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Nearly 70% of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma report a history of exposure to asbestos. However, no plasma biomarkers are available to distinguish individuals with this cancer from those without it after asbestos exposure.
Now, investigators have assessed whether plasma or effusion levels of Fibulin-3 — a protein encoded by the EFEMP1 gene, which is overexpressed in mesothelioma — could be used to identify early stage disease. The study involved test cohorts in Detroit and New York and a validation cohort in Toronto. Fibulin-3 levels were measured in plasma, effusions, or both in patients with pleural mesothelioma, asbestos-exposed persons without mesothelioma, patients with effusions not secondary to mesothelioma, and healthy c…