New Mesothelioma Blood Biomarker: A new discovery by Scientists

Need help with early diagnosis, prognosis accuracy and the personalization of treatment? Good news is: An international team of scientists have recently identified a new blood Biomarker for that.

Discovery led to identification of activin A, which is a protein complex found in the blood. Hopefully it is going to be a potential target for future therapies.

Blood derived biomarkers are important because they can be noninvasively measured, even at multiple stages, They can help make the best personalized therapeutic decisions, a scientist noted.

activin A levels of 129 patients were measured, 16 patients with nonmalignant pleural diseases and 45 healthy people for a comparison were on the diagnosis list in four different locations.

Researchers found significantly higher activin A levels in patients with mesothelioma and increased tumor volume correlated directly with the higher levels of the circulating protein. They also discovered patients with lower levels of activin A at diagnosis lived significantly longer.

Study results showed patients diagnosed with lower levels of activin A had an average survival time of 735 days. Those with higher levels survived an average of 365 days, regardless of treatment decisions.

The prognostic benefit of activin A is most effective in patients younger than 66, according to the study. The authors also said the biomarker was more effective for those with the epithelioid histology.

While the diagnostic and prognostic benefits may be immediate, therapeutic gains may take years. Previous preclinical in vitro studies have shown mesothelioma tumor cells potentially use activin A signaling to support growth, but more studies are needed to confirm how.

“If this signaling becomes [treatable] with targeted therapy, it might have therapeutic relevance,” Balazs said. “But we are not there yet.”