Mesothelioma Blood Tests
Mesothelioma blood tests measure mesothelioma-linked proteins called biomarkers in a blood sample. Tests may look for n-ERC mesothelin or fibulin-3. Doctors may use blood tests alongside biopsy testing to confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis. The only approved mesothelioma blood test is the MESOMARK® assay.
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What Are Blood Tests for Mesothelioma?
Blood tests like MESOMARK® check for signs that suggest a patient may have mesothelioma. More specifically, the test measures substances called biomarkers. Biomarkers can signal the presence of an illness or medical condition. Doctors may use biomarker blood tests with others, such as imaging scans and biopsies, to diagnose mesothelioma.
MESOMARK® Mesothelioma Blood Test Quick Facts
- What It Is: The MESOMARK assay is the only approved mesothelioma blood test in the United States. It measures biomarkers associated with mesothelioma.
- What It Does: It measures SMRPs, which are proteins that may indicate the presence of mesothelioma cells.
- What It Tells Us: SMRP levels can help doctors monitor most mesothelioma patients. High SMRP levels may also indicate a person has mesothelioma.
- What It Does Not Tell Us: MESOMARK testing cannot diagnose mesothelioma on its own. Doctors may choose to use it in combination with established diagnostic techniques to confirm a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Some cancers have well-established, standard biomarkers. Finding these biomarkers in a blood test can help doctors rule out or confirm a potential cancer diagnosis. Other biomarkers may also suggest a patient has:
- A benign (non-cancerous) condition
- An elevated risk of developing a specific type of cancer
Experts have identified biomarkers that may help catch mesothelioma earlier than usual. Patients diagnosed at earlier stages — rather than later — generally have better life expectancy. So testing for these biomarkers could theoretically improve a person’s prognosis.
However, these biomarkers have not yet proven reliable for early diagnosis. Similarly, mesothelioma research has not yet found biomarkers for elevated risk of this rare cancer. Doctors continue to search for good mesothelioma biomarkers.
What Makes a Good Mesothelioma Biomarker?
For mesothelioma, a good biomarker might be a protein with the following properties:
- Easily measured: The protein is found and easily measurable in blood.
- Not associated with healthy cells: Healthy cells do not make the protein, or they make very little of it.
- Strongly associated with mesothelioma: Mesothelioma cancer cells make large amounts of the protein.
Such a protein might help doctors identify cases of mesothelioma earlier.
Currently, biomarker blood testing alone is not sufficient to diagnose mesothelioma. But it can trigger more robust diagnostic testing, such as a biopsy. With biopsy results, mesothelioma specialists may be able to confirm or rule out a mesothelioma diagnosis.
How Do Blood Tests Detect Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma blood tests detect substances, called biomarkers, associated with the cancer. They do not detect tumor cells directly. Rather, they look for indicators of cancer cells that may show up in a person’s blood work. Finding a mesothelioma biomarker may mean a patient has cancer cells in their body.
As of May 2022, there is only one approved blood test for mesothelioma. The MESOMARK assay gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2007. It does not detect or diagnose mesothelioma. MESOMARK measures mesothelioma biomarkers. This test can help doctors monitor certain patients after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Blood test screening alone cannot diagnose mesothelioma. But blood test results may help doctors order additional tests that can diagnose it. The only way to definitively diagnose mesothelioma is by testing tissue from a biopsy. Blood tests and imaging tests, like CT scans and chest X-rays, can assist in arriving at a definitive diagnosis.
Researchers are looking for ways to improve known biomarkers. They are also searching for new biomarkers. Their work may one day lead to improved mesothelioma diagnostic tests.
Can Blood Tests Detect Asbestos Exposure?
A blood test capable of detecting asbestos exposure might be useful. Asbestos fibers cause mesothelioma. But some people may not know they have encountered asbestos. A biomarker reflective of asbestos exposure could help such individuals.
Researchers have not yet validated biomarkers for this purpose. As such, no asbestos blood test truly exists today. However, studies have identified potential asbestos biomarkers.
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Mesothelioma Biomarkers
Mesothelioma biomarkers are substances that suggest the presence of mesothelioma cancer cells in the body. Tests may detect biomarkers in blood or biopsy tissue samples. For example, the MESOMARK assay is a blood test that measures soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRPs). SMRPs are biomarkers for mesothelioma.
Doctors may test for more than one type of biomarker. This provides information to help rule out other conditions or confirm mesothelioma.
- Calretinin
- Keratins 5 and 6
- WT1
- CEA
- Claudin-4
- TTF-1
Researchers have also investigated many potential mesothelioma biomarkers. Some of these may have the capacity to become diagnostic or monitoring biomarkers. Potentially useful mesothelioma biomarkers include fibulin-3, MPF/n-ERC mesothelin and SMRPs.
- Fibulin-3 is a type of protein called a glycoprotein.
- Blood or fluid tests showing high levels of fibulin-3 may indicate pleural mesothelioma.
- Fibulin-3 may distinguish between mesothelioma and other types of cancer, as well as between mesothelioma and some benign conditions.
- Megakaryocyte potentiation factor (MPF)/n-ERC mesothelin is a type of protein called a glycoprotein.
- Blood tests of MPF levels may distinguish healthy individuals from those with mesothelioma.
- MPF may distinguish mesothelioma from benign asbestos conditions.
- Soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRPs) are pieces of a protein called mesothelin.
- Mesothelioma patients have higher SMRP levels than healthy patients.
- SMRPs form the basis of the MESOMARK blood test. They may aid in monitoring mesothelioma patients.
Biomarkers for Detecting Asbestos Exposure
The development of an asbestos blood test might enable early mesothelioma detection. However, such a test would require good asbestos biomarkers. Researchers have not yet settled on reliable biomarkers for asbestos exposure. But a few have shown promise, including SMRPs.
If verified, these biomarkers could have a substantial impact on mesothelioma prognosis. They might someday enable earlier detection of this cancer. Patients diagnosed in stage 1 live nearly twice as long as those diagnosed in stage 4. As such, early detection through asbestos biomarkers might positively impact many mesothelioma patients.
The MESOMARK Blood Test for Mesothelioma
The MESOMARK assay measures SMRPs in human serum, which is a component of blood. SMRPs are small pieces of a protein called mesothelin. Healthy cells and mesothelioma cells both make mesothelin. But mesothelioma cells make more mesothelin than normal.
A high SMRP level might indicate a patient has mesothelioma. But MESOMARK does not have approval to diagnose mesothelioma.
The MESOMARK assay is the only FDA-approved blood test for mesothelioma. The MESOMARK label says the test can help monitor patients with epithelioid mesothelioma. It may also assist in monitoring biphasic mesothelioma. MESOMARK is not intended for use in sarcomatoid mesothelioma patients.
The MESOMARK Testing Process
The MESOMARK assay follows a process like several other blood tests. Generally, a doctor or pathologist examines the test results and discusses them with the patient. This discussion is important, as the test results alone may be difficult to interpret.
The MESOMARK assay process may include the following steps:
- Step 1: A healthcare professional collects a blood sample.
- Step 2: The sample undergoes processing to prepare it for testing.
- Step 3: The test operator combines the prepared sample with testing materials. These include special proteins (antibodies) that stick to SMRPs.
- Step 4: After some time, more testing materials are added to the sample. These materials create a light when they bump into the SMRP antibodies.
- Step 5: A machine measures the light created by the test sample.
- Step 6: The machine determines the amount of SMRPs in the patient’s sample.
The MESOMARK test is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA kits are common in many areas of healthcare and diagnostic research. They use special molecules that produce light in response to a target molecule. The amount of light produced corresponds to the amount of target molecule present.
In the MESOMARK assay, blue light corresponds to the presence of SMRPs. The more blue light a test sample produces, the higher its level of SMRPs.
Could MESOMARK SMRP Blood Testing Detect Mesothelioma Early?
According to some researchers, SMRP blood testing can do more than monitor mesothelioma. Some say SMRP testing has potential for diagnosing mesothelioma in high-risk, asbestos-exposed individuals. Individuals who have held asbestos-related jobs may fall into this category.
Past SMRP studies may contribute to the researchers’ opinion on its potential. One long-term study took multiple SMRP readings over time. Tests showed elevated SMRP levels in patients who later developed mesothelioma. The elevated SMRP levels appeared one to five years before mesothelioma diagnosis.
In the same study, some asbestos-exposed people had consistently normal SMRP levels. At last follow-up, none of those patients had developed mesothelioma. The authors said SMRP testing might prove helpful in screening for early evidence of mesothelioma.
It is unclear whether mesothelioma doctors currently use MESOMARK to monitor SMRP changes over time. In any case, SMRP research continues. It may one day result in a blood test for early detection of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Biomarker Research
Mesothelioma research into mesothelioma biomarkers involves multiple aspects of the disease. It has already impacted both treatment and diagnosis of the disease.
One area of research applies the science of biomarkers to mesothelioma treatment. A mesothelioma biomarker is present or plentiful in mesothelioma cells. As such, it could be called a mesothelioma tumor marker. With the right technology, a good mesothelioma biomarker could act as a homing beacon. It could help treatments target mesothelioma cancer cells.
Researchers have applied this line of thinking to recently developed immunotherapy. Scientists engineered cancer-killing immune cells to target mesothelin, the protein mesothelioma cells make more abundantly than healthy cells. This means the immune cells essentially targeted mesothelioma tumors. Compared to earlier treatments, patients in this study lived more than one year longer than average.
A recent clinical trial used biomarker science to improve pleural mesothelioma treatment. Study patients had received at least one form of treatment before enrolling. Researchers treated these patients with two immunotherapies:
- Mesothelin-targeted CAR T cells: Scientists took a sample of the patient’s own immune cells. The cells were reprogrammed to fight mesothelioma by targeting mesothelin. The reprogrammed cells are called CAR T cells. After reprogramming, a healthcare provider gave the CAR T cells back to the patient.
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®): Pembrolizumab falls into the category of checkpoint inhibitor drugs. It interferes with an immune checkpoint that may stop immune cells from fighting cancer. Blocking this checkpoint may let immune cells attack tumors.
Study patients had a median survival of 23.9 months. This marks a substantial improvement versus prior studies of second-line treatment. It also shows the survival benefit of multimodal mesothelioma treatment, or combining two or more therapies.
Learn More About the CAR T-Cell StudyBreath Testing for Mesothelioma
Researchers have studied compounds in exhaled air for potential use in mesothelioma diagnosis. Exhaled air has at least one advantage over other diagnostic materials. Doctors can easily collect exhaled breath from patients. Thus, a breath test for mesothelioma might improve the ease of diagnosis.
Scientists have worked toward establishing a profile of breath biomarkers useful for mesothelioma. But the science in this area is still young. Researchers say this technology holds promise but needs larger studies.
Breath testing for mesothelioma is not yet a reality for patients, but the possibility remains. Mesothelioma clinical trials may help bring this technology from the benchtop to the clinic. Such progress may improve the rate of early mesothelioma detection.
Other Research-Phase Mesothelioma Biomarkers and Tests
Scientists have investigated several other biomarkers for mesothelioma. Some have shown promise in early research, but their true potential is still unknown.
Calretinin
Calretinin is a protein found on the outside of cells. Mesothelioma cells make high levels of calretinin. Mesothelioma patients may have higher than normal levels of calretinin in their blood. It may someday be useful in a mesothelioma blood test.
Estrogen Receptor Beta
Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is a protein with many different functions. Researchers claim it could be useful as a prognostic marker for mesothelioma. In one study, patients with higher levels of ERβ had better survival.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a protein that sticks up from the outside of a cell. It may have use as a prognostic marker for mesothelioma. In one study, higher levels of EGFR seemed to negatively affect prognosis.
Osteopontin
Osteopontin is a protein made in high quantities by some tumors. Lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer cells make a lot of osteopontin. It has shown some promise in distinguishing mesothelioma from benign respiratory conditions. An osteopontin blood test for mesothelioma may not be around the corner. Experts say osteopontin lacks validation testing that might enable its use as a diagnostic tool.
SOMAscan® for Mesothelioma
The SOMAscan test uses a principle called proteomics. Proteomics studies proteins at a large scale, looking for patterns. These patterns might one day provide useful information for oncologists.
The SOMAscan test uses a proprietary tool called SOMAmer® technology. It measures more than 1,000 different proteins. In an early study, the SOMAscan test had promising diagnostic accuracy for mesothelioma. However, the test has not yet gained FDA approval.
The Future of Mesothelioma Biomarker Research
Scientists have identified multiple potential biomarkers for mesothelioma. Some have potential to identify past asbestos exposure. Others may facilitate diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer.
Biomarkers already play an important role in diagnostic testing for mesothelioma. But current standard tests involve biopsy tissue samples rather than blood. Further research may someday make mesothelioma blood tests a more integral part of this process.
Common Questions About Mesothelioma Blood Tests
Does mesothelioma show up in blood work?
Is there a blood test for asbestos exposure?
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Katy Moncivais, Ph.D., has more than 15 years of experience as a medical communicator. As the Medical Editor at Mesothelioma.com, she ensures our pages and posts present accurate, helpful information.
Annette Charlevois is a Patient Support Coordinator for Mesothelioma.com. For more than 20 years, she has helped thousands of mesothelioma patients and their families get the assistance they need.
