MesotheliomaHelp has reported many times that pleural mesothelioma is caused when asbestos fibers lodge deep into the thin membrane that lines and encases the lungs, leading to inflammation, and ultimately, to the deadly cancer. Now, researchers look closer into that transformation to determine exactly how this happens and whether there are biomarkers that could be an early indication that mesothelioma is developing.
A team of researchers from the University of Vermont looked at lung epithelial cells and macrophages, white blood cells that fight infection, that were exposed to asbestos. Knowing it is these cells that are the first to encounter asbestos fibers when inhaled, they wanted to determine whether the secretions of the cells lead to the development of cancerous mesothelioma cells.
When the exosomes released by the cells that were exposed to asbestos were introduced to healthy mesothelial cells the scientists found “dramatic” changes within the “cancer-related genes” in the mesothelial cells. Mesothelial cells are from the mesothelium, a sac-like membrane that forms the lining of the pleura (thoracic cavity), and from which pleural mesothelioma derives its name.
According to the researchers, the cells, in effect, were communicating from one region of the body to another causing “significant genetic changes.”
“Our findings suggest that cells in one region of the body are capable of sending messages to cells in a distant location, and can cause significant genetic changes,” said Arti Shukla, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, in a March 19 press release announcing the findings. “This communication from injured or diseased cells to healthy cells has the potential to initiate changes that might lead to cancer or other diseases.”
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer leaving patients with few treatment options. Ongoing research is critically important to bring hope to patients that new, effective treatment or screening options are on the horizon.
The study also identified “remarkable potential” of the proteins within the exosomes to act as biomarkers that could point to the development or progression of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Although multiple biomarkers have been identified by previous studies, “there are no identified biomarkers to demarcate asbestos exposure before the presentation of disease and symptoms,” according to the Vermont researchers.
Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer, and countless researchers continue to search for an early detection method that can identify the cancer before it is in an advanced stage. Nearly all mesothelioma cases are diagnosed after the patient is faced with life-threatening complications, and survival is less than one year. The key to increased life expectancy, is early detection.
“This is the first report to indicate that asbestos–exposed cells secrete exosomes with differentially abundant proteins and that those exosomes have a gene-altering effect on mesothelial cells.”
Read the full study in the March 19 issue of The FASEB Journal.
The post Researchers Uncover How Communication Among Cells Can Lead to Mesothelioma appeared first on MesotheliomaHelp.org Cancer Organization.
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