Editors Choice
Coronavirus 2019 Infectious Disease Epidemic: Where We Are, What Can Be Done and Hope For
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads mainly by means of aerosols (microdroplets) in enclosed environments, especially those in which temperature and humidity are regulated by means of air-conditioning. About 30% of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. Among them, approximately 25% require hospitalization. In medicine, cases are identified as those who become ill. During this pandemic, cases have been identified as those with a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test, including approximately 70% who were asymptomatic—this has caused unnecessary anxiety.Does Chromothripsis Make Mesothelioma an Immunogenic Cancer?
In this issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Mansfield et al. report the occurrence of interchromosomal or intrachromosomal rearrangements with a frequent pattern of chromothripsis or chromoplexy in 28 treatment-naive patients with malignant mesothelioma (MM), irrespective of the different tumor subtypes.1 The analysis was conducted by a mate-pair sequencing (MPseq)/RNA sequencing approach. Mansfield et al.1 identified chromosomal rearrangements associated with amplification and deletions of numerous chromosomal segments affecting several genes, including cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A gene (CDKN2A), neurofibromin 2 gene (NF2), and BRCA1 associated protein 1 gene (BAP1) copy losses, as reported in previous studies of MM.Current and Future Management of Malignant Mesothelioma: A Consensus Report from the National Cancer Institute Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
On March 28– 29, 2017, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Thoracic Malignacy Steering Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation convened the NCI–International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer– Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Planning Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. The goal of the meeting was to bring together lead academicians, clinicians, scientists, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to focus on the development of clinical trials for patients in whom malignant pleural mesothelioma has been diagnosed.Progress in the Management of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in 2017
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an uncommon, almost universally fatal, asbestos-induced malignancy. New and effective strategies for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment are urgently needed. Herein we review the advances in MPM achieved in 2017. Whereas recent epidemiological data demonstrated that the incidence of MPM-related death continued to increase in United States between 2009 and 2015, new insight into the molecular pathogenesis and the immunological tumor microenvironment of MPM, for example, regarding the role of BRCA1 associated protein 1 and the expression programmed death receptor ligand 1, are highlighting new potential therapeutic strategies.Improving the Accuracy of Mesothelioma Diagnosis in China
In the Western world, malignant mesothelioma (MM) is most prevalent in the pleura of older males who have been professionally exposed to asbestos. Information about MM from rapidly industrializing countries such as China is minimal. There is concern that a proportion of MM diagnoses in China may be incorrect because most Chinese physicians do not have experience diagnosing this rare cancer. We recently reported an unusually high incidence of peritoneal MM among eastern Chinese female patients. Here, we review the accuracy of MM diagnoses in China and provide suggestions to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.Plasma Biomarker Enrichment of Clinical Prognostic Indices in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Prognostic models for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are needed to prevent potentially futile outcomes. We combined MPM plasma biomarkers with validated clinical prognostic indices to determine whether stratification of risk for death in 194 patients with MPM improved.The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada
Inhalation of asbestos and other mineral fibers is known causes of malignant mesothelioma (MM) and lung cancers. In a setting of occupational exposure to asbestos, MM occurs four to eight times more frequently in men than in women, at the median age of 74 years, whereas an environmental exposure to asbestos causes the same number of MMs in men and women, at younger ages.High Incidence of Somatic BAP1 Alterations in Sporadic Malignant Mesothelioma
Breast cancer 1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) is a nuclear deubiquitinase that regulates gene expression, transcription, DNA repair, and more. Several findings underscore the apparent driver role of BAP1 in malignant mesothelioma (MM). However, the reported frequency of somatic BAP1 mutations in MM varies considerably, a discrepancy that appeared related to either methodological or ethnical differences across various studies.
