Posts by: Joana Fernandes, PhD

Joana Fernandes, PhD

Joana brings more than 8 years of academic research and experience as well as Scientific writing and editing to her role as a Science and Research writer. She also served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology in Coimbra, Portugal, where she also received her PhD in Health Science and Technologies, with a specialty in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

January 24, 2017

Removing DNA Modifications in Cancer Cells May Help Decrease Treatment Resistance in Mesothelioma

News

Cancer cells often exhibit changes in DNA, called epigenetic modifications, that help tumors progress and resist therapies. In malignant mesothelioma, removing those epigenetic modifications could be key to decreasing treatment ... Read more

January 20, 2017

Researchers Improve Light Therapy for Treating Mesothelioma Remaining After Surgery

News

Researchers have developed a way to improve the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT), a light-based treatment used in patients with mesothelioma. It involves using an infrared tracking device to better ... Read more

January 19, 2017

Nearly Half of Patients with Negative CT Scans Have Pleural Malignancy, Study Finds

News

A benign computed tomography (CT) scan report may not always mean patients are clear of a pleural malignancy. A new study has found that this is actually the case for ... Read more

January 17, 2017

Postoperative Radiotherapy Benefits Limited for Sarcomatoid MPM Patients, Study Finds

News

Postoperative radiotherapy has limited survival benefits for certain patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) who have had surgery to remove the cancer, researchers said in a recent retrospective study, and they called ... Read more

January 13, 2017

Inhibiting WT1 Protein Reduces Chemoresistance of Mesothelioma Cells, Study Finds

News

A protein called WT1 seems to contribute to the survival and chemoresistance of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells, according to new research. This finding was recently published in Pathology & Oncology ... Read more

January 10, 2017

Survival Chances Rise in Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patients with Inactive BAP1 Gene, Study Says

News

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) patients often have mutations in their BAP1 gene or exhibit low levels of the protein. Researchers have now found that those patients with an inactive BAP1 have better ... Read more

January 4, 2017

Study Lauds Imaging Method’s Sensitivity in Assessing MPM Patients’ Response to Chemotherapy

News

Different imaging techniques can have different sensitivity in evaluating the response of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients to chemotherapy, but a new study found a technique called 18F-FDG-PET/CT to be superior to others, and it ... Read more

December 20, 2016

Pleural Biopsy More Accurate for Diagnosing Malignant Mesothelioma, Study Finds

News

A pleural biopsy is a more accurate and efficient method of diagnosing malignant diseases that cause fluid leakage in the lungs than pleural effusion cell block (a cell preparation using ... Read more

November 29, 2016

Mesothelioma Cells May Transform Into Bone-like Cells, Study Suggests

News

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) cells can differentiate into bone-like cells, according to a study published in Scientific Reports, a finding that may open new possibilities for therapeutic approaches against MM. The study, “A Subset Of Malignant ... Read more

November 23, 2016

Psychological Needs of Mesothelioma Patients Different from Those with Lung Cancer, Study Finds

News

Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) may need different psychological care than patients with advanced lung cancer, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Oncology Nursing. ... Read more