Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Calretinin has been proven a useful immunohistochemical marker to diagnose malignant mesothelioma,  but this take requires access to a tissue biopsy.  It would less invasive, as well as less expensive, incase calretinin could be used for diagnostics of human blood.

A 2010 study set out to identify calretinin in human blood as well as to assess its usefulness as a minimally invasive marker for malignant mesothelioma. Study participants included 97 wholesome volunteers, 35 workers who had been exposed to asbestos as well as 42 malignant mesothelioma patients. The researchers concluded that calretinin appears to be a promising marker for the detection of malignant mesothelioma as well as may lead to beginning detection of the disease using blood tests, possibly in conjunction with other markers.  

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