Soluble Mesothelin-related Peptides (SMRP) as a Biomarker for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive, incurable neoplasm associated with asbestos exposure. It is estimated that the incidence of this disease will continue to increase until at least the year 2030 in Japan. There is some evidence that patients with MPM respond better to treatment if it is delivered early in the disease. A few MPM biomarkers have been reported, but until recently, no reliable serum marker to help the diagnosis of MPM or to predict response to treatment or prognosis, had been identified. Therefore, we performed a prospective, multicenter study to evaluate the significance of soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRP) as a biomarker for diagnosis of MPM. In this paper, we review the key advances in the understanding, treatment, and a biomarker for the diagnosis of MPM. Furthermore, we report some results of a prospective, multicenter study.