AboutMesothelioma.Net

New Test Could Allow Earlier Detection of Mesothelioma

Monday, August 24, 2009

British researchers say they have developed a more refined test to diagnose mesothelioma in people with excess fluid around the lining of their lungs.

Earlier detection of mesothelioma would allow doctors to treat symptoms more quickly and avoid invasive diagnostic procedures on people who don’t have the rare cancer.

The test, developed by a team at Oxford University, analyzes levels of a protein closely linked to the asbestos-related cancer in fluid around the lungs

A number of conditions may cause excess fluid in the lining of the lung, but more than 90 percent of people with mesothelioma suffer from the condition which can be accompanied by difficulty breathing and chest pain.

So the researchers sought to distinguish mesothelioma as a cause of a buildup of excess fluid in the cavity surrounding the lungs.

They looked at levels of the protein meothelin which is released in high quantities in the pleural fluid of most mesothelioma patients. They collected more than 400 fluid samples from 167 patients who had excess pleural fluid.

They found that levels of the protein were almost six times higher in patients with mesothelioma than in patients with lung cancer that had spread from another part of the body and 10 times greater than those with benign conditions, making it a useful new biomarker or indicator of the presence of mesothelioma.

The study is published in the current issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Article Abstract

Labels: International News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 4:41 PM
Link to this article