Malignant mesothelioma is a rare but highly aggressive neoplasm with poor prognosis. Epidemiologic studies have established exposure to asbestos fibers as the primary cause of malignant mesothelioma.
As of May 2022, MESOMARK® (Fujirebio Diagnostics) was the only FDA approved blood-based biomarker test for mesothelioma. It is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative measurement of soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRPs), which are released into the bloodstream by mesothelioma cells.
MESOMARK results alone are not sufficient to diagnose mesothelioma. The MESOMARK label states the test can help monitor patients with epithelioid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma but not sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
Reference interval is 0.0 – 1.5 nmol/L. Patients with mesothelioma have higher SMRP levels than healthy patients.
Specimen requirement is q serum separator tube or plain red top tube of blood. MESOMARK is available at ARUP Laboratories.
References
Beyer, H. et al. MESOMARK™: A Potential Test for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Clinical Chemistry, 2007;53:666-672.
Schneider J, et al. Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Soluble Mesothelin-Related Proteins in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Comparison with Benign Asbestosis and Lung Cancer, J Thorac Oncol. 2008; 3:1317–1324.