Scientists working at the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Shandong University Hospital in China have discovered a protein, which makes up about 60% of protein mass in blood plasma can be used as a indicator in people on chemotherapy, for malignant pleural mesothelioma to determine their prognosis.
Serum albumin, which makes up about 60% of the protein mass in blood plasma, is a globular protein whose main function is to carry steroids, fatty acids and thyroid hormones in the blood.
The study focused on 97 mesothelioma patients treated at the Shandong University Hospital between 1995 and 2013.
The researchers found that 34 of the 97 mesothelioma patients studied (35.1%) had or abnormally low albumin levels prior to treatment. But significantly, after they started treatment, the one-year overall survival rate for the mesothelioma patients with low albumin was just 44.1% whereas patients with normal albumin levels had a one year survival rate of 72%.
The study, led by Dr. Zhou-Hong Yao, was published in Tumor Biology and found that the odds of dying from mesothelioma decreased by 9.8% for each 1 g/l decrease in albumin. Th
The test is both easy and inexpensive and has the potential to help simplify the process of predicting treatment response.
If you have been exposed to asbestos, and have developed an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP at (800) 598-0314 immediately. Or contact us online for a free consultation.
