$3.58 Million Gift Will Forward Scientific Advances For Mesothelioma Research, One Of The Most Difficult To Treat Cancers

The UH Cancer Center has received a $3.58 million gift from an anonymous donor to support the mesothelioma research of Dr. Michele Carbone, director of the UH Cancer Center. Carbone and colleagues, who include Drs. Haining Yang and Giovanni Gaudino, have made a series of recent scientific breakthroughs that will lead to new ways to prevent and treat the disease. "This generous gift is critical to support our efforts to generate discoveries that will aid in the prevention of mesothelioma and the development of new therapies," said Dr. Carbone. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that line the chest and abdominal cavities. It results in one of the most aggressive types of tumors, and current median survival from diagnosis is just twelve months. Exposure to airborne asbestos or erionite particles...

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1st International Symposium On Lung-Sparing Therapies For Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

The UCLA Mesothelioma Research Program is sponsoring the 1st International Symposium on Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) at the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica, California. This unique one-day symposium will take place on Saturday, May 21st from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The course will be led by Dr. Robert Cameron, MD, FACS, Director of the Mesothelioma Research Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the West Los Angeles Veterans' Administration Medical Center, and a long-time advocate for lung-sparing surgery. The seminar's distinguished international faculty includes both Mr. Tom Treasure, MD and Mr. David A Waller, MD, who will discuss the recent results announced from the Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery (MARS) Trial...

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Novel Anti-Mesothelioma Strategy

A drug commonly used to treat kidney cancer may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for mesothelioma, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Temsirolimus, a kinase inhibitor, blocks the action of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a protein that regulates cell growth, which can slow tumor growth. It's used to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma. But researchers in Austria have found that temsirolimus also may slow the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma cells. Mesothelioma, a cancer that is usually caused by exposure to asbestos and may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure, frequently resists chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The researchers found that temsirolimus strongly blocked mTOR-mediated signals and had a cytostatic,...

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