Australian Team Says Gold Standard Biomarker Still Best for Mesothelioma Diagnosis, According to Surviving Mesothelioma

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) August 07, 2014

Scientists in Australia have just released the results of an important report comparing the relative values of the protein biomarkers mesothelin and fibulin-3 in the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Surviving Mesothelioma has just posted a new article on the study. Click here to read it now.

The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases at the University of Western Australia studied the gold standard biomarker mesothelin and the newly-proposed marker fibulin-3 in 82 mesothelioma patients..

“Soluble mesothelin is a superior diagnostic biomarker for malignant mesothelioma compared with fibulin-3, whereas fibulin-3 provides superior prognostic information compared with mesothelin,” writes lead author Jenette Creaney, PhD, a Professor at the University of Western Australia.

The study published in the journal Thorax included a total of 153 patients – 82 with mesothelioma, 36 with malignant effusions (lung fluid buildup) from other types of cancers, and 35 with benign effusions.

“Clinicians need both diagnostic and prognostic information to effectively manage pleural mesothelioma,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “This study suggests that mesothelin and fibulin-3 both have important roles to play.”

For all the details on the study, see Mesothelioma Management: Different Biomarkers Serve Different Functions, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.

Creaney, J, “Comparison of fibulin-3 and mesothelin as markers in malignant mesothelioma”, July 18, 2014, Thorax, Epub ahead of print, http://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2014/07/18/thoraxjnl-2014-205205.full.pdf.

For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.