Bringing The Pleural And Peritoneal Mesothelioma Menace To Light
Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma are fatal forms of cancer resulting from asbestos exposure
. There are a myriad of studies that examine the issue of causation, but one in particular that deserves credit is called, Features of asbestos-exposed and unexposed mesothelioma by A Hirsch, MD, P. Brochard, MD, H. De Cremoux, MD, Dr. L. Erkan, MD, P. Sebastien, PhD, L. Di Menza, MD, and J. Bignon, MD - Clinique de Pathologie Respiratoire et Environnement, INSERM U 139 et ERA CNRS No. 845, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal, 40 Ave de Verdun, 94010 Crteil cedex, France - American Journal of Industrial Medicine - Volume 3 Issue 4, Pages 413 422. Here is an excerpt: Abstract - Thirty-six histologically confirmed cases of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma have been observed in a chest unit over a period of 53 months.
The past asbestos exposure was assessed by a standardized questionnaire in all cases and the asbestos lung burden was determined by means of mineralogical analysis of lung-related biological specimens (sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung tissues) in 28 cases. The results of these two methods were found in good agreement. Past asbestos exposure has been definitely implicated in 17 cases and definitely eliminated in 10 cases. The results were nonconclusive in other cases. The group with definite past asbestos exposure was different from the nonasbestos-exposed group by clinical, biological, pathological, and prognosis features that were analyzed. In cases without past asbestos exposure there were no other possible causative agents. Younger age and similar incidence in men and women suggest an environmental or natural disease.
Another interesting article that explores chromosome abnormalities is called, Chromosomal abnormalities and their correlations with asbestos exposure and survival in patients with mesothelioma. By M. Tiainen, L. Tammilehto, J. Rautonen, T. Tuomi, K. Mattson, and S. Knuutila - Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Finland - Br J Cancer. 1989 October; 60(4): 618626. Here is an excerpt: Cytogenetic findings of our 30 previously reported and eight new patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were summarised and correlated with asbestos fibre burden in lung tissue and survival. Successful cytogenetic analyses were performed on cells obtained from the tumours and/or pleural effusions of 34 of the 38 patients. Clonal chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 25 patients, 19 of them studied before treatment. Nine patients, seven of them studied before treatment, had normal karyotypes and/or non-clonal chromosomal abnormalities.
Most of the karyotypic findings in the patients with clonal abnormalities were complex and heterogeneous, and no chromosome aberration specific to mesothelioma could be demonstrated. The following numerical abnormalities in decreasing order of frequency were preferentially present in karyotypic changes: -22, +7, -1, -3, -9, +11 and -14 (-/+ denoting partial or total loss or gain). Translocations and deletions involving a breakpoint at 1p11-p22 were the most frequent structural aberrations. Statistically significant correlations were found between high content of asbestos fibres in lung tissue and partial or total losses of chromosomes 1 and 4, and a breakpoint at 1p11-p22 (P = 0.0001, P = 0.003, P = 0.009, respectively). The number of copies of chromosome 7 short arms was inversely correlated with survival (P = 0.02). In this study no diagnostic cytogenetic markers of mesothelioma were found, instead the copy number of chromosome 7 short arms turned out to be a possible prognostic factor in malignant mesothelioma.
If you found either of these studies interesting, please read them in their entirety. We all owe a debt of gratitude to these researchers for their important work.
by: Mont Wrobleski
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