Elevated Circulating Activin A Levels in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Are Related to Cancer Cachexia and Reduced Response to Platinum-based Chemotherapy.

Background: Previous preclinical studies have shown that activin A is overexpressed in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), associates with cancer cachexia, and is observed in in vitro resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. We evaluated circulating activin levels and their endogenous antagonists' follistatin/follistatin-like 3 in intrathoracic tumors.

Materials And Methods: Patients suspected of thoracic malignancy were recruited prior to surgery.

High-resolution CT of the lungs: Indications and diagnosis.

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is a method of examination which is more precise than chest 2-rat in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases of the lung tissue and the airways. Modern CT equipment enables a volume HRCT scan covering the whole lung tissue. HRCT slices can also be constructed from contrast-enhanced CT scans of the chest of the whole body.