According to a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the protein osteopontin, which can be found in circulating blood, may help in the early detection of mesothelioma. However, further studies are necessary to confirm osteopontin as a reliable marker as well as to determine if outcomes for patients can be improved through the use of this marker.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops in the tissue that covers the lungs and lines the interior of the chest. The majority of individuals who develop malignant pleural mesothelioma have a history of chronic exposure to asbestos.
The only curative treatment for mesothelioma is surgery. However, more than 70% of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma have advanced disease, which places them beyond the benefits of surgery. Therefore, the development of a blood test that would allow early diagnosis in patients at risk of mesothelioma—or that would accurately predict a response to treatment—would be a great advance in the management of this malignancy. More on the website
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