Almost all of us have had a blood test for one reason or another. It is a basic procedure for any routine physical. If your white blood cell count is high, it suggests an infection of some kind and usually your doctor writes a prescription for an antibiotic. After a few days the antibiotic destroys the microorganisms or bacteria that caused our illness, and you assume your daily routine.
But what is a biomarker? A biomarker is a specific physical trait used to measure or indicate the effects or progress of a disease, illness or condition. If a biomarker can be identified and validated, it can be used to diagnose the presence of a disease or aid in the treatment of a disease.
Since the release of 100 Questions and answers about mesothelioma 05, significant progress has been made to find biomarkers for the detection and treatment of early malignant pleural mesothelioma. Two promising discoveries related to the analysis and blood tests are discussed below:
Osteopontin - a potential marker for mesothelioma
Osteopontin (OPN) is a protein found in the circulating blood and is associated with cancer.
the presence of osteopontin protein in blood was studied in three groups of subjects. The study included 69 subjects with lung disease linked to asbestos, 45 healthy subjects without known exposure to asbestos and 76 subjects with mesothelioma. OPN levels were significantly higher in people diagnosed with mesothelioma compared to those with pulmonary plaques and fibrosis. osteopontin levels were clearly identified in 78% of patients with mesothelioma, and had an accuracy of 85.5% in the identification of people with mesothelioma compared to subjects with benign lung diseases. Osteopontin levels between those with a disease of nonmalignant asbestos and those without asbestos exposure showed no significant differences.
It was concluded that serum osteopontin levels could be used to identify people with pleural mesothelioma those with exposure to. asbestos who do not have cancer
MESOMARK - A blood test for monitoring mesothelioma
Another biomarker was identified by the presence of soluble mesothelin-related proteins (SMRP) that are released into the blood spread by diseased cells. Studies have shown that patients with mesothelioma had a significantly higher level of SMRP that patients with other cancers or documented exposure to asbestos. The study also found that SMRP levels increased the disease has progressed to a more advanced stage.
MESOMARK® was approved by the Food & Drug Administration of the United States in 07 under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) as an effective tool for patients who were diagnosed with epithelial or biphasic mesothelioma (only ) to track the progress of their disease.
MESOMARK® is a simple blood test that uses an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to measure the size Soluble Mesothelin proteins (SMRP on PI) in the blood of a patient with epithelial mesothelioma biphasic. SMRP high levels above 1.0 may indicate disease progression. The test MESOMARK® has been used by physicians in conjunction with PET scan / CT to monitor the progress and management of treatment options to their patients the disease.
MESOMARK® of the test can not be performed in designated laboratories, and your doctor must be registered with Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc. To learn more about MESOMARK® visit their website at www. fdi.com
Reference :. Pass HI, Lott D, Lonardo, F., et al. Asbestos exposure, pleural mesothelioma, and serum osteopontin levels. New England Journal of Medicine. 05; 353: 1564-1573
