Tissue Procurement and Natural History Study of Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma

Background:

• Malignant mesothelioma is a malignancy arising from the mesothelial cells of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, or tunica vaginalis.
• Mesothelioma accounts for 0.10% of deaths annually in the United States. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common of these, comprising of 80% of the cases with an annual incidence of about 2,500 in the United States.
• The median survival from diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is approximately 12 months. The majority of patients present with stage III or IV disease with 85-90% of patients considered unresectable at diagnosis.
• Peritoneal mesothelioma has a better prognosis than pleural mesothelioma; nevertheless, patients undergoing therapy for peritoneal mesothelioma have few well-studied treatment options due in large part to the rarity of the disease.
• In addition to mesothelioma, mesothelin is highly expressed in several cancers, including pancreatic, biliary adenocarcinomas, gastric and ovarian cancers; mesothelin is also expressed in a significantly larger proportion of thymic carcinoma than thymoma.
• Mesothelin expression level has been correlated with improved overall survival in thymic cancer and with reduced overall survival in patients with lung cancer.

Objective:

-To allow sample acquisition for use in the study of mesothelioma and other mesothelin expressing cancers.

Eligibility:

• All participants age >= 2 years with malignant mesothelioma
• All participants age >= 18 years with thymic carcinoma, pancreatic or biliary adenocarcinoma or lung, gastric or ovarian cancers or other solid tumor known to express mesothelin
• Must be able and willing to provide informed consent if 18 or over; parent or guardian must be able and willing to provide consent for participants under the age of 18

Design:

• Up to 1000 participants will be enrolled.
• Participants will be followed to determine the course of disease and to record any treatment received for the eligible mesothelin expressing cancer.
• Participants will undergo sampling of blood, urine, tumor and abnormal body fluids for tissue banking.
• Studies which may be performed on banked material include genetic and genomic studies, establishment of cell cultures and immunologic studies.

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• All participants >= 2 years of age with malignant mesothelioma.
• All participants >=18 years of age with thymic carcinoma, pancreatic or biliary adenocarcinoma or lung, gastric or ovarian cancers or other solid tumor known to express mesothelin.
• Confirmed pathological diagnosis is required
• Ability and willingness of participant to provide informed consent to participation.

Exclusion criteria

• Active symptomatic major organ disorder that would increase the risk of biopsy, including but not limited to ischemic heart disease, recent myocardial infarction, active congestive heart failure, pulmonary dysfunction.
• Pregnant women.
• Active concomitant medical or psychological illnesses that may increase the risk to the participant or in adult participants, inability to obtain informed consent, at the discretion of the principal investigator.