New Research Highlights Value of Protein Test in Mesothelioma Prognosis, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) May 30, 2016 -- Doctors in Italy say mesothelioma patients with the highest levels of a protein that governs immune response may live longer than patients with lower levels. Surviving Mesothelioma has just posted an article on the new research. Click here to read it now.
Researchers at cancer centers in Genoa and La Spezia, Italy tested the blood serum, tumors, and lung fluid of 45 mesothelioma patients for CTLA-4, a protein that downregulates the immune system and helps mesothelioma cells “hide” from it.
“A homogeneous favorable prognostic effect was found for CTLA-4 overexpression in tissue, serum and pleural effusion,” reports lead study author Dr. Silvio Roncella of ASL5 in La Spezia.
The new study., which was published in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, found that 56 percent of the mesothelioma tissues tested expressed CTLA-4 at various levels.
“Prognostic tests are valuable not only as a way to predict mesothelioma survival, but also as tools for mesothelioma treatment planning,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “We are committed to keeping our readers informed when a biomarker like CTLA-4 shows promise as a prognostic tool.”
Read more about the potential of CTLA-4 in mesothelioma prognostic testing in the article Protein May Be Key to Mesothelioma Prognosis, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Roncella, Silvio, et al, “CTLA-4 in mesothelioma patients: tissue expression, body fluid levels and possible relevance as a prognostic factor”, May 20, 2016, Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, Epub ahead of print, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00262-016-1844-3
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
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