Researchers have shown that chronic inflammation proceeds the development of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity. The immune system plays a key role in the initiation of mesothelioma tumors, according to new research published in the medical journal Clinical and Developmental Immunology.
Immunotherapy represents a novel approach to treatment of mesothelioma. To date, it remains largely experimental for treatment of mesothelioma.
Immunotherapy attempts to stimulate the immune system to increase its effectiveness at fighting tumors. Typically, there are differences in the composition of tumors that allow the immune system to recognize the cells as intruders and kill them.
But the ability of mesothelioma to evade detection by the immune system presents challenges in the use of immunotherapy to manage the disease, according to researchers in Belgium. There is increasing evidence that mesothelioma cells actually change as the cancer progresses so as to evade the immune system, they say.
Researchers have observed an increased presence of certain types of cells such as bone-marrow derived myeloid cells that apparently act to suppress the immune system and impair its ability to resist tumors. Controlling these types of cells will be be important to unleashing the full potential of immunotherapy. Since several types of cells appear to play a role in tumor survival, combination therapy targeting multiple tumor types will be needed. It should lead to improved prognosis for mesothelioma patients, the researchers predict.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung and abdominal cavity caused by inhaling asbestos. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. The disease is incurable, though there are treatments including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers or veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the workplace or military service. Microscopic asbestos fibers when inhaled can lodge in the lungs and remain there a lifetime causing inflammation that eventually leads to asbestos related disease.
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