Immunohistochemistry has groundbreaking potential for mesothelioma treatment.
Two biomarkers seem to indicate pleurectomy/decortication surgery works for some patients better than others.
JTO Clinical and Research Reports analyzed the effect of MTAP and Ki67. Patients with loss of MTAP had a shorter overall survival. The reverse was true for Ki67: Less of the biomarker meant longer survival usually.
There were 27 cases of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. All of them underwent pleurectomy/decortication surgery. This option saves both lungs despite the tumors’ proximity to the organs.
Survival following pleurectomy/decortication surgery is 2-3 years. Variables for life expectancy include cell type, age, gender and pre-existing health issues.
Is it time to add MTAP and Ki67 volume to the list?
Ki67 is a nuclear protein associated with cancer metastasis. According to the report, cases with 10% or less Ki67 score had much longer survival:
- Median progression-free survival (PFS) of 25 months for less Ki67
- Median PFS of nine months for more Ki67
- Median overall survival (OS) of 44.5 months for less Ki67
- Median OS of 19.7 months for more Ki67
MATP, a gene, is sometimes deleted by cancers. Patients with MTAP loss had much shorter median progression-free survival and overall survival:
- PFS of 21 months versus nine months
- OS of 42.6 months versus 19.7 months
“In our study, Ki67 was prognostic for OS and PFS in patients … treated with extended pleurectomy/decortication in a multimodality approach,” the report states. “Determination of Ki67 before surgery combined with specific clinical parameters could assist in clinical decision making by identifying patients with high Ki67 who are unlikely to benefit from surgery.”
We can help you learn if surgery is the right path to fight your cancer. Email our mesothelioma patient advocate if you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma. Her name is Karen Ritter, she’s a registered nurse, and her email is karen@mesotheliomaguide.com.
Sources & Author
- Ki67 (MIB-1) as a Prognostic Marker for Clinical Decision Making Before Extended Pleurectomy Decortication in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. JTO Clinical and Research Reports. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34590009/. Accessed: 10/20/2021.
Sources & Author
