A study conducted in China at the Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital has found that levels of a liver enzyme and levels of white blood cells can predict the prognosis for mesothelioma patients.
The study looked at medical records, retrospectively, for 105 mesothelioma patients. They reviewed tumour location, blood cell counts and a variety of other laboratory measurements.
They found that 78% received medical therapy, either in the form of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy, 14% received palliative care and just over 7% had surgery, in addition to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
For all the participants, the median survival time was 20 months. For those who received palliative care the median was 2.3 months. This increased to 22.5 months for those who had chemotherapy and further to 29.7 months for those who had surgery as well.
Researchers found that those with a poor prognosis had elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase as well as increased levels of white blood cells. This may be helpful for future mesothelioma patients when looking at treatment options.
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