Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire recently performed a study that may provide a new hope for patients facing the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Finishing studies based on previous work performed with methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), a missing enzyme linked to several types of cancers including lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, Leukemia, Lymphoma and mesothelioma, researchers found that MTAP may be linked to the development of malignant tumors in those who lack the enzyme.

Lead by Dr. Martin Lubin and Adam Lubin, researchers from the university utilized two powerful chemical agents to form a treatment which may obliterate tumors, while protecting healthy cells.

The first agent, thioguanine, is an extremely toxic drug that can damage both cancerous and healthy cells, while the other drug, fluorouracil, protects healthy tissues from the first agent’s toxicity. Both of these drugs are already in clinical use but are administered in low doses due to the high potency of the medications.

Though in its early stages, the study demonstrates the likelihood of attacking tumors that are resistant to these drugs, while still protecting healthy tissue. Dr. Lubin thinks that successful animal studies will lead to clinical use as soon as possible.

Malignant mesothelioma usually develops after exposure to asbestos. When toxic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they may become lodged in organs or body cavities, causing inflammation or infection. Many patients do not show symptoms of the cancer for 20 to 50 years after primary exposure occurred, allowing mesothelioma to progress to later stages of development.

Though a cure for mesothelioma does not exist, treatment options such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery are available to patients to combat the disease. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, accounting for approximately 3 percent of cancer diagnoses in the United States.