Pleural mesothelioma from fluoro-edenite exposure: PACAP and PAC1 receptor. A preliminary report

Abstract

Pleural mesothelioma is a devastating maligncy primarily associated with asbestos exposure. However, emerging evidence suggests that exposure to fluoro-edenite fibers, a turally occurring mineral fiber, can also lead to the development of pleural mesothelioma. In this study, based on the hypothesis that pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and PACAP-preferring receptor (PAC1R) expressions could be dysregulated in pleural mesothelioma samples and that they could potentially act as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers, we aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of PACAP and PAC1R in pleural biopsies from patients with pleural mesothelioma exposed to fluoro-edenite fibers. A total of 12 patients were included in this study, and their biopsies were processed for immunohistochemical alysis to evaluate the expression of PACAP and its receptor. The study revealed a correlation between the overexpression of PACAP and PAC1R and shorter overall survival in patients with malignt mesothelioma. These findings suggest that PACAP and PAC1R expression levels could serve as potential prognostic biomarkers for malignt mesothelioma. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical alysis of PACAP and PAC1R may provide valuable information for clinicians to guide therapeutic decisions and identify patients with poorer prognosis.