Editors Choice
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.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.
