A different interesting study is called, “The Antiestrogen Tamoxifen within the Treatment of Recurrent Benign Cystic Mesothelioma” simply by Gerard S. Letteriea, and Joseph R. Yonb – Gynecologic Oncology Volume 70, Problem 1, July 1998, Websites 131-133.  Here is an excerpt:  “Abstract * Benign cystic mesothelioma is a tumor characteristically found in women over the reproductive years. These growths are infrequently found after castration or menopause, suggesting some degree of hormonal sensitivity. This kind of aspects of the tumor suggest a potential role for antiestrogens as medical management and an replacement for radical surgery. We addressed a 19-year-old woman with a symptomatic pelvic mass secondary to a frequent benign cystic mesothelioma 2 years just after radical surgery with the antiestrogen tamoxifen. A preliminary reduction in volume and arrest of growth was then stabilization in size and disappearance connected with symptoms. Therapy was extended for 18 months with no difference in the volume of the cystic structure. The patient continued to be asymptomatic. Periodic surveillance using quantitative digital radiography for bone density demonstrated no change in bone mineral density. Serum testing for hard working liver function studies was usual throughout treatment. This case shows that antiestrogens may have a role in the healthcare management of these rare estrogen-dependent neoplasms. The first reduction in size and police arrest in growth further suggest extreme sensitivity of this unknown growth to manipulation of the hormonal milieu. Therapy with the antiestrogen tamoxifen in this setting up may provide an option for long-term professional medical management in cases of symptomatic recurrent cystic mesotheliomas.”

Another fascinating study is called, “Expression profile of telomerase subunits in human pleural Mesothelioma” by Karl Dhaene, January Wauters, Barbara Weyn, Jean-Pierre Timmermans, Eric van Marck – The Paper of Pathology Volume 190, Concern 1, pages 80–85, January 1999.  Here is an excerpt: “Abstract ( space ) Using the TRAP assay, telomerase action was previously detected in above 90% of human pleural mesotheliomas (MMs), but not with mesothelial cell cultures (MCCs), suggesting which telomerase re-activation occurs during multi-step mesothelioma carcinogenesis. The current study determined the term of the telomerase RNA template (hTERC), the telomerase-associated protein (hTEP1), and the telomerase catalytic sub-unit (hTERT), in 16 pleural MMs and also 4 MM-derived cell lines, in two pleural solitary fibrous tumours and in 6 MCCs. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that hTERT mRNA expression parallels the activity condition documented by the TRAP analysis, whereas hTERC and hTEP1 mRNA are commonly portrayed in all malignant and non-malignant serosal tissue and tissues. Three conversely spliced hTERT transcripts were detected in all telomerase-positive biological samples, whereas neither variant could be detected in the MCCs. Detection with the hTERT protein with a commercially available antibody had not been successful. These results signify that hTERT expression is rate-limiting for human telomerase activity and that re-activation, as an alternative to up-regulation, of hTERT expression can play a critical role in MM carcinogenesis. Even though waiting suitable anti-hTERT antibodies, these effects provide information for the form of hTERT mRNA-specific in situ probes to study telomerase in archived pre-malignant serosal lesions.”

We all will owe a debt of appreciation to these fine researchers.  In the event you found any of these excerpts interesting, please read the studies in their entirety.