"It's a very malignant cancer so when patient goes to the hospital normally it's very late stage," says Dr. Haining Yang, UH Cancer Center.
Mesothelioma is a tumor that can occur in the lining of your heart, lungs and or abdomen.
Symptoms for early detection are few, so those who have it may not know until it's too late.
"Until recently we thought it was impossible until now we have made discoveries from the lab from this laboratory that allowed us to identify the patient at a very early stage," says Dr. Michele Carbone, UH Cancer Center director.
Right now, mesothelioma is treated with surgery and chemotherapy.
Current treatment only allows someone to survive up to a year after diagnosis.
Researchers at the UH Cancer Center have discovered a molecule that if treated can help delay the growth of the cancerous tumor or delete it all together.
"The tumor cells are addicted to this protein by targeting by inhibiting the activity of this protein we are able to kill the tumor cells and slow down the tumor growth," says Dr. Yang.
This new treatment could extend the life of a patient by five to ten years.
The research is in its early stages, but they plan to do clinical trials by early next year.
"So we hope by this new target by this strategy we are able to benefit the patient and extend patient's life," says Dr. Yang.
"More patients we get at the early stage the better it is," says Dr. Carbone.
The team's findings are featured in the July issue of Cancer Research.
