained. Due to this generation of large amounts of electricity, the first builders of the power plants were aware of the risk of fire. Unfortunately, the material that was used to isolate the premises was asbestos, which posed a risk to the health of those who came in contact with it. In these places the asbestos was installed in the equipment, the machinery and the pipes, making them more immune to fire. The areas that specifically used asbestos in their installation were turbines, generators, pipes, valves, joints ...

Given its known resistance to heat and fire, asbestos also has a natural resistance to chemicals, which makes its use as a material common in chemical plants and laboratories. In addition, the use of asbestos as a protective layer minimizes the chances of an unintended chemical reaction.   As in other industries, asbestos was used in chemical plants to create a safer work environment. Some of the industrial uses of this material in this sector were as a protector in work clothes, banks and work tables. However, when the use of this material began to be regulated, people quickly began to recognize its dangers. Although it is an effective insulator against heat, fire and chemical agents, asbestos has a significant risk when it is fragmented as this allows it to enter the body and cause multiple health problems, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. In addition, these plants frequently used the chrysolite, which is the most dangerous variety. It is paradoxical that e...

One of the reasons why mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose is because its symptoms, and in particular the earliest ones, can be confused with symptoms of other more common diseases. Frequently the patients that have been diagnosed with a mesothelioma the first thing that you think is that you have a constipation, fever, bronchitis or pneumonia. Doctors will usually prescribe antibiotics or other treatments that do not work for mesothelioma. This delay in treatment allows the disease to expand. The common cold   Cold symptoms start slowly with a sore throat and then with a runny nose that is clear and continuous. These symptoms are followed by sneezing, fatigue and a slight fever. Post nasal drip can make cough and sore throat worse. This cough is a clear symptom of the cold. Although it is usually not something severe, the cough usually lasts no more than two weeks and will always be worse in those people who have asthma or other diseases related to the lung....

Verastem. Inc , a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of drugs directed against cancer stem cells, recently announced that VS-5584 , oral inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) , has received orphan drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration, for use in the treatment of mesothelioma. It is an important regulatory milestone for Verastem that will facilitate the global development of the VS-5584, and that will help improve the treatment options available for patients suffering from this type of very aggressive cancer, said Robert Forrester, President Verastem. Verastem has recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical study in order to evaluate the synergistic activity in combination with VS-5584 VS-6063 , in patients with progressive or relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma. Moreover VS-5584 is subjected to a phase 1 further study to evaluate the use against advanced solid tumors, such as mesothelioma, in patients who have previous...

It is BAY 94-9343, an experimental anticancer agent A new orphan drug for the treatment of mesothelioma. It is BAY 94-9343 , an experimental anticancer agent produced by Bayer HealthCare , which has obtained the status of an orphan drug by the Food and Drug Administration. It is an experimental drug currently in clinical development. The drug is an ADC (in drug conjugated antibodies) that combines the targeting properties of an antibody with the effect cellular destruction of a small and powerful molecule of the cytotoxic agent. BAY 94-9343 (mesothelin-ADC) is an antibody-conjugated drug that targets mesothelin, molecule highly expressed in mesothelioma. It is a drug that ultilzza an entity fully human antibody, generated thanks to the technology of HuCAL Morphos Platform. The drug has been shown to have a powerful and targeted anti-cancer activity in preclinical studies. In September 2011 it has started patient enrollment for a Phase I open-label to evaluate th...

The vaccine for non-small cell lung cancer showed a significant improvement in survival The Mesothelioma is a cancer that originates in the mesothelium, the layer of cells that lines the serous body cavities: the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, the vaginal cavity of the testicles. It is a rare tumor that affects men more frequently and in Italy represents 0.4 percent of all diagnosed cancers in humans and 0.2% of those diagnosed in women; is associated primarily asbestos exposure. For years, several medical teams are committed to finding a vaccine for mesothelioma, which affects 3,000 people in the United States. A recent discovery, however, has rekindled hopes: the studied vaccine for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed a significant improvement in patients' survival. In a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research , the researchers of 'UC San Diego have indeed reported that the Belagenpumatucel-L, therapeutic...