Mesothelioma

Investigators in Australia discovered that abnormally high concentrations of soluble mesothelin in pleural and peritoneal effusions are highly suggestive of mesothelioma. Knowing this they are hopeful that they might be able to recognize the disease before it spreads too far. “Measurement of mesothelin in effusions…might be a useful adjunct to serum analysis in patients with suspected malignancy,” Dr. Jenette Creaney, at the University of Western Australia in Nedlands, and associates advise.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence(NICE) in the UK has decided to give mesothelioma patients access to the NHS, the only licensed drug. This drug has the ability to releive the pain that mesothelioma patients go through and can possibly prolong their life span. Unite, the UK’s biggest union in the UK, has welcomed this decision with open arms.