Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive tumor that, in many cases, results from exposure to asbestos. But over the last several decades, other causes of the disease have emerged, including treatment with high-intensity therapeutic radiation and, more recently, an inherited genetic mutation. Now, through an unexpected observation and a meticulous study of patients seen at Brigham and Women's Hospital, BWH investigators have added a fourth cause to the list: a genetic rearrangement in the ALK gene, observed in three patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. Unlike previously known causes, this new discovery points to a potential therapeutic approach for those few patients whose tumors harbor the mutation.
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