Simple Blood Test will help doctors monitor patients with biphasic and epithelioid mesothelioma
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 25, 2007 approved the MESOMARK(R) Assay, the world’s first in-vitro test for mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. MESOMARK will allow doctors to monitor patients with epithelioid and biphasic mesothelioma by use of a simple blood test, enabling medical professionals to more accurately detect recurrence and monitor patients’ treatment. The test will be available to physicians nationally during the first quarter of 2007.
The test measures levels of a biomarker, mesothelin, in the blood serum of mesothelioma patients. The test can monitor patients diagnosed with mesothelioma to check for recurrence following surgery and to measure response to treatment.
