A05_Serum biomarkers in asbestos related diseases

Asbestos is a commercial name for a group of fibrous silicates with certain toxic properties, such as the ability to produce inflammation, fibrous scarring and cancer. Asbestos exposure has been associated with the development of asbestosis, pleural diseases, such as pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening and pleural effusion, and several types of cancer: bronchogenic carcinomas, diffuse malignant mesothelioma of the pleura and peritoneum, cancer of the larynx, cancer of the ovary, as well as the cancers of the buccal mucosa, the pharynx, the gastrointestinal tract, and the kidney.
Malignant mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumour of serosal surfaces, such as the pleura and the peritoneum. The major cause and carcinogen associated with the development of this disease is asbestos. As mesothelioma is still difficult to diagnose, potential serum markers that could facilitate early diagnosis and help to follow the response to treatment have been investigated, among them the Soluble Mesothelin Related Protein (SMRP), Fibulin-3 and Survivin.