On Wednesday, researchers concluded that a new method of extracting lung cancer cells from blood samples can determine in real-time whether treatments are effective. 

In Massachusetts, doctors removed cancer cells from patients with non-small cell lung cancers that had spread to the bloodstream.  The researchers discovered that fluctuations in the concentration of cancer cells in the blood reflect how well current therapy is working.  Furthermore, the cancer samples also helped the doctors monitor changes in the genetic composition of the malignant tumors. 

This new ability to track cancer in the blood allows doctors to administer individualized therapy plans to patients.  They can quickly assess the content and make-up of a single patient's tumor and then establish a treatment regime accordingly. 

In December, the same group of researchers announced their ability to extract cancer cells--circulating tumor cells, or CTC-- from the blood using a specialized chip.  They now say that examining the collected cells can help guide therapy. 

"If there were a way of measuring an earlier response, that would be fantastic. The CTC chip offers the promise of non-invasive continuous monitoring," one researcher stated.  The chip is 100 times more sensitive than a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved technique that uses magnetic beads to try to extract cancer cells.  The system requires only two teaspoons of blood, which are then filtered through a series of 80,000 tiny tubes that search for the presence of certain proteins.  The process takes only eight hours.

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Last week, the first vaccine to extend the lives of lung cancer patients was approved in Cuba.  Though other similar vaccines are being tested around the world, the drug CimaVax EGF is the first to receive official endorsement; it is expected that CimaVax will be approved next in Peru, where it could be publicly accessible by the end of the year.

Unlike chemotherapy, CimaVax causes very few side effects.  It uses a modified protein that attacks only the cancer cells, causing minimal adverse reaction in patients.  Development for the vaccine began in 1992.

The cost of the treatment has not yet been determined.  Cuban officials, however, have stated that they will welcome foreigners who seek vaccine administration.  "It's possible to provide this vaccine to any patient, because it's available in Cuba, it's approved by the Cuban drug agency so we can market the vaccine in Cuba and we can receive patients from outside," said director of clinical investigations at Havana's molecular immunology center.

Americans, however, will have difficulty accessing CimaVax.  The trade embargo enacted in 1962 restricts travel to Cuba and will serious impede Americans' ability to try this new therapy.  In the US, CimaVax is in clinical trials and is not slated to finish for another two to three years.

Other cancer vaccines under development elsewhere include one made by Antigenics Inc against melanoma, and another made by Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc and licensed by drug giant Pfizer Inc that attacks deadly brain tumors.  For the full story, click here.

Recent consideration has been set forth by the MesoRC to embark upon a patient focused mesothelioma event. The format and focus of the event has yet to be decided, as we are trying to obtain as much feedback as possible before making any final decisions.

We want to hear from you!! We want to know what types of speakers you'd like to hear from, what format you would like the event to be, what topics are of interest to you, etc.

So, if you have a few seconds and want to share your thoughts with us, please fill out our quick Survey by Clicking Here.

Thank you!

It all started about 10 years ago, when Dr. Michele Carbone, director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of Hawaii and an accomplished chef, visited Turkey as a keynote speaker. He discovered that in several villages, 50 percent of the residents died of mesothelioma. Houses in these villages were constructed from soft volcanic rock containing erionite, a naturally occurring fibrous mineral similar to asbestos. Furthermore, “houses of death” were usually destroyed, sending the contaminated dust into the air for all to breathe. Carbone discovered that in some houses, everyone died, yet in other houses, made from the same material a few yards away, everyone remained healthy. This led to Carbone researching why some people remained harmless from the deadly toxin. Years of research resulting in a study Carbone published in the prestigious journal Nature revealed a genetic predisposition for mesothelioma.

Scientists call it a "gene-environment interaction." Carbone says he and his team are close to isolating that gene, which means more hope for early detection, treatment and a cure. They also identified the exposure to erionite as the likely trigger for developing the disease. Carbone became determined to reduce residents' contact with the mineral fiber and persuaded officials in Cappadocia, Turkey to construct a new village to prevent more illnesses and deaths. They wasted no time and eventually more than 2,000 people had new brick and mortar houses.

Carbone decided to take things a step further. He invited the Turkish surgeon general to attend the National Cancer Institute meeting last August at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in which he hosted. Of course, the visit included a multi-course gourmet dinner that Carbone prepared himself. During the visit, he convinced the surgeon general and members of the cancer institute that he needed to study early detection of mesothelioma in Cappadocia, where the high incidence allowed him to “get an answer in a short time at a fraction of the cost.” Unfortunately, no infrastructure existed, but the surgeon general agreed that the research called for a new hospital, and by April, the structure was completed.

Carbone has taken his research to the states and is currently studying three families with a high incidence of mesothelioma. For this work, the American Association for Cancer Research presented the prestigious Landon Innovator Award for the best international collaboration related to the advancement of cancer prevention research - a $100,000 grant over two years - to Carbone and his team of researchers in April. Carbone says, “This is a big issue and it’s my passion.”

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When Lexi Miletto's grandfather died three years ago, she found an outlet for her grief in writing letters -- to medical foundations, congressmen, and even Oprah Winfrey and the president. Lexi wrote these letters to call attention to the disease that killed him, mesothelioma.

Although she never heard back from Oprah or the president, she did get a call back in May from June Breit of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF). Breit invited Lexi to give the keynote address Friday, June 27, at the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma held in Washington, D.C. Lexi enthusiastically accepted the invitation. ''I was very excited about it,'' she said. ''It means a lot to me because I want to raise awareness for others so they won't have to suffer like my grandfather did.''

Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, worked a string of hard-labor jobs, including demolition and brick-making, where he could have been exposed to asbestos. His widow, Diane, thinks he inhaled the asbestos that would kill him when he served in the Navy, building ships.

Lexi’s goals are to increase mesothelioma research and raise money for it through fundraisers. She also wants to push a strong Capitol Hill lobby for a national asbestos ban.

To Read Lexi's Full Story, Click Here