Category Archives: Press Releases

Current press release information from the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, particularly regarding Veglin, FDA Phase III clinical trials.

USC Norris earns best-ever rating from National Cancer Institute

USC Norris earns best-ever rating from National Cancer Institute
The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Centered earned an “outstanding” distinction from the National Cancer Institute rating as part of its five-year core grant renewal process.

U.S.C. Norris earns best-ever rating from National Cancer Institute

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has received an elite score from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of its five-year core grant renewal process.

The June site review produced the best result ever for the cancer center, earning an “outstanding” distinction from the NCI reviewers.

“This highly laudatory review is a validation by the nation’s cancer experts of all the considerable effort and talent of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center senior leaders, program, and core directors and administration, “said Stephen B. Gruber, MD. PhD, MPH, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer.

“The NCI recognition reaffirms the center as a scientific leader as well as a vital community and regional resource,” said Carman A. Puliafino, MD, MBA, dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Established in 1971, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has benefited from continuous recognition and funding from the NCI since 1973, when it was named one of the original eight comprehensive cancer centers in the country. In its previous review, USC Norris had received a score in the range classified by the NCI as “excellent.”

“We are now poised to build upon the incredible accomplishment to further strengthen our efforts to push the boundaries of cancer discovery in order to better prevent, diagnose, treat and cure cancer,” said Gruber, an oncologist and geneticist who holds the H. Leslie and Elaine S. Hoffman Cancer Research Chair at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The review recommends continued full funding from the NCI to continue its support of a broad range of clinical, research and educational programs at USC Norris. The award is designed to reduce the impact of cancer upon the lives of people in California and beyond.

Oncologists, Genetic Testing and How To Target Cancer Tumors

Cancer Research is going in an entirely new direction based on genetic testing where tailored treatments can now focus on and cancer and genetic testingtarget specific cancer tumors.

And to demonstrate this, we will review a recent (2014) success story from a young man (23-years) who submitted by faith and determination to the investigative process of genetic testing with tailored drug treatments for cancer cure.

Original story:  Wall Street Journal: March 28, 2016 

In February 2014, after a lengthy struggle with a head-cold, nosebleeds and body fatigue, Evan Johnson, a senior student at the University of North Dakota, decided to visit the Mayo Clinic when he began to have bruises and chest pain.

Genetic testing at the Mayo Clinic discovered an acute form of Myeloid Leukemia; a cancer disease that forms, grows, and can  spread quickly through out the body.

Fortunate for Mr. Johnson, oncologists today are taking new directions with genetic testing to discover ways to make strong  offensive action against cancer.  The doctors know cancer can evolve to resist treatment(s), and they now use these complications as potential advantages to identify alternate cancer targets they can use different drug treatments on, as the cancer changes.

(Related Science)

The medical team working at the Mayo Clinic on Johnson’s case moved quickly in their investigative research to discover several effective treatments to use against the cancer genetic mutations that were pushing his disease.  While his end story is successful, Evan had to endure a failed stem cell transplant, six various  prescribed courses of medical treatment,  four cancer relapses and other life-threatening problems that occurred when treatment went beyond the desired effect.

For Evan’s mother, Carol Johnson:

We truly felt like we were in a war.  We didn’t know where the [cancer] enemy was at any given moment and what means [the cancer] was going to use to attack us next.

After nine months into his cancer treatment, Evan’s leukemia evolved and developed a new mutation, unexpectedly!  The change allowed the cancer to escape the cure of the treatment being administered.  But, the deviation in the cancer gave his oncologists  a new target that was vulnerable to other cancer fighting drugs.  Mr. Johnson’s doctors modified and fine-tuned their treatment for him and managed to defeat the leukemia; which cleared the way for Evan to receive a second, successful stem cell transplant. Consequently, Evan Johnson has been cancer free for more than a year.

Genetic Testing: Cancer Treatment’s
New Direction

Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, an oncologist at the Rochester,Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, is a team-member that assisted in Evan Johnson’s medical care.  Dr. Kasi says the medical team could see the cancer evolution  happen by regular genetic testing, which allowed Mr. Johnson’s treatment to be customized to his particular need.  “Personalization in real time… This is where oncology is headed down the line,” says Dr. Pashtoon Kasi.

According to Dr. Jose Baselga, chief physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York:

A decade ago, we were shooting in the dark.  If first-line or second-line treatments failed, we either had nothing to do next, or what we did was totally disconnected with the biology of the disease.

With today’s technology cancer patients with advanced forms of the disease can be treated at major health centers, expecting their tumors to be genetic sequenced.  The genetic testing provides a Genetic Testing Targets Cancer Mutationshope in finding a match to the many new drugs that target exactly and stop the cancer mutations that stimulate the cancer’s growth.  Good matches can produce excellent results with dramatic effect at reducing tumors, but “precision drug treatment” is not always a cure.  Sometimes the treatment is thwarted when a tumor evolves.  This forces oncologists to seek the identity of new mutations that can be stopped with effective treatment.

Oncologists, Genetic Testing and New Cancer Treatments: A Game of Whack-a-Mole

The research process of identifying new mutations and matching the next precision drug treatment to stop cancer growth is.. “like a Whack-a-Mole game,” according to Dr. Baselga.  Each attempt to solve the cancer problem is piece-meal resulting only in temporary or minor improvement.  And as new mutations occur, the medical strategy is to find a new treatment (hammer) to hit it with.

But the real challenge to this approach of medical treatment is finding drugs that treat cancer-causing mutations; there just aren’t that many, yet.  For example, a drug found that works on a patient with melanoma might not be successful on a colon-cancer patient, even if they have the same mutation.  And, sometimes a drug that is not yet approved for the type of cancer being treated is suggested based upon DNA tests that match the tumor mutation, which jeopardizes the possibility of compensation for expensive drugs.

Regarding this method of cancer treatment, Dr. Kasi says:

It’s not for every patient or [form of] cancer.  But as we develop more drugs and understand more [treatment] pathways, it would be a reasonable option for a lot of our patients.

Evan Johnson returned to his home after spending 17 months at the Mayo Clinic enduring medical Whack-a-Mole, being released with a good chance of sustained, durable remission of Myeloid Leukemia and the cancer’s genetic mutations.

An account of Evan’s case has been published by Dr. Pashtoon M. Kasi, Mark R. Litzow, Mrinal M. Patnaik, Shahrukh K. Hashmi, and Naseema Gangat in the journal:

Leukema Research Reports (January 2016)

 

GRAPHENE strips as “flying carpets” deliver cancer cure drugs

GRAPHENE – New Research
That May Help Mesothelioma Victims

Graphene-molecule

An international team of researchers has developed a drug delivery technique that utilizes GRAPHENE strips as “flying carpets” to deliver drugs to cancer cells.  The technique was found to perform better well when tested in a mouse model targeting a human lung cancer tumor.

Graphene Tests Succeed

GRAPHENE successfully proved itself in lab tests against six kinds of cancer cells. Flaked Graphene oxide preferentially hits these cancers right in the stem cells.

The Graphene strip works when a cancer drug treatment can be physically integrated and bound to it because of similar molecular structures of Graphene and the drug.  So, various drug treatments can be attached to the surface of the Graphene by a combination of amino acids known as peptides.

Dr. Parkish Gill, on behalf of the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America will determine if there is a way to apply and proceed with his non-chemotherapy treatments using the Graphene strip technique.

Click this link to read the complete story

Money Goes to Effective, Ongoing Cancer Research and Treatment

DISTRICT COUNCIL 16 GIVES $200,000 FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Money Goes to Effective,
Ongoing Cancer Research and Treatment

By Robert Buscemi

The United Association Southern California Pipe Trades Council 16 presented the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America with a check for $200,000 at the Council’s annual holiday lunch.

2015-02-district-16-donation
DC 16 gives a landmark amount to a worthy cause: (l-r) Shane Rucker, Dr. Parkash Gill, Elizabeth Paul, Jerry Neil Paul and John Ferruccio.

The money, all raised in 2014, will go toward a cure for mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. District Council 16 Director of Organizing John Ferruccio emceed the event December 12 at the Dodger Stadium Club. He held off announcing the impressive dollar figure until after the speeches, when a drum roll from the house band built the excitement.

“Every year, as you know, one of our main fundraisers is to find a cure for this unfortunate disease,” Ferruccio told more than 150 attendees. “Mostly, mesothelioma is affecting our grandfathers, fathers and fathers-in-law. It’s gotten a lot better over the years.”

Ferruccio said the Council hosts an annual golf tournament and skeet-shooting events. In addition, the State Building and Construction Trade Council of California raises money through the annual Roger Hamilton golf invitational.

The foundation, known as MESORFA, was founded in 2001 by attorney Jerry Neil Paul, his wife Elizabeth Ann Paul and retired California Pipe Trades Representative and past Vice President of the State Building and Construction Trade Council, Jim Kellogg.

2015-02-district-16-donation-elizabeth-paul
“To bring a treatment to the public costs tens of millions of dollars,” Elizabeth Paul tells the crowd.

In thanking District Council 16, MESORFA Executive Director Elizabeth Paul explained that all funding goes toward research rather than administration.

“All of this money goes directly to fund a lab at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center here in Los Angeles. We use 100 percent of every dollar donated toward research, for clinical trials and to fund the lab. Nothing goes for the foundation – those costs are privately underwritten.”

Cancer Research Costs Millions

Paul said such research is never cheap, and other cancers get more attention and funding than mesothelioma, especially in a tight economy. Indeed, she said, MESORFA operates on a shoestring budget. “I know people don’t understand that, but to bring a treatment to the public costs tens of millions of dollars.”

As such, Paul said District Council 16’s annual contribution is crucial.

“Everybody was extremely generous. Families took care of families. My husband Jerry and I are big on family. Your leaders at District Council 16 view your members as family. Because they have gone out of their way to make sure that there are treatments and cures for this horrible disease.”

The disease hits especially hard at workers who have been exposed to asbestos, as many Pipe Trades and other Building Trades were before protections were put in place against the toxic substance. Even now, workers confront the hazard at some job sites.

Paul then introduced Dr. Parkash Gill, who reported that he has made huge strides at his lab through the development of Veglin, a drug that treats the disease.

“I’m honored to be part of it,” Gill said. “It’s a worthy cause. I’m a cancer research doctor, so finding a treatment for patients really is a rewarding experience. When somebody is ill and they get better and they go home and never see you again, it’s wonderful.”

Gill said that patients are already seeing positive results at treatment advances. He said certain efforts have been completely successful.

“This medicine, we have given to a 78-year-old patient. Two or three years out now, there’s no cancer left and no side effects.”

Possible New Treatment for Mesothelioma with MicroRNA Research

Today’s cancer cure researcher will frequently dig deep into the genetic makeup of the cancer disease to understand how it grows.  While in search for the most effective treatment to cure lung cancer and mesothelioma, and by genetically figuring that out, the researcher can stop the aggressive cancers by halting its growth.  Currently, Oncologists believe that a pair of microRNAs should be focused on for suppressing tumor growth in lung cancer.microRNA genetic research mesothelioma

microRNAs, or miRNAs, are tiny molecules found within cells that serve a function in primary biological processes.  These processes include organ development, fat metabolism, and cell proliferation.  A person remains healthy when miRNAs are functioning properly.  And, miRNAs can inhibit tumor growth when used as a therapeutic agent.

While miRFAs let-7 and miR-34 are known to be effective individually at stopping cancer growth, researchers at the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) found that by combining these two molecules the pair are even more effective.

MicroRNA and Lung Cancer

Specifically, the miRNAs were unleashed on cancer pathways RAS and p53, two oncogenes, genes that have the potential to transform a cell into a cancer cell, known to lead to the aggressive growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  The resulting two-molecule agent was found to be safe and effective in a lung cancer mouse model and demonstrated efficacy showing survival advantage.

According to one of the authors, Frank Slack, PhD (Director of the Institute for RNA Medicine in BIDMC):   “We know that miRNAs target many oncogenes.  We, therefore, hypothesized that a combination of two miRNAs could similarly offset resistance.  We have performed these timely in vivo studies using a liposomal microRNA delivery agent already in clinical trials, which could accelerate the translation of this combinatorial miRNA therapeutic approach into the clinic.”

Dr. Slack also said that currently there are no approved drugs that are effective for patients with RAS and p53 mutations. He mentioned reports that the K-RAS mutation is found in 25 percent of NSCLC patients while 50 percent are affected by the p53 mutation.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer equally as aggressive as NSCLC, is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year.  And while microRNA research is focused on lung cancer, every new breakthrough in lung cancer research also brings new hope to patients with mesothelioma cancer.

The study was published in the Sept. 1 issue of Oncogene.

New Drug Targets Cancer Caused By Asbestos

May 26, 2014

Mesothelioma lung cancer can come to those persons who loved, and simply hugged their parent who worked around asbestos.  For example, now at age 45, Heather Von St. James recalls her father working as a building demolition employee around materials containing asbestos.  He would return home each day thoroughly covered by dirt and dust. She remembers how much she enjoyed hugging her father each night.mesothelioma-studies

By age 36, Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the deadly yet to be cured cancer connected with exposure to asbestos particles.  Mesothelioma can take decades to develop and it often kills within months after symptoms appear. Heather was a new mother to a 3-month-old daughter, and she was told her only chance to live was by having a lung removed.

In 2013, more than 107,000 people died worldwide from mesothelioma.  However, Heather opted for the surgery instead, and removed the disease in time to stay alive.   According to Ms. St. James, “There’s a lot of people who don’t.”

Fortunately for other people with mesothelioma, or those that will discover they have the deadly disease, a new wave of drugs developed and being tested are giving new hope that mesothelioma cancer may be slowed or stopped.  Drug researchers, like Verastem Inc. (VSTM), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), and Dr. Parkash Gill of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center have announced that they are testing new cancer fighting drugs.

According to Dean Fennell, a lead researcher doing a trial study with a new drug by Verastem:

“[Mesothelioma] is not a curable cancer; it’s not a disease that can be wiped out completely by surgery as you see with lung cancer. Finding ways to stop that process or slow it down can have big implications for patient survival.”

Unlike lung cancers, Mesothelioma affects the cell tissues that cover the lungs.  It can also affect the tissues around the heart and abdominal organs.  Like all cancers, mesothelioma is treated by doctors with cutting the cancer tissue out, or irradiating it, but both methods sometimes have dangerous side effects.

New Drugs Offer New Hope to Replace Old Treatments

Verastem (based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts) has developed a drug (VS-6063) that is now in late-stage human testing. Consecutively, Glaxo (based out of London) has a compound that is being tried in combination with another product in an early-stage study. The drugs from these two companies each target an enzyme involved in cell movement that permits the cancer to spread.

The enzyme is a key marker of aggressive cancers and is overabundant in many tumors that spread quickly. Also, patients with an inactive gene called Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) respond well to the test drugs being developed where nearly half of mesothelioma patients have inactive NF2s.

In the U.S. and Europe, the VS-6063 treatment has been granted orphan drug status.  This means that Verastem with their VS-6063 product is given seven (7) years of exclusive marketing.  A Bloomberg report states that according to four (4) analysts, the VS-6063 drug could possibly generate $450 million in sales by 2019 if the product is cleared for public use.

Earliest Stage

Defactinib is the medicine that targets early stage cancer stem cells.  These are considered to be theorigin of the cancer and frequently are resistant to existing therapies.   The cancer stem cells for mesothelioma are known to be particularly resistant to chemotherapy.

Now, Mr. Dean Fennell does not have an economic connection with Verastem, nor is he a paid consultant to the company.  And yet, Mr. Fennell (who is chairman of thoracic medical oncology at the University of Leicester in England) stated during an interview:

“The hope is we can suppress the cancer in such a way that it becomes a more chronic disease, rather than have a disease that’s going to progress relentlessly and kill the patient”

Verastem with a market value of about $215 million is developing the drug assisted by several renowned pharmaceutical companies providing guidance. The development team includes former Genzyme Corp. CEO Henri Termeer; Human Genome Project leader Eric Lander; and Phillip Sharp, a Nobel laureate at Biogen Idec Inc.

Other Drug Combinations

Under a license from Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc of London is testing a drug called tremelimumab, on mesothelioma in a mid-stage trial. The treatment works differently from the other developmental drugs in that it helps the patient’s immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells.  According to

Carolyn Buser-Doepner (VP for tumor signaling at Glaxo, the U.K.’s biggest drugmaker), there are plans to combine a new drug GSK2256098 with some other medicines to potentially make cancer treatments more effective.  In one early-stage trial, it will be paired up with Glaxo’s Mekinist, which is approved for melanoma.  She said, “The pre-clinical data are very encouraging. We’re very excited about it.”

Boehringer’s Drug

A fourth drug, nintedanib from Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, is in early-stage testing for mesothelioma, according to a spokesman. Unlike the previous mentioned medicines, this one works by targeting proteins directly related to the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors.

According to the director of research at the British Lung Foundation, Noel Snell, the kind of research studies most likely to yield improvements in cancer care are those that investigate the nature of the disease itself.  Still, treatments being tested today on mesothelioma are most encouraging.

Snell said in a statement:

“It is shameful that this kind of fundamental research remains so drastically underfunded, and that the number of trials available for mesothelioma patients is still dwarfed so dramatically by the number available to other cancer patients.”

Dr. Gill and EphB4 Treatment

For several years, Dr. Parkash Gill of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has proceeded with Phase I Clinical Trials with the new cancer fighting drug Eph-B4 made available to qualifying mesothelioma patients. With generous support from the Mesothelioma Research
Foundation of America
, the initial Phase I Trial Eph-B4 has been available to newly diagnosed patients who have not Ask Dr. Gill about the most recent clinical trials avaialbleundergone any conventional lung cancer treatment options, as well as those patients who have exhausted all other treatment options such as surgery and chemotherapy.

The results of these recent clinical trials have truly been exciting as Dr. Gill reports that Eph-B4 is showing great promise as a solo treatment, or in conjunction with other drugs like Alimta, Cisplatin and Carboplatin.

The research of Dr. Gill, in conjunction with similar studies by other Oncologists, have improved the understanding among Primary Care physicians about the detection process, and given them better options to offer patients with lung cancer including mesothelioma.

Eph-B4 as a Better Treatment

Treatments have also gotten better because we now understand two principles: a)molecular changes in lung cancer with very specific mutations; and b)medication (like Eph-B4) that is specific to addressing the treatment of only one cellular abnormality.

As Dr. Gill with the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America continues the goal to make mesothelioma a disease of the past, our understanding of the human body immune system has also improved.    From this we have Eph-B4, an immune specific treatment that assists a patient with lung cancer to live longer with fewer side effects.

His studies have contributed to the evolution of mesothelioma cancer research over the last decade.  Collectively, researchers are producing a canonical story in which the range of research works has grown a consensus among recognized oncologists and Primary Care physicians of a “great” or “major” break through with the two principles mentioned above.  Basically, we can now identify subsets of cancer in a patient at the molecular level and bring a retardant treatment (immunity) to that cancer in those patients.  And this observation continues to this day to be repeated by many research projects.  More than ever before, researchers continue to identify specific cancer mutations and use similar drugs to shut down these cancers and improve patient survival.

Asbestos: The Miracle Fiber That Kills

Asbestos was named the “miracle fiber,” but has become the topic and issue of many lawsuits claiming losses as well as damages from illness caused by asbestos products.  It was commonly used in building materials such as insulation for years because it was cheap, abundant and heat-resistant.

Many countries have banned asbestos mining.  However, the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 125 million people worldwide continue to be exposed to asbestos either at work or in their homes because it continues to be mined and made into  products from in RussiaChina and India.

Unfortunately, mesothelioma cancer can lay dormant for as long as 50 years before spreading, which explains why rates have risen long after many countries have banned the asbestos.

New cases of mesothelioma cancer in the United Kingdom, where asbestos was restricted starting in the 1980s and outlawed fully in 2006, were 2,125 in 2012.  These numbers are expected to peak in 2015.  In the United States, the number of new cancer cases has been stable, hovering around 3,000 per year since 2000.  This stability was expected because of extensive efforts put into public education.  Still, a complete ban of Asbestos in the U.S. was overturned in the courts.  One of the world’s largest asbestos exporters, Canada, closed its remaining mines in 2011.

An Asian Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer ‘Tsunami’

In Japan, asbestos was banned in 2006, the Japanese government pays the full cost of treatment for related illnesses, and rate of new cases of cancer are predicted to continue rising until 2027.  The director of a World Health Organization occupational health group, Ken Takahashi, has warned Asian governments to prepare themselves for an “asbestos tsunami.”

Again, Dean Fennell reminds us:

 “In the early ’70s, this was an incredibly rare disease. Now my clinic is full of patients with mesothelioma. Because the rates are increasing, we have a real need now to identify effective treatment.”

A cure for mesothelioma can not be found fast enough.  Still, there are survivors like Heather Von St. James, who breaths with great effort during Minnesota winters with her one remaining lung, and she volunteers her time to be a coach to other mesothelioma patients.   By her personal experience with mesothelioma, she wants other victims of mesothelioma to understand:

 “If they can keep it under control,
that’s the first hope.”

 

Eph-B4: An Improvement and Better Options for Lung Cancer Patients

PRESS RELEASE
February 23, 2014

Ask Dr. Gill about the most recent clinical trials avaialbleFor several years, Dr. Parkash Gill of the USCNorrisComprehensiveCancerCenter has proceeded with Phase I Clinical Trials with the new cancer fighting drug Eph-B4 made available to qualifying mesothelioma patients. With generous support from the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, the initial Phase I Trial Eph-B4 has been available to newly diagnosed patients who have not undergone any conventional lung cancer treatment options, as well as those patients who have exhausted all other treatment options such as surgery and chemotherapy.

The results of these recent clinical trials have truly been exciting as Dr. Gill reports that Eph-B4 is showing great promise as a solo treatment, or in conjunction with other drugs like Alimta, Cisplatin and Carboplatin.

The research of Dr. Gill, in conjunction with similar studies by other Oncologists, have improved the understanding among Primary Care physicians about the detection process, and given them better options to offer patients with lung cancer including mesothelioma.

Improvements for cancer patients

Early detection of lung cancer has improved with the use of Spiral CT scanners.  Computed tomography (CT) is an imaging procedure that uses special x-ray equipment to create a series of detailed pictures, or scans, of areas inside the body. It is also called computerized tomography and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning.   In cancer, CT may be used to help detect abnormal growths; to help diagnose tumors; to provide information about the extent, or stage, of disease; to help in guiding biopsy procedures or in planning treatment; to determine whether a cancer is responding to treatment; and to monitor for recurrence.  For people who do not have lung cancer but are at risk, the proper and early use of a CT scanner with annual inspections can reduce mortality rates in the US by 20%.

Eph-B4 as a Better Treatment

Treatments have also gotten better because we now understand two principles: a)molecular changes in lung cancer with very specific mutations; and b)medication (like Eph-B4) that is specific to addressing the treatment of only one cellular abnormality.  If you have symptoms of digestive problems, you should seek assistance regarding how long after taking Pepcid can I take Zofran.

As Dr. Gill with the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America continues the goal to make mesothelioma a disease of the past, our understanding of the human body immune system has also improved.    From this we have Eph-B4, an immune specific treatment that assists a patient with lung cancer to live longer with fewer side effects.

Our research has contributed to the evolution of mesothelioma cancer research over the last decade.  Collectively, researchers are producing a canonical story in which the range of research works has grown a consensus among recognized oncologists and Primary Care physicians of a “great” or “major” break through with the two principles mentioned above.  Basically, we can now identify subsets of cancer in a patient at the molecular level and bring a retardant treatment (immunity) to that cancer in those patients.  And this observation continues to this day to be repeated by many research projects.  More than ever before, researchers continue to identify specific cancer mutations and use similar drugs to shut down these cancers and improve patient survival.

The Future in Lung Cancer Research

The development of research in cancer resistance will be the next wave of understanding and will lead research teams into novel ways to overcome cancer resistance to treatments.  This will include discovery efforts through second and third generation cancer inhibitors; incorporation of other cancer targets that may be found; and possibly adding inhibitors that may change protein folding associated with molecular cancer mutation.  Each new discovery makes an opportunity to also create a specific, focused drug treatment.

Going forward with mesothelioma cancer research, our researchers will also begin defining those cancer mutations in which there is no antigen driver.  We will learn how to integrate targeted agents, how to sequence and / or combine them to inhibit multiple cancer growth signals.  Future research will also teach us how to do inhibitor agent integration so that the toxicity of the treatment is most effective and safe for the cancer patient.

Lung Cancer Early Detection Saves Lives

The cancer research industry and medical doctors practicing lung cancer treatment will become more proficient at explaining the benefits of the complex investigation associated with lung cancer screening tests.  Primary care physicians will become more knowledgeable and comfortable with their understanding of the new research about lung cancer.  Presentations about lung cancer screening and its benefits will help persons at risk of lung cancer to have less fear about the process and discover how screening saves lives; maybe their life.  While considering the costs and benefits of lung cancer screening, one must also balance the perspective with the knowledge of 160,000 persons who die each year from lung cancer, which many might be saved by choosing lung cancer screening.

Phase II Clinical Trials of Eph-B4 to Soon Begin

Dr. Gill has several mesothelioma cancer victims currently in the Phase I clinical trial using the Eph-B4 drug, and being treated at USCNorrisComprehensiveCancerCenter in Los Angeles.  The improved results these cancer patients are displaying are very encouraging to the USC Norris cancer research team.  Consequently, Dr. Gill has recently received permission from the FDA to enter into clinical trials for Phase II.  This study will proceed and include cancer patients with mesothelioma as well as pancreatic cancer.

Contact Dr. Gill for more information: (800) 909-6376 or www.mesorfa.org (ask Dr. Gill)

Reference:

  • Dr. Parkash S. Gill is a professor of Medicine and Pathology and leads the MesoRFA.org research team.
  • The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America has a mission: fund research that will lead to the quickest cure for mesothelioma. Since 2001, the foundation has funded the Cancer Research Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Gill at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.  Dr. Gill (a board certified oncologist and hematologist) has received FDA approval to provide Clinical Trials for lung cancer patients using new treatment drugs with research 100% funded by the foundation.  We are all very excited at the possibilities of a more effective treatment over what presently is available for lung cancer victims.

Phase II Clinical Trials of CRS-207 New Cancer Vaccine Begin

CRS-207 Clinical Trials Proceed

The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America is pleased to announce that Aduro Bio Tech has begun conducting phase II clinical trials on a new cancer vaccine called CRS-207.  Aduro Bio Tech has enlisted the first group of mesothelioma patients that will take the experimental vaccine.CRS-207 mesothelioma vaccination

CRS-207 comes from a relatively new field of study called Immunology that has recently been at the forefront of mesothelioma research.  Immunology is the practice of working with the bodys natural immune system to succor the body and manipulate its ability to ward off cancer cells. CRS-207 is classified as a type of immunotherapy.

CRS-207 Boosting the immune system

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), cancer vaccines stimulate the immune system to attack diseased cells that are marked by specific antigens.  Using CRS-207, scientists also hope that this reaction will cause the immune system to remember the malignancy and prevent it from coming back.

Therapeutic vaccines are typically formulated with cancer cells, parts of cells or antigens, according to the ACS.  Aduro’s candidate treatment CRS-207 uses proprietary attenuated Listeria monocytogenes strains to trigger an immune response against mesothelin tumor-associated antigen. This protein can be found on tumors associated with mesothelioma, non-small-cell lung cancer and malignancies of the ovaries and pancreas.

The new CRS-207 drug is a derivative from a weakened version of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that is the cause of a food-born illness known as Listeriosis. Scientists have manipulated the bacteria in order to generate an immune response to stop cells from producing mesothelin, a tumor-associated antigen that is produced by various types of cancer cells including those produced by mesothelioma.

Phase I of the CRS-207 vaccine trials was concluded on 17 mesothelioma patients, all of who were in various stages of the mesothelioma disease.  Although mesothelioma patients in the advanced stages face a very short life expectancy of a few months, six out of 17 patients who took the CRS-207 vaccine lived 15 months or longer.

Phase II trials will have newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients begining treatment by receiving two CRS-207 vaccinations in addition to the traditional mesothelioma chemotherapy treatment of cisplatin with pemetrexed. Once chemotherapy has concluded, the patients with receive at least two more doses of CRS-207. A group of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer will also participate in phase two trials.

Dr. Scott Antonia of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida and Dr. Raffit Hassan of the National Cancer Institute are leading the clinical trials. Phase II trials of CRS-207 will center on testing for safety and efficacy in efforts to create the best dosage profile. Patients in the early stages of mesothelioma are currently being enrolled, with trials set to end by December 13th.

The study of Immunotherapy has been an expanding topic among leading mesothelioma researchers, with several recent developments yielding positive results among patients. Asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma have long been plagued with low survival rates.  Several recent developments in Immunology have produced new hope among the mesothelioma community as well as other groups in the fight against mesothelioma cancer.

More Mesothelioma Cancer Press Releases

Other Alternative CRS-207 Treatments for Mesothelioma

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PhRMA Golf Invitational raises $11,000 for mesothelioma cancer cure research

October 29, 2012

PhRMA Golf Invitational

The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America was blessed with a sixth and final event to finish our 2012 season of  fundraising efforts. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America hosted a Golf Invitational at the Napa Valley Country Club, and with the assistance and support of the California State Building and Construction Trades the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America was the benefactor of the event! The event’s proceeds totaled nearly $11,000, of which 100% will go towards research in finding a cure for mesothelioma!

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Mesothelioma Treatment Stages

Mesothelioma is the term used for a cancerous tumor, which involves the mesothelioma cells of lungs, heart or abdominal organs. Mesothelioma medical experts provide treatment to a patient after assessing the developmental stage of the cancer in patient’s particular case.  The location of the cancer, the level to which it is spread and the age and general health condition of the patient are analyzed by the medical specialist.

Four Stages of Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a disease in which the malignant cells are found in the sac that lines the chest or abdomen. There are four stages of malignant mesothelioma.
mesothelioma

Stage One – Localized Mesothelioma

The first stage is localized mesothelioma and the remaining three are considered advanced stages of mesothelioma. Localized mesothelioma is the phase wherein the cancer is discovered in the lung, diaphragm or in the lining of the chest cavity. The patients in their first stage of mesothelioma get their cancer surgically removed by pleurectomy or decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Stage Two

In the second stage, the cancer is detected to have spread beyond the lining of the chest cavity.

Stage Three

In the third stage, the tumor growth spreads into several areas that include chest wall, center of the chest, heart, and throughout the diaphragm. The treatment in the second, third and fourth stages of mesothelium are done in tandem with supportive care. The treatment for these advanced stages focuses on providing a patient with relief from symptoms, as total cure is generally not achieved. The treatment methodology includes thoracentesis that removes fluid accumulation in the chest cavity, operations to remove the tumor and radiation therapy or chemotherapy aimed at easing symptoms.

Stage Four

In the fourth stage, the cancer is in the process of distant metastasis, which implies that it has spread to other organs and tissues far from its site of origin in the pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial mesothelium. Patients suffering from the fourth stage should enroll themselves in clinical trials that evaluate the newest treatment possibilities in large medical centers. Pain management is an essential aspect of the care of such patients. It is important for patients to know that medications are available to effectively treat pain due to mesothelioma. They should request pain medications or discuss pain control problems with their cancer care team.

Discover more about treatment options, and in particular clinical trials for mesothelioma at the web site for Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America.

MesoRFA.org provides detailed information on Mesothelioma Treatment, Mesothelioma Treatment Options, Alternative Mesothelioma Treatment, New Mesothelioma Treatment and more.