Nies
Rapid Rise in Biomarker May Precede Onset of Mesothelioma Symptoms
The latest review out of Germany details the news that a rise in mesothelin (a tumor marker) could point the way to diagnosis of mesothelioma.
Pleural mesothelioma is a rare but hostile cancer allied primarily with industrial exposure to asbestos. Research workers with the Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine in Aachen, Germany say their findings suggest that levels of the proteins mesothelin and osteopontin, recognized to be elevated in asbestos-exposed workers, may climb sharply in the months prior to the onset of symptoms. At the same time, a rise is not inevitably a precursor to disease.
Mesothelin is a protein present in standard mesothelial cells. But since it is overexpressed in several forms of cancer, including mesothelioma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, is has increasingly been used as a biomarker to indicate the presence of cancer. Osteopontin is a multifunctional protein involved in a no of different biological processes and related to tumorgenesis. Even though it isn't a specific biomarker for mesothelioma, some studies have supported its use as one indicator in the panel of biomarkers.
The goal of the German study was to determine what these biomarker levels might change before asbestos-exposed workers developed asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma or lung cancer. Is there a level of change that may be �normal� over time and not a sign that the worker must have an intensive clinical workup?
To answer that query, the research team analyzed 3,329 blood sampled from 2,262 participants. Slightly below 1,900 of the participants were formerly asbestos-exposed power industry workers, 266 of them were a mixed group with an unknown history of asbestos exposure, and 102 had no history of contact with asbestos. The concentration of mesothelin and osteopontin of their blood was determined using commercial ELISA test kits.
�While age had a strong influence on marker levels, there is no association between exposure duration or benign asbestos-related disease and marker levels,� observed the researchers. They then separated out patients who had no less than a 10% increase in mesothelin and/or osteopontin levels. The highest (95th percentile) of these patients had an annual increase of 0.402 nmol/l for mesothelin and 334 ng/ml for osteopontin but most still didn't develop mesothelioma. However, two of the folks who did go on to develop mesothelioma and five of the folks who got lung cancer had even higher levels than these before they developed symptoms. The mesothelioma patients specifically both had a �steep increase� in mesothelin levels.
The researchers say their findings imply that having fixed cut-off values for figuring out who needs a doctor�s evaluation and who can continue to be monitored are �inadequate� since some participants had notably elevated biomarker levels without disease. Conversely, the rapid and dramatic rise within the mesothelin levels of two of the mesothelioma patients prompted them to conclude the article this way: �While general conclusions can't be drawn, we are able to say that the outcomes of both patients would be in step with a mesothelin increase between six and 18 months before clinical symptoms developed.�
The study appears in a recent issue of the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Disclaimer: The data in this post is for educational and informational purposes only. The content isn't intended to be an alternative to professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a medical doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it as a result of something you will have read in this article. This information was written by a 3rd party and its content reflects the views of the 3rd party and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions or of Surviving Mesothelioma or Cancer Monthly.
treating mesothelioma