A groundbreaking study of an innovative treatment published in February this year in the JAMA Oncology, a peer-reviewed medical journal, brings long-awaited advancements in mesothelioma research. The international research team found that chemotherapy combined with a drug called ADI-PEG20, also known as pegargiminase, has the potential to prolong the life expectancy of patients treated with pleural mesothelioma. Although it needs to be studied more thoroughly, pegargiminase-based chemotherapy is one of the most promising emerging treatments for mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and mostly deadly cancer that develops in the membrane around the lungs, abdomen, heart, or reproductive organs, called the mesothelium. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common type, starts in the tissues covering the lungs. The disease is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure, a strong, heat-resistant mineral fiber naturally occurring in rock and soil. Asbestos was widely used for its heat-resistant and insulating properties across the country by the construction and automotive industries and the military until the early 1970s, when its carcinogenic nature started to surface. Even though the use of asbestos has declined since the 1970s and 1980s, the first Federal ban against it was only introduced recently. In March of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned chrysotile asbestos, the most common form of it. However, several types of asbestos are currently still imported and used by manufacturers in the U.S.