The results of Working Group Two’s hard work are out! Today, the publication of the agreed laboratory protocols for the preparation and use of blood and tissue samples in PMP research have been released. It is hoped that through the harmonisation of procedures used in labs working on PMP throughout Europe, it will be easier to create collaborative research projects, expanding the number of patient samples available for such research. Please download these approved protocols and try to integrate them into your current lab practices. LINK TO THE NEW PROTOCOLS
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New paper suggests the value of anti-angiogenic treatments
There is a lot of evidence to suggest anti-angiogenic treatment (treatments that stop new blood vessels from growing) might be helpful in treatment for Pseudomyxoma peritonei. A new paper from the Oslo team suggests that angiogenesis may be a larger factor in PMP progression than previously thought. Although research is still in the early stages, this research suggests that the potential for anti-angiogenic treatment warrants further study. The new paper may be read here. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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The Role of EM Plasticity in PMP
EuroPMP members from Venice, Italy, Maria Luisa Calabrò and Antonio Sommariva, have recently published a new paper on the role of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in PMP. This is a very interesting paper that looks at a part of the PMP picture that is still not well-understood, namely the way in which cells move from the first site they grow in to other sites around the abdominal cavity. Dr Calabrò states: “This review focuses on the role of epithelial-mesenchymal dynamics leading to the dissemination and growth of appendix mucinous neoplasms in the peritoneum. We mainly discuss factors and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PMP highlighting the plasticity of PMP cells, a…
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Proceedings of the EuroPMP Pathology Workshop
Held the 10th December 2020 Chair: Professor Norman Carr Panel members: Drs Robert Bradley, Søren Krag, and Melissa Taggart. Presenters: Drs Peggy Dartigues, Marie-Louise (Loes) van Velthuysen, Wiebke Solass, Frédéric Bibeau, and Bipasha Chakrabarty.
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Workshop on the Pathology of PMP – 10th December 2020
EuroPMP will present a workshop on the pathology of PMP on 10th December 2020. The proceedings of the workshop will be available to view online following the workshop. The workshop is being presented by Dr Norman Carr and will run from 17:00-18:45 GMT (18:00-19:45 CET). Please check your email for more information. Before the meeting, you may wish to read more about the pathology of PMP to get acquainted with the terminology and histology of the disease. Dr Carr has prepared a short primer on the topic, which you can access at this link. The programme for the workshop can be accessed here. To view a recording of the workshop,…
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Incidence and Prevalence in Europe
EuroPMP member researchers from Norway and the United Kingdom have recently published a paper giving a sound scientific footing for the incidence and prevalence of PMP in Europe. The research suggests that the previous incidence estimate of 1-2 persons per million is too low, with a more realistic figure being around 3.2 persons per million. The prevalence was estimated to be around 22 persons per million in Europe, meaning 11,726 people living with active disease in 2018. The incidence and prevalence paper can be read here.
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The Effects of COVID-19 on PMP Services Around Europe
Around the world, the COVID-19 epidemic has been hitting our health care systems very hard. Intensive care units have been inundated with patients requiring careful, around-the-clock care. Physicians have been transferred from their normal duties to hastily set up critical care wards within their districts to try to treat the vast numbers of affected patients. Nurses have been sent out to test patients in temporary drive-up clinics, and biologists and lab workers have had their normal duties re-directed to include testing the enormous numbers of patient samples incoming daily from worried patients. We have heard much about the effects on primary care physicians and clinical specialists, but we have not…
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Individual Efficacy of Drug Therapies in Xenograft Models
Norway’s Karianne Giller Fleten, Christin Lund-Andersen, Annette Torgunrud and Kjersti Flatmark have published a new paper that looks into the individual efficacy of four drug therapies on peritoneal metastases in mouse-human xenograft models: oxaliplatin, irinotecan, cabazitaxel, and regorafenib and capecitabine. The results support the continued exploration of intraperitoneal treatment protocols for peritoneal metastases with oxaliplatin remaining and cabazitaxel emerging as the most interesting candidates for further studies. You can read the new paper here.
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New STSM to Oslo
Yaroslaw Sautkin, a EuroPMP member from Germany, has completed a Short-Term Scientific Mission to Professor Kjersti Flatmark’s Translational Cancer Therapy lab at Oslo University Hospital’s Institute for Cancer Research. While on his STSM, Yaroslaw learned more about the use of experimental animal models for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) in order to further the work that his own institution, the University of Tübingen, is undertaking into the use of PIPAC with mucolytic substances. Yaroslaw’s visit allowed members of both teams to meet and share knowledge, leading to stronger synergies between their researchers. Both groups are now looking forward to working on research projects together in the future. STSMs are offered several times…