Editorial: Epigenetic Modifications in Mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Editorial: Epigenetic Modifications in Mesothelioma, by Y.Y. Cheng, M.L. Yuen, H. Jin (Frontiers in Oncology, 2021).

The study

• Authors: Y.Y. Cheng, M.L. Yuen, H. Jin
• Journal: Frontiers in Oncology
• Published: 2021;11:650136
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This was an editorial, not a research study. The authors, editors of a Frontiers in Oncology Research Topic on epigenetic modifications in mesothelioma, introduced the articles in that collection. It reported no new data. The editorial described the other articles this way. A review by Rozitis et al. said at least nine immunohistochemistry biomarkers are used clinically to help diagnose mesothelioma, and that a tissue or cytology sample is normally required for definitive diagnosis. Tomasetti et al. covered microRNA as an early-diagnosis biomarker and how reactive oxygen species induced by asbestos can cause epigenetic changes. They also discussed microRNA replacement therapy, for which there has been one ongoing clinical trial. Yoshikawa et al. looked at epigenetic alterations and response to the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab. Cheng et al. re-validated two biomarkers, CDKN2A and MTAP, in a large cohort of MPM patient samples and promoted droplet digital PCR for studying them. The authors concluded that epigenetic regulation plays a major role in mesothelioma and holds great potential to become clinically relevant, and that more studies are needed.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Editorial introducing a collection of articles (Research Topic); no original research
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that epigenetic regulation plays a major role in mesothelioma and holds great potential to become clinically relevant, and that more studies are required to develop and validate epigenetic biomarkers for clinical use.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• The Current Understanding Of Asbestos-Induced Epigenetic Changes Associated With Lung Cancer — Y.Y. Cheng, E.M. Rath, et al. (2020)
• SFRP Tumour Suppressor Genes Are Potential Plasma-Based Epigenetic Biomarkers for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma — Y.Y. Cheng, E. Mok, et al. (2017)
• The Use of Immunohistochemistry, Fluorescence in situ Hybridization, and Emerging Epigenetic Markers in the Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM): A Review — E. Rozitis, B. Johnson, et al. (2020)
• Editorial comment May cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), p21 and p27 expression affect prognosis and therapeutic strategy of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma? — I. Opitz (2010)
• Editorial: Exposure to asbestos dust — (1976)
• Editorial: Asbestos hazard — (1973)

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