Measuring Mesothelioma Treatment Response with Biomarkers

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is notoriously difficult to treat and physicians often have to try different combinations of treatment to produce a response. But how can they know if a particular treatment strategy work?

A team of researchers from Pisa, Italy, suggests that the three major biomarkers may be the answer. Soluble peptides linked to mesothelin (SMRP), osteopontin plasma (POPM) and vimentin have been studied as potential diagnostic tools.

But scientists at the University of Pisa say that these three key markers may also provide an effective method for physicians to monitor the effectiveness of a mesothelioma tumor response to treatment. This could improve the results of mesothelioma by allowing doctors to change course if they do not see the expected results.

Understanding Mesothelioma Biomarkers

Mesothelioma biomarkers are substances that are found in unusually high amounts in the blood, serum, or lung fluids of patients with mesothelioma. Because they are not present in healthy people, or present at much lower levels, they may be valuable for the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma or mesothelioma distinguish other lung diseases.

The presence of SMRP in the blood indicates damage to the mesothelial cells lining the membranes around the lungs. The test for SMRP called MESOMARK has become a staple of mesothelioma management in recent years.

Plasma osteopontin is a protein that plays a role in inflammation, including the type of inflammation caused by asbestos exposure. Vimentin is another protein. It is expressed in the mesenchymal cells that give rise to all the connective tissues of the body.

Biomarkers such as mesothelioma treatment monitors

To test the value of these three biomarkers as tools to measure response to mesothelioma treatment, researchers used 219 serum samples from 56 patients with pleural mesothelioma.

By calculating the changes in the levels of these biological markers over time and comparing them with each clinical course of the patient, physicians have shown that their levels fluctuated with mesothelioma response to treatment.

"SMRP, popn and vimentin showed statistically significant differences between the categories of disease, stable disease, partial response, and disease progression," wrote investigator Dr. Alessandra Bonotti mesothelioma.

The analysis showed that these three markers are particularly useful in cases of mesothelioma where there was either a partial response to treatment or when the tumor had progressed. "Their potential use in stabilizing the disease should be better studied," says Dr. Bonotti.