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A blood
test may identify the often difficult to diagnose cancer
called mesothelioma, new research suggests. The blood test,
along with a lung fluid test, looks for a protein in plasma
called fibulin-3 that indicates whether a person has
mesothelioma, which is often triggered by asbestos exposure,
or was simply exposed to asbestos. The author said that in
the mesothelioma patients, fibulin-3 was four to five times
higher than in asbestos-exposed individuals. Mesothelioma
develops in the linings of the lungs, chest, abdomen and
heart. A major risk factor for the disease is working or
living in areas where asbestos is present, according to the
investigators. That risk is made worse if someone smokes.
Asbestos, a fibrous material resistant to heat and many
chemicals, was used in many construction and plumbing
products. It's also found in brake parts on cars and trucks.
Mesothelioma may develop years, often decades after exposure
to asbestos. Symptoms of the disease include shortness of
breath, cough, chest pain, weight loss and night sweats. By
the time people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the
survival time is often about 12 months. That's why
investigators have been trying to identify a so-called
‘biomarker,’ such as fibulin-3, that could lead to earlier
detection and probably more effective treatment of
mesothelioma. The researchers tested for fibulin-3 in 92
people with mesothelioma, 136 people who were exposed to
asbestos but didn't have cancer, 93 patients with fluid in
their lungs that wasn't caused by mesothelioma and 43
healthy people with no asbestos exposure. They also tested
lung fluid in 74 people with mesothelioma, 39 with fluid in
their lungs but no cancer and 54 with fluid in their lungs
and a cancer other than mesothelioma. Plasma levels of
fibulin-3 were significantly higher when mesothelioma was
present, the study found. And when lung fluid was tested,
the researchers had similar results. Overall, the
investigators found that measuring fibulin-3 levels result
in 96.7 sensitivity and a specificity of 95.5 percent.
Researcher noted that, the current work needs to be
validated and needed a large trial of people who were
exposed to asbestos but don't have symptoms to see if
fibulin-3 can pick up mesothelioma well before symptoms
appear. Additional tests need to confirm that the test
works, and if it makes a difference. |