bims-mesote 2026-07-26 papers

Issue of 2026–07–26
four papers selected by
Laura Mannarino, Humanitas Research

Ann Surg Oncol. 2026 Jul 20.

Treatment for Oligo-recurrence of Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma After Extended Pleurectomy/Decortication.

Ryo Wakejima, Hironori Ishibashi, Ayaka Asakawa, Yuya Ishikawa, Yusuke Sugita, Kenichi Okubo.

BACKGROUND: We evaluate recurrence patterns and assess the efficacy of local treatment for oligo-recurrence in patients with diffuse pleural mesothelioma (PM) following extended pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) with multimodal therapy.
METHODS: This retrospective study included 69 patients with PM treated at the Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital from October 2010 to September 2025. All the patients underwent extended P/D and intraoperative hyperthermic cisplatin perfusion. Oligo-recurrence was defined as a small number of recurrences that would be treated with local treatment. Recurrence patterns, treatments, and survival outcomes were examined.
RESULTS: Macroscopic complete resection was achieved in all patients, and there was one in-hospital mortality (1.4%). Sixty-one patients (88.4%) received multimodal therapy. Recurrence occurred in 52 patients (75%). The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 15.0 months. The type of recurrence was local in 32 (62%) patients, distant in six (12%), and both in 14 (27%). Local treatment (second surgery 14; radiation therapy 2) was administered to 16 patients with oligo-recurrence. Chest wall excision was the most common surgical procedure. Seven patients underwent repeated local treatments (surgery 20; radiation therapy 7). The median post-recurrence survival (PRS) of 52 patients was 13.9 months. The PRS with systemic chemotherapy was 11.4 months, while the PRS with the addition of oligo-recurrence treatment was 45.6 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that disease-free interval and oligo-recurrence were significantly favorable factors for PRS.
CONCLUSIONS: Local treatment, a second surgery and radiation therapy, for oligo-recurrence of PM after extended P/D showed a favorable survival outcome. Tailored treatment for recurrent PM is warranted.

Keywords: Local treatment; Oligo-recurrence; Pleural mesothelioma; Pleurectomy/decortication; Post-recurrence survival; Recurrence pattern

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-026-20060-1

Fam Cancer. 2026 Jul 24. pii: 79. [Epub ahead of print]25(3):

Brief report: attitudes and barriers toward genetic testing in pleural mesothelioma: a nationwide Italian survey.

on the behalf of MET-I (Mesothelioma team Italy)

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a malignancy with a relevant genetic component, with germline mutations identified in up to 12% of cases. International guidelines recommend universal germline testing; however, its implementation in routine clinical practice remains inconsistent. This nationwide survey aimed to assess current clinical practice, attitudes, and barriers related to genetic testing among Italian specialists within the Mesothelioma Team Italy (MET-I) network. A 24-item questionnaire was distributed to MET-I members in 2025, exploring access to testing, clinical use, and perceived obstacles to both germline and somatic DNA sequencing. Forty-five physicians responded (53.6%). Although access to germline testing was relatively high (77.8%), only 6.7% of respondents routinely recommended it. Conversely, somatic NGS was widely available (95.6%) and primarily used for clinical trial screening (66.7%). The main barriers to germline testing included costs (62.2%), limited access to genetic counseling (51.1%), and insufficient physician awareness (48.8%). Despite the availability of genetic testing technologies, germline genetic testing in PM is underutilized in Italy.

Keywords: BAP1 tumor predisposition syndrome; Mesothelioma; germline testing; somatic DNA testing

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-026-00596-7

Cancer Sci. 2026 Jul 21.

Epidemiological and Prognostic Differences in Malignant Mesothelioma Between Eastern China and SEER Database.

Ningning Li, Ruting Wang, Wenya Zhang, Zulei Shao, Hongyu Lin, Guanai Bao, Weimin Mao, Zhongjian Chen.

Eastern China malignant mesothelioma (MM) presents distinct features-younger age, female predominance, and moremalignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM)-contrasting with the Western profile of older males with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Robust survival data for this population are still unavailable. This retrospective study included 253 MM patients from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (2010-2024; 222 from Zhejiang Province, ZJ cohort) to update regional epidemiology and compare survival with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER). The ZJ cohort exhibited a younger median age at diagnosis (58 vs. 74 years), a higher proportion of females (62% vs. 24%), and a higher prevalence of MPeM (54% vs. 11%) relative to the SEER cohort. Overall survival (OS) was significantly prolonged in the ZJ cohort (median OS: 22 vs. 10 months), with survival benefits consistently observed across sex, age, and MPM subgroups. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed age as the only consistent independent prognostic factor in both ZJ and SEER cohorts. Following propensity score matching to minimize confounding, the ZJ cohort maintained a significantly longer survival in MPM but exhibited worse outcome in MPeM relative to SEER. Collectively, this study not only updated epidemiologic features for MM in Eastern China but also reported the unique survival patterns, uncovering inter-population heterogeneity. These findings emphasize the value of region-specific prognostic evidence and the limitations of directly applying Western data to Asian populations.

Keywords: epidemiology; malignant mesothelioma; malignant peritoneal mesothelioma; malignant pleural mesothelioma; overall survival

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cas.70481

Lung Cancer. 2026 Jul 19. pii: S0169-5002(26)00605-7. [Epub ahead of print]219 109544

Epiproteomic profiling identifies histone H4 hyperacetylation as a prognostic marker in pleural mesothelioma.

Roberta Noberini, Ioanna Bischinioti, Simone Zanetti, Alessandro Vai, Giulia Sedda, Eltjona Mane, Claudia Bardoni, Giulia Robusti, Marianna D'Ercole, Rosanna Mancari, Ugo Cavallaro, Nicoletta Colombo, Luca Bertolaccini, Mariano Lombardi, Nicola Fusco, Lorenzo Spaggiari, Domenico Galetta, Tiziana Bonaldi.

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive tumor that arises from mesothelial cells as a consequence of asbestos exposure. Despite recent therapeutic advances, the prognosis of PM remains poor, with a median overall survival typically below 18 months. Here, we investigated the association between alterations in histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) and patient survival in PM by employing state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based epiproteomics. We profiled a cohort of 96 primary tumors obtained at diagnosis, including a subset of 25 patients with matched pre- and post-neoadjuvant treatment samples. Patients were stratified by overall survival using a 15-month cutoff, which approximates the reported median survival for PM. Several PTMs in treatment-naïve tumors, as well as a few therapy-induced changes, showed significant differences between short- and long-survivors across the different patient groups. Hyper-acetylation of the histone H4 tail at basal level was significantly and consistently increased in patients with worse prognosis, both in the entire cohort and within individual groups, and was associated with worse overall survival in Kaplan-Meier analyses. This association was independent of established clinicopathological variables in multivariable Cox regression models. Interestingly, increased histone H4 hyperacetylation was observed across multiple tumor types, supporting its broader relevance in cancer biology. In vitro, inhibition of histone acetyltransferases reduced PM cell viability and enhanced sensitivity to cisplatin in a synergistic manner. These findings identify histone H4 hyperacetylation as an independent prognostic biomarker in PM and highlight epigenetic modulation as a potential therapeutic avenue in PM.

Keywords: Epigenetics; Epiproteomics; Histone acetylation; Histone post-translational modification; Mass spectrometry; Pleural mesothelioma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2026.109544