Scientists Test New Skin Delivery for Mesothelioma Drug

Scientists Test New Skin Delivery for Mesothelioma Drug

 Researchers at Griffith University are working on a new kind of mesothelioma treatment – one that could be delivered through the skin.

The report in the Courier Mail makes reference to animal research on “certain small molecules” that reportedly have the potential to penetrate the skin and target the mitochondria of mesothelioma cells. Mitochondria are one of the most important power sources for cells, producing adenosine triphosphate, a source of chemical energy.

The Griffith University project, under the leadership of Medical Professor Jiri Neuzil, is focusing on a drug that would be applied to the skin as a patch or cream. The drug would enter the blood stream through the skin and would target only mesothelioma cells. Studies of the drug in mice have shown promise and Professor Neuzil says his team is now working toward human mesothelioma trials.

“We have a good chance here but I don’t want to pre-empt it with success. We’ve got the clinical trial to go yet to see if it works in humans,” Neuzil told the Courier Mail.  Professor Neuzil is head of the Apoptosis Research Group within the School of Medical Science at Griffith University. The study of mitochondria as targets for anti-cancer drugs is one of his primary areas of research.

Mesothelioma research has taken on a special urgency in Australia, where the number of people contracting the rare cancer is continuing to rise. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Needle-like shards of the mineral lodge in the tissues when inhaled or ingested, triggering a cascade of physiological reactions that can result in mesothelioma even decades later. In other research on non-traditional cancer drug delivery methods, researchers at Oregon State University recently released preliminary findings on a nanocarrier-based system for delivering drugs into the lungs by inhalation. Early results in lung cancer have been promising and the method could eventually prove to be useful in the treatment of patients with the pleural form of mesothelioma, which has some similarities to lung cancer.

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New Studies Cast Light on Mesothelioma Surgery Debate

New Studies Cast Light on Mesothelioma Surgery Debate

While debate continues among the world’s mesothelioma experts on which type of surgery is best, two new studies have added their findings to the pool of research on the topic.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a virulent cancer of the two-layered lining (pleura) that surrounds the lungs. Although it can take many years to develop, once it does, mesothelioma tends to spread quickly. The pleura may become thick and stiff as the cancer grows and fluid can develop between the layers, impeding the patient’s ability to breath. Mesothelioma can also spread to the diaphragm or the surface of the lungs and even into the lung tissue and can travel to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system.
There are two major types of surgical approaches to mesothelioma: 1) extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), which involves removing the pleura, diaphragm, lymph nodes, and the closest lung and 2) pleurectomy, which removes the pleura and any or all of the other diseased areas, with the exception of the lung. While several studies have indicated that EPP may offer a slight long-term survival advantage over pleurectomy/decortication (P/D), for those who survive the surgery, it also carries a high rate of serious complication and even death. On the other hand, proponents of EPP caution that P/D does not go far enough to eradicate mesothelioma. 

New research conducted in Turkey suggests that radical or extended pleurectomy (E/P) may offer a compromise. E/P is the most extensive version of lung-sparing pleurectomy, involving the removal of the pleura and all diseased tissue, including the diaphragm and lymph nodes. The study involved 76 mesothelioma patients with a median age of 53. Thirty-one patients underwent EPP, 20 had E/P and 25 were treated with P/D. The study found that, for E/P cases, the median survival was 27 months, compared to a median survival of 17 months for EPP and 15 months for standard P/D. The three-year survival rate was 34% among the E/P patients and 21% among those who had EPP. Only 13% of the P/D patients survived for 3 years. At the same time, another recent article says surgeons should not shy away from EPP for mesothelioma, but should be aware of and prepared for the technical difficulties of this more extensive surgery. In an article entitled “Technical pitfalls and solutions in extrapleural pneumonectomy”, the authors state that many of the most dangerous complications of EPP – problems with the diaphragm patch, chylothorax (a type of pleural effusion), and empyema (buildup of pus in the pleural space) – can be managed if caught early.

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Last Man Sentenced in Asbestos Dumping Scheme

Last Man Sentenced in Asbestos Dumping Scheme

The U.S. Justice Department has announced that a New Jersey man will spend 15 months in prison for his part in a scheme to illegally dump thousands of tons of asbestos-contaminated construction debris – putting others at risk for mesothelioma. He was the last person to be sentenced in the conspiracy.

Asbestos is the cause of mesothelioma, a difficult to treat and aggressive cancer.  At the height of its popularity from the 1940s to the early 1970s, asbestos was common in building products ranging from floor and ceiling tiles to joint compound, concrete and shingles. It is still present in tens of thousands of older homes and buildings today.

In an effort to protect workers and the public from mesothelioma and other health risks associated with asbestos, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established strict rules for handling and disposing of asbestos. But 59-year-old Jonathan Deck of Norwood, New Jersey, along with at least two companies and four other people, were part of a plan to get around the costs associated with government-regulated asbestos removal. The group conspired to dump the contaminated construction waste on a 28-acre piece of property along the Mohawk River in upstate New York, potentially putting people downstream at risk for mesothelioma and other health problems.

 

More than 400 truckloads of asbestos were dumped at the site before the conspiracy was revealed in an investigation that lasted five years and involved the EPA, the IRS, and police and environmental officials from both New York and New Jersey. In addition to his prison sentence, Deck was ordered to pay $492,000 in restitution to help in the cleanup of the site. In all, the case resulted in more than 10 years of prison terms and more than $1 million in fines, restitution and cleanup costs. Deck and the other conspirators will also have to help pay for any future cleanup costs. Mesothelioma is the most deadly of a range of health problems associated with inhaling or ingesting asbestos. The shape of microscopic asbestos shards prevents the body from safely expelling them. Decades of irritation and inflammation can lead to physiological changes that eventually result in mesothelioma. Construction workers and those who have worked or lived around an asbestos facility have some of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world. Although some of these people encountered asbestos for years, the EPA has said there is no safe level of exposure and even small amounts of asbestos can increase mesothelioma risk.

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Mesothelioma Case Shows Danger of Accidental Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma Case Shows Danger of Accidental Asbestos Exposure

 A mesothelioma case in Birmingham, England is a dramatic illustration of the very real danger of hidden asbestos.

The widow of a physician who died of mesothelioma last year at the age of 51 claims her husband was exposed to asbestos just walking to and from his medical classes. Monisha Coelho believes that exposed asbestos insulation in the underground hallways that connect the University of Birmingham to buildings on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital campus triggered Dr. Ian Pardoe’s mesothelioma.

In an article in the Birmingham Mail, Coelho explained how her husband decided how and where the deadly exposure had occurred. “Ian thought long and hard about where he might have come into contact with asbestos,” Coelho told the paper. “He knew he had been exposed to the dust in the underground corridors he used as a student to get to and from lectures.”

As asbestos insulation deteriorates over time, the dust produced can be a major risk factor for mesothelioma. With inadequate ventilation underground, anyone travelling through the University hallways on a regular basis may have inhaled potentially lethal levels of asbestos. Coelho’s lawyer believes that there may have been deteriorating asbestos insulation wrapped around the pipes in the corridors and is asking anyone with knowledge of the hallways to help with the case.

 

 

Asbestos has long been known to be the primary risk factor for mesothelioma, a virulent cancer of internal membranes that is resistant to standard therapies. England has an especially high rate of mesothelioma because so many of the country’s older homes and buildings were constructed using asbestos building products. The problem has become so severe that the English Parliament recently instituted a plan to offer compensation to mesothelioma victims who cannot trace their illness to a liable company or employer. The plan has been widely criticized by mesothelioma advocacy groups for not going far enough. Most mesothelioma cases occur among people who have worked with or around asbestos, but cases like Dr. Pardoe’s, where exposure was smaller and intermittent, are not unheard of. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency has stated that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure and advises complete avoidance of friable (crumbling and airborne) asbestos. 

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