Dr. Pass Discusses Resistance in Mesothelioma

Harvey I. Pass, MD, director, Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Oncology, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses treatment resistance in mesothelioma.

Researchers are trying to determine the difference between cells that are resistant to mesothelioma treatment and those that are not. Only about 4% of mesothelioma cells have unique properties that allow them to survive treatment with pemetrexed, stress conditions, or radiation therapy.

When the majority of mesothelioma tumor cells are killed, these unique cells will not respond — they will stay behind and repopulate the tumor, Pass says.