Level of mesothelin expression can indicate the prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a fatal, treatment-resistant tumor. The median survival of MPM is 9–12 months and its early prognostic markers remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine that the level of mesothelin expression can be as a predictor of prognosis in MPM patients. METHODS: Level of mesothelin expression was detected in 38 MPM tissue specimens by immunohistochemistry analysis. The relationship of MPM prognosis and mesothelin expression was evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS: High level of mesothelin expression was significantly associated with non-epithelioid type of MPM and smoking. Meanwhile, higher level of mesothelin expression indicated a shorter total survival. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that mesothelin is a dependent prognostic factor in MPM patients and might be a novel potential target for immunotherapy in MPM.