Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) August 28, 2013
A team of researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales say MUC1, a glycoprotein found on the outer surface of epithelial cells, is overexpressed in peritoneal mesothelioma. MUC1 is a mucin, a type of protein that helps protect the body against infection by binding with pathogens in the extracellular space and preventing them from entering cells.
Although MUC1 overexpression can predict poor survival in most cancers, and is often used to help diagnose mesothelioma, the Australian study is the first to measure its prognostic significance in mesothelioma, a rare cancer brought on by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma most often occurs on the membrane that lines the lungs but peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen. It accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of mesothelioma cases and, like all types of mesothelioma, is usually deadly.
Of the 42 peritoneal mesothelioma patients in the new study, 38 showed overexpression of MUC1. The significance of that overexpression was measured using the Kaplan-Meier method. Mesothelioma patients with a MUC1 level (based on immunohistochemical tests) between 5 and 8 had the lowest survival in all subtypes of tumors. Of the different variables tested – including tumor subtype, patient gender, peritoneal cancer index, and age at diagnosis – only a high MUC1 level and being over 60 years old at the time of diagnosis were consistently associated with poor outcomes.
Writing on their findings in the International Journal of Biological Markers, the authors conclude, “MUC1 evaluation by immunohistochemistry may serve as a useful prognostic tool in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, but may need further confirmation in larger patients’ cohort.” Earlier this year, the same team of researchers determined that high expression of BCL2, a protein that helps regulate cell death (apoptosis), is associated with a good prognosis for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.
In clinical practice, biomarkers are often used to help plan a treatment strategy for mesothelioma and other hard-to-treat cancers.
The original study appears in a recent issue of the International Journal of Biological Markers. (Pillai, K, et al, “MUC1 has prognostic significance in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma”, July 4, 2013, International Journal of Biological Markers, Epub head of print. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23828409)
For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/8/prweb11059859.htm
0 comments:
Post a Comment