Malignant mesothelioma in the western world is often associated with asbestos exposure. It is a relatively rare cancer that causes approximately 2,500 deaths yearly in the United States and 1,000 deaths yearly in the United Kingdom. In contrast, among people born in the Cappadocian (Turkey) villages of Tuzkoy, Karain, and "Old" Sarihidir, approximately 50% of deaths are caused by malignant meso...

UNLABELLED Survival for mesothelioma has been shown to be poor, with marginal improvement over time. Recent advances in the understanding of pathophysiology and treatment of mesothelioma may impact therapy to improve survival that may not be evident from available clinical trials that are often small and not randomized. Therapies may affect survival differently based on mesothelioma location (p...

BACKGROUND Hyaluronan is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix. It is synthesized at the cell plasma membrane by specific hyaluronan synthases (HAS). Although a large number of studies have described hyaluronan in pleural effusion from malignant mesothelioma, the source of hyaluronan in malignant mesothelioma has been subject to controversy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The mRNA exp...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive tumor characterized by rapid progression, late metastases, and poor prognosis. In this study, we investigated the expression of survivin, a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein gene family, in mesothelioma and an antisense oligonucleotide-based gene therapy for mesothelioma using survivin as a target. Initially, we documented the ...

BACKGROUND Ascertainment of asbestosis and mesothelioma from underlying cause of death underestimates the burden of these diseases. The aims of this study were to estimate the true frequency of asbestosis and mesothelioma among asbestos workers in Great Britain (GB), and to identify factors associated with the risk of death with these diseases. METHODS The GB Asbestos Survey was established i...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer for which more effective treatments are needed. In this study, strong to moderate staining of MET and ERK5 was detected in 67.1 and 48% of the analyzed 73 human mesothelioma tumors, and significant correlation of MET and ERK5 expression was identified (P<0.05). We evaluated the doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) expression in human me...

We hypothesized that manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), known to be induced in rat mesothelial cells by asbestos fibers, cytokines, and hyperoxia, may also be induced in asbestos-related pleural diseases such as mesothelioma. MnSOD was assessed in healthy human pleural mesothelium (n = 6), in biopsy samples of human pleural mesothelioma (n = 7), in transformed nonmalignant human mesothelia...

BACKGROUND Tremolite contamination has been proposed as the cause of mesothelioma in workers exposed to commercial chrysotile. The asbestos industry and scientists it has sponsored, for example, have argued that commercial chrysotile does not cause peritoneal mesothelioma. METHOD Case report of peritoneal mesothelioma in a mill worker from a tremolite free Canadian mine. RESULTS Reports fro...

Malignant mesotheliomas are aggressive cancers that occur in the thin layer of tissue covers most commonly linings chest or abdomen. Though cancer itself is rare and deadly, early diagnosis will help with treatment improve outcomes. Mesothelioma usually diagnosed later stages. Symptoms similar to other, more common conditions. As such, predicting diagnosing mesothelioma essential starting for a...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (mesothelioma) is a highly aggressive cancer without an effective treatment. Cul4A, a scaffold protein that recruits substrates for degradation, is amplified in several human cancers, including mesothelioma. We have recently shown that Cul4A plays an oncogenic role in vitro and in a mouse model. In this study, we analysed clinical mesothelioma tumours and found mo...