bims-mesote Biomed News
on Mesothelioma
Issue of 2021–11–28
fiveteen papers selected by
Laura Mannarino, Humanitas Research
  1. The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in the Development and Metastasis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
  2. Treatment patterns and outcomes for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in England in 2013-2017: A nationwide CAS registry analysis from the I-O Optimise initiative.
  3. Mesothelioma Malignancy and the Microenvironment: Molecular Mechanisms.
  4. Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of the Extracellular Vesicles Subpopulations Present in Pleural Effusion.
  5. Combining Clinical and Molecular Characteristics to Precisely Predict the Prognosis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
  6. Relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma: An impressive response to Nivolumab monotherapy.
  7. EGFR-targeted pemetrexed therapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
  8. Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
  9. Tumor-Treating Fields: A fourth modality in cancer treatment, new practice updates.
  10. Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Three microRNAs in Environmental Asbestiform Fibers-Associated Malignant Mesothelioma.
  11. Pilot Study to Evaluate Serum Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptide (SMRP) as Marker for Clinical Monitoring of Pleural Mesothelioma (PM): Correlation with Modified RECIST Score.
  12. BAP1 forms a trimer with HMGB1 and HDAC1 that modulates gene × environment interaction with asbestos.
  13. Communicating imaging findings in peritoneal mesothelioma: the impact of 'PAUSE' on surgical decision-making.
  14. Tumor junction burden and antigen presentation as predictors of survival in mesothelioma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
  15. Environmental asbestos exposure and nonmalignant pleural findings: a retrospective evaluation of a five-year chest CT repository.
  1. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Nov 11. pii: 12216. [Epub ahead of print]22(22):
    The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in the Development and Metastasis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
    Valeria Ramundo, Giada Zanirato, Elisabetta Aldieri.
      Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor mainly associated with asbestos exposure and is characterized by a very difficult pharmacological approach. One of the molecular mechanisms associated with cancer onset and invasiveness is the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an event induced by different types of inducers, such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), the main inducer of EMT, and oxidative stress. MPM development and metastasis have been correlated to EMT; On one hand, EMT mediates the effects exerted by asbestos fibers in the mesothelium, particularly via increased oxidative stress and TGFβ levels evoked by asbestos exposure, thus promoting a malignant phenotype, and on the other hand, MPM acquires invasiveness via the EMT event, as shown by an upregulation of mesenchymal markers or, although indirectly, some miRNAs or non-coding RNAs, all demonstrated to be involved in cancer onset and metastasis. This review aims to better describe how EMT is involved in driving the development and invasiveness of MPM, in an attempt to open new scenarios that are useful in the identification of predictive markers and to improve the pharmacological approach against this aggressive cancer.
    Keywords:  epithelial mesenchymal transition; malignant pleural mesothelioma; miRNAs; oxidative stress; transforming growth factor β
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222212216
  2. Lung Cancer. 2021 Nov 10. pii: S0169-5002(21)00595-X. [Epub ahead of print]
    Treatment patterns and outcomes for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in England in 2013-2017: A nationwide CAS registry analysis from the I-O Optimise initiative.
    Paul Baas, Melinda J Daumont, Laure Lacoin, John R Penrod, Robert Carroll, Sudhir Venkatesan, Harveen Ubhi, Alan Calleja, Michael Snee.
       OBJECTIVES: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. This study assessed the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with MPM in England.
    MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of I-O Optimise, this retrospective cohort study analyzed data recorded in the Cancer Analysis System in England for all adult patients newly diagnosed with MPM between 2013 and 2017, with follow-up to March 2018 or death, whichever occurred first. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. A Cox regression model was used to describe the impact of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics at diagnosis on OS.
    RESULTS: 9458 patients diagnosed with MPM were analyzed. Median age at diagnosis was 75 years; 83.4% were male. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) was 0-1 for 44.5%; 2 for 11.5%; >2 for 9.1%; and missing for 34.9% of patients. TNM stage was missing for 60.4%. A majority of patients had epithelioid histology (36.4%) or not otherwise specified (NOS) MPM (43.3%). After diagnosis, 48.7% of all patients received best supportive care (BSC; no surgery, radiotherapy, SACT); 11.4% received palliative radiotherapy alone; 6.5% underwent surgery; 33.4% received systemic anticancer therapy (SACT) as initial treatment. Platinum plus pemetrexed was the main SACT regimen used in both first and second line. Median OS (8.3 months) varied by histopathology and ranged from 4.3 to 13.3 months for sarcomatoid and epithelioid MPM, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and ECOG PS, sarcomatoid, biphasic, and NOS MPM remained significantly associated with worse OS than epithelioid MPM (all p < 0.001). Median OS varied from 4.6 to 17.0 months for patients receiving BSC/palliative radiotherapy, and patients receiving surgery, respectively.
    CONCLUSION: Outcomes for patients with MPM in England remain poor. Future studies will investigate the impact of newer therapies on the treatment patterns and survival of MPM patients.
    Keywords:  I-O Optimise; Malignant pleural mesothelioma; Real-word evidence; Systemic anticancer therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.11.001
  3. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Nov 12. pii: 5664. [Epub ahead of print]13(22):
    Mesothelioma Malignancy and the Microenvironment: Molecular Mechanisms.
    Francesca Cersosimo, Marcella Barbarino, Silvia Lonardi, William Vermi, Antonio Giordano, Cristiana Bellan, Emanuele Giurisato.
      Several studies have reported that cellular and soluble components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a key role in cancer-initiation and progression. Considering the relevance and the complexity of TME in cancer biology, recent research has focused on the investigation of the TME content, in terms of players and informational exchange. Understanding the crosstalk between tumor and non-tumor cells is crucial to design more beneficial anti-cancer therapeutic strategies. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a complex and heterogenous tumor mainly caused by asbestos exposure with few treatment options and low life expectancy after standard therapy. MPM leukocyte infiltration is rich in macrophages. Given the failure of macrophages to eliminate asbestos fibers, these immune cells accumulate in pleural cavity leading to the establishment of a unique inflammatory environment and to the malignant transformation of mesothelial cells. In this inflammatory landscape, stromal and immune cells play a driven role to support tumor development and progression via a bidirectional communication with tumor cells. Characterization of the MPM microenvironment (MPM-ME) may be useful to understand the complexity of mesothelioma biology, such as to identify new molecular druggable targets, with the aim to improve the outcome of the disease. In this review, we summarize the known evidence about the MPM-ME network, including its prognostic and therapeutic relevance.
    Keywords:  cancer stem cells; inflammation; macrophages; mesothelioma; tumor microenvironment
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13225664
  4. Biomolecules. 2021 Oct 29. pii: 1606. [Epub ahead of print]11(11):
    Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of the Extracellular Vesicles Subpopulations Present in Pleural Effusion.
    Joman Javadi, André Görgens, Hanna Vanky, Dhanu Gupta, Anders Hjerpe, Samir El-Andaloussi, Daniel Hagey, Katalin Dobra.
      Extracellular vesicles (EVs), comprising exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies, are released by all cells into the extracellular matrix and body fluids, where they play important roles in intercellular communication and matrix remodeling in various pathological conditions. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a primary tumor of mesothelial origin, predominantly related to asbestos exposure. The detection of MPM at an early stage and distinguishing it from benign conditions and metastatic adenocarcinomas (AD) is sometimes challenging. Pleural effusion is often the first available biological material and an ideal source for characterizing diagnostic and prognostic factors. Specific proteins have previously been identified as diagnostic markers in effusion, but it is not currently known whether these are associated with vesicles or released in soluble form. Here, we study and characterize tumor heterogeneity and extracellular vesicle diversity in pleural effusion as diagnostic or prognostic markers for MPM. We analyzed extracellular vesicles and soluble proteins from 27 pleural effusions, which were collected and processed at the department of pathology and cytology at Karolinska University Hospital, representing three different patient groups, MPM (n = 9), benign (n = 6), and AD (n = 12). The vesicles were fractionated into apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, and exosomes by differential centrifugation and characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis and Western blotting. Multiplex bead-based flow cytometry analysis showed that exosomal markers were expressed differently on EVs present in different fractions. Further characterization of exosomes by a multiplex immunoassay (Luminex) showed that all soluble proteins studied were also present in exosomes, though the ratio of protein concentration present in supernatant versus exosomes varied. The proportion of Angiopoietin-1 present in exosomes was generally higher in benign compared to malignant samples. The corresponding ratios of Mesothelin, Galectin-1, Osteopontin, and VEGF were higher in MPM effusions compared to those in the benign group. These findings demonstrate that relevant diagnostic markers can be recovered from exosomes.
    Keywords:  biomarkers; extracellular vesicles; malignant pleural mesothelioma; pleural effusion
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11111606
  5. J Thorac Oncol. 2021 Dec;pii: S1556-0864(21)02431-X. [Epub ahead of print]16(12): e99-e100
    Combining Clinical and Molecular Characteristics to Precisely Predict the Prognosis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
    Yunyi Bian, Jiaqi Liang, Guangyao Shan, Cheng Zhan, Hong Fan.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtho.2021.07.036
  6. Pulmonology. 2021 Nov 17. pii: S2531-0437(21)00197-5. [Epub ahead of print]
    Relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma: An impressive response to Nivolumab monotherapy.
    S Costa-Martins, I Vicente, S Valente.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pulmoe.2021.10.002
  7. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2021 Nov 20.
    EGFR-targeted pemetrexed therapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
    Liang Yang, Hanghang Fang, Jingjing Jiang, Yongjie Sha, Zhiyuan Zhong, Fenghua Meng.
      Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis, for which chemotherapy with pemetrexed (PEM) is among the few clinical treatments. PEM suffers, however, fast clearance, moderate drug exposure, and dose-limiting toxicities. Here, we report on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted disulfide-crosslinked biodegradable chimaeric polymersomes (EGFR-CPs) to firmly load PEM and boost chemotherapy of MPM. EGFR-CPs encapsulating 8.7-16.4 wt.% PEM (EGFR-CPs-PEM) showed diameters of 62-65 nm and reduction-responsive drug release property. EGFR-CPs-PEM was more efficiently taken up by EGFR-overexpressed MSTO-211H cells, inducing about 4.7-fold enhanced anticancer activity compared with non-targeted CPs-PEM control. Intriguingly, the in vivo experiments in MSTO-211H xenograft mouse model revealed that EGFR-CPs-PEM brought about superior tumor deposition and penetration to CPs-PEM, and significantly more potent tumor repression than CPs-PEM and free PEM. This polymersome-enabled EGFR-targeted delivery of PEM offers an appealing therapeutic strategy for MPM.
    Keywords:  Chemotherapy; Epidermal growth factor receptor; Malignant pleural mesothelioma; Polymersomes; Targeted delivery
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-021-01094-2
  8. Lung Cancer. 2021 Nov 16. pii: S0169-5002(21)00599-7. [Epub ahead of print]162 162-168
    Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
    Anna K Nowak, Wee Loong Chin, Synat Keam, Alistair Cook.
      Mesothelioma is a rare and universally fatal cancer linked to exposure to asbestos. Until recently, standard of care treatment was chemotherapy; a treatment resulting in a minimal survival extension, and not improved upon for almost twenty years. However, the advent of cancer immunotherapy - and in particular the immune checkpoint inhibitor class of drugs - has resulted in recently approved new treatment options, with more currently under investigation. Here, we review clinical trials of both single agent and combination checkpoint inhibitors in mesothelioma, plus studies investigating their combination with chemotherapy. We also describe current advances in biomarker identification regarding prediction of patient response to checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, we assess the probable future direction of the field; including where current and developing technologies are likely to lead - in terms of both biomarker discovery and treatment options.
    Keywords:  Asbestos; Checkpoint blockade; Chemo-immunotherapy, biomarkers; Immunotherapy; Mesothelioma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.11.006
  9. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2021 Nov 19. pii: S1040-8428(21)00322-X. [Epub ahead of print]168 103535
    Tumor-Treating Fields: A fourth modality in cancer treatment, new practice updates.
    Rhea Arvind, Sreenivasa R Chandana, Mitesh J Borad, Danniel Pennington, Kabir Mody, Hani Babiker.
      Although major innovations in treatment are advancing, cancer persists as one of the leading causes of mortality. With the rising incidence of cancer and as we treat them, patients incur short term and long-term toxicities of current traditional therapies, including chemotherapy. This imposes a significant physical, emotional, and financial burden among patients, which affects their quality of life. Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields) is a novel innovative new treatment modality that utilizes alternating electric fields at specific intermediate frequencies to diminish tumor growth by inhibiting mitosis and thus proliferation of malignant cells. The distinguishing feature of this new treatment modality is that it is noninvasive and tolerable. In fact, TTFields is currently FDA approved for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) as well as malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Recently, TTFields have also been found to affect immunogenic cell death resulting in stronger anti-neoplastic effects. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of action of TTFields, the plethora of clinical trials being conducted in patients with GBM, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, ovarian cancer, non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC), brain metastasis from NSCLC, and MPM and toxicity profile.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Electric fields; Glioblastoma; Microtubule; Mitosis; Modality; Oncology; Overall survival; Progression free survival; Toxicity profile; Treatment; Tumor
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.critrevonc.2021.103535
  10. J Pers Med. 2021 Nov 15. pii: 1205. [Epub ahead of print]11(11):
    Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Three microRNAs in Environmental Asbestiform Fibers-Associated Malignant Mesothelioma.
    Veronica Filetti, Carla Loreto, Luca Falzone, Claudia Lombardo, Emanuele Cannizzaro, Sergio Castorina, Caterina Ledda, Venerando Rapisarda.
      Fluoro-edenite (FE) is an asbestiform fiber identified in Biancavilla (Sicily, Italy). Environmental exposure to FE has been associated with a higher incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM). The present study aimed to validate the predicted diagnostic significance of hsa-miR-323a-3p, hsa-miR-101-3p, and hsa-miR-20b-5p on a subset of MM patients exposed to FE and matched with healthy controls. For this purpose, MM tissues vs. nonmalignant pleura tissues were analyzed through droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to evaluate differences in the expression levels of the selected miRNAs and their MM diagnostic potential. In addition, further computational analysis has been performed to establish the correlation of these miRNAs with the available online asbestos exposure data and clinic-pathological parameters to verify the potential role of these miRNAs as prognostic tools. ddPCR results showed that the three analyzed miRNAs were significantly down-regulated in MM cases vs. controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed high specificity and sensitivity rates for both hsa-miR-323a-3p and hsa-miR-20b-5p, which thus acquire a diagnostic value for MM. In silico results showed a potential prognostic role of hsa-miR-101-3p due to a significant association of its higher expression and increased overall survival (OS) of MM patients.
    Keywords:  asbestos; diagnosis; fluoro-edenite; malignant mesothelioma; microRNA; prognosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11111205
  11. Diagnostics (Basel). 2021 Oct 29. pii: 2015. [Epub ahead of print]11(11):
    Pilot Study to Evaluate Serum Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptide (SMRP) as Marker for Clinical Monitoring of Pleural Mesothelioma (PM): Correlation with Modified RECIST Score.
    Federica Grosso, Matilde Mannucci, Francesca Ugo, Paola Ferro, Maurizio Cassinari, Antonella Vigani, Antonina Maria De Angelis, Sara Delfanti, Michela Lia, Roberto Guaschino, Stefano Barbero, Silvio Roncella, Ugo Giannoni, Marinella Bertolotti, Maria Pia Pistillo, Vincenzo Fontana.
      A soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) is the only FDA-approved biomarker for diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma (PM) and the most used for monitoring treatment. Radiological assessment of PM, based on modified RECIST (mRECIST) criteria, is challenging. This pilot study was designed to evaluate whether SMRP levels correlated over time with mRECIST score. Serial serum samples from PM patients were collected and SMRP levels were measured and compared with the mRECIST score obtained through centralized CT scans by blinded review. The within-patient SMRP-mRECIST relationship over time was estimated through a normal random-effects regression approach applied to the log-transformed mRECIST score. Overall, 58 PM patients were included (46 males and 12 females) with a median age at diagnosis of 67 years (min-max = 48-79), 44 (76%) with epithelioid and 14 (24%) with non-epithelioid histology. The total number of SMRP measurements and CT scans considered for analysis was 183. There was a statistically significant correlation between SMRP and mRECIST score in the 2 cohorts considered both separately and jointly. These results, although exploratory, suggest that SMRP measurement might be considered as an adjunct to monitor PM patients in order to delay CT scans time interval, thus warranting further investigation.
    Keywords:  longitudinal study; mesothelin; mesothelioma; modified RECIST; serum biomarkers
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11112015
  12. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Nov 30. pii: e2111946118. [Epub ahead of print]118(48):
    BAP1 forms a trimer with HMGB1 and HDAC1 that modulates gene × environment interaction with asbestos.
    Flavia Novelli, Angela Bononi, Qian Wang, Fang Bai, Simone Patergnani, Franz Kricek, Ellinor Haglund, Joelle S Suarez, Mika Tanji, Ronghui Xu, Yasutaka Takanishi, Michael Minaai, Sandra Pastorino, Paul Morris, Greg Sakamoto, Harvey I Pass, Haithem Barbour, Giovanni Gaudino, Carlotta Giorgi, Paolo Pinton, Jose N Onuchic, Haining Yang, Michele Carbone.
      Carriers of heterozygous germline BAP1 mutations (BAP1 +/-) are affected by the "BAP1 cancer syndrome." Although they can develop almost any cancer type, they are unusually susceptible to asbestos carcinogenesis and mesothelioma. Here we investigate why among all carcinogens, BAP1 mutations cooperate with asbestos. Asbestos carcinogenesis and mesothelioma have been linked to a chronic inflammatory process promoted by the extracellular release of the high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1). We report that BAP1 +/- cells secrete increased amounts of HMGB1, and that BAP1 +/- carriers have detectable serum levels of acetylated HMGB1 that further increase when they develop mesothelioma. We linked these findings to our discovery that BAP1 forms a trimeric protein complex with HMGB1 and with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) that modulates HMGB1 acetylation and its release. Reduced BAP1 levels caused increased ubiquitylation and degradation of HDAC1, leading to increased acetylation of HMGB1 and its active secretion that in turn promoted mesothelial cell transformation.
    Keywords:  HMGB1; asbestos; gene × environment; germline BAP1 mutations; mesothelioma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111946118
  13. Insights Imaging. 2021 Nov 24. 12(1): 174
    Communicating imaging findings in peritoneal mesothelioma: the impact of 'PAUSE' on surgical decision-making.
    Anuradha Chandramohan, Nehal Shah, Andrew Thrower, Norman John Carr, Rohin Mittal, Faheez Mohamed, Brendan Moran.
      The peritoneal cavity is the second commonest site of mesothelioma after the pleural cavity. There are five histological types of peritoneal mesothelioma with variable symptomatology, clinical presentation and prognosis. Cystic mesothelioma is a borderline malignant neoplasm with a favourable prognosis, well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma is generally a low-grade malignancy, and all other varieties such as epithelioid, sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma are highly malignant types of peritoneal mesothelioma with poor prognosis. Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma was considered inevitably fatal prior to the introduction of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in selected cases where long-term survival and cure could be achieved. However, the survival benefits following CRS and HIPEC mainly depend on completeness of cytoreduction, which come at the cost of high morbidity and potential mortality. Using the acronym 'PAUSE', we aimed at describing the key imaging findings that impact surgical decision-making in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. PAUSE stands for peritoneal cancer index, ascites and abdominal wall disease, unfavourable sites of involvement, small bowel and mesenteric disease and extraperitoneal disease. Reporting components of 'PAUSE' is crucial for patient selection. Despite limitations of CT in accurately depicting the volume of disease, describing findings in terms of PAUSE plays an important role in excluding patients who might not benefit from CRS and HIPEC.
    Keywords:  Complete cytoreduction; Imaging; PAUSE; Peritoneal mesothelioma; Radiological peritoneal cancer index
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13244-021-01118-y
  14. J Thorac Oncol. 2021 Nov 17. pii: S1556-0864(21)03319-0. [Epub ahead of print]
    Tumor junction burden and antigen presentation as predictors of survival in mesothelioma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
    Farhad Kosari, Maria Disselhorst, Jun Yin, Tobias Peikert, Julia Udell, Sarah Johnson, James Smadbeck, Stephen Murphy, Alexa McCune, Giannoula Karagouga, Aakash Desai, Janet Schaefer-Klein, Mitesh J Borad, John Cheville, George Vasmatzis, Paul Baas, Aaron S Mansfield.
       INTRODUCTION: The favorable outcomes with immunotherapy for mesothelioma were somewhat unexpected since this tumor has a low tumor mutation burden which has been associated with benefit in other cancers. Since chromosomal rearrangements are common in mesothelioma and have neoantigenic potential, we sought to determine whether they are associated with survival in patients treated with immunotherapy.
    METHODS: Pleural biopsies of mesothelioma after at least one line of therapy were obtained from patients (n=44) prior to treatment with nivolumab alone (NCT29908324) or in combination with ipilimumab (NCT30660511). RNA and whole genome sequencing were performed to identify the junctions resulting from chromosomal rearrangements, and antigen processing and presentation gene set expression. Associations with overall survival were estimated using cox models. An overall survival cutoff of 1.5 years was used to distinguish patients with and without durable benefit for use in receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
    RESULTS: While tumor junction burdens were not predictive of overall survival, we identified significant interactions between the junction burdens and multiple antigen processing and presentation gene sets. The "regulation of antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen" gene set demonstrated an interaction with tumor junction burden and was predictive of overall survival. This interaction also predicted 1.5-year or greater survival with an area under the ROC of 0.83. This interaction was not predictive of survival in a separate cohort of patients with mesothelioma who did not receive immune checkpoint inhibitors.
    CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of structural variants and antigen presentation gene set expression may facilitate patient selection for immune checkpoint inhibitors.
    Keywords:  Mesothelioma; chromosomal rearrangements; immune checkpoint inhibitors; structural variants
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtho.2021.10.022
  15. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2021 Nov 24. 1-10
    Environmental asbestos exposure and nonmalignant pleural findings: a retrospective evaluation of a five-year chest CT repository.
    Abdulsamet Sandal, Seval Müzeyyen Ecin, Adem Koyuncu, Gamze Durhan, Meltem Gülsun Akpinar, Ahmet Ugur Demir, Lütfi Cöplü.
      This registry-based case-control study aimed to assess the association between asbestos deposits in the birthplace and/or residence and nonmalignant pleural findings, namely pleural plaques (PPs) and pleural thickening (PT), on chest CT scans. In total, 39,472 CT scans obtained over five years in a tertiary referral hospital in Ankara, Turkey, were evaluated. Cases involving patients with PP (n = 537), PT (n = 263), PP&PT (n = 69), and controls (n = 543) from the same study base without those conditions were included. Each case group was compared to controls using unconditional logistic regression. The presence of asbestos deposits in the district of birthplace (adjusted OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.35-3.37) and both birthplace and residence (aOR = 4.32, 95% CI: 2.26-8.27) was significantly related to the PPs. As the importance of environmental asbestos exposure in Turkey continues, future prospective studies could contribute to developing screening strategies.
    Keywords:  Asbestos; environment; environmental exposure
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2021.2004987
This page is being maintained by Thomas Krichel. It was last updated on 2024‒11‒22 at 4:20.