Scientists Say Blood Sodium Could Predict Mesothelioma Outcomes, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
(PRWEB) August 27, 2014 -- A new study at an Italian university finds that patients who develop a condition called hyponatraemia, or low blood sodium levels, during chemotherapy are less likely to respond to the treatment. Surviving Mesothelioma has just posted a comprehensive article on the new research. Click here to read it now.
Oncologists at Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona measured the blood sodium levels of 69 mesothelioma patients who had chemotherapy at their hospital during a ten-year period.
“The onset of hyponatraemia during the treatment was significantly related to a worsened median overall survival,” writes the study’s lead author, Dr. Rossana Berardi.
The study, published in Support Care for Cancer, suggests that testing for hyponatraemia can be a way to predict a patient’s response to chemotherapy and plan treatment strategies.
“Prognostic indicators can be an important part of treatment planning in mesothelioma because these patients have no time to waste,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “This is the first study to link hyponatraemia with mesothelioma survival.”
To better understand what hyponatraemia is and how it may impact mesothelioma survival, see Sodium Levels Predict Mesothelioma Survival, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Berardi, R, et al, “Hyponatraemia is a predictor of clinical outcomes for malignant pleural mesothelioma”, August 21, 2014, Support Care in Cancer, Epub ahead of print, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25142706.
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.
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
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