Results from a large, multi-center cohort study on the rare and deadly cancer mesothelioma showed that pain had a very large impact on patients’ quality of life. The study emphasized the need for a greater emphasis on identifying and managing patients with higher risk of pain throughout their mesothelioma treatment.
ASSESS-meso (A prospective obServational cohort Study collecting data on dEmographics, Symptoms and biomarkerS in people with mesothelioma) is a British observational study that has examined 150 mesothelioma patients for demographic and clinical data over the course of their treatment.
The goal of the study is to collect as much data as possible on factors associated with mesothelioma survival, provide information on symptoms, and provide a resource for future trials. Since its start in 2022 the ASSESS-meso study has gleaned a number of insights, including these new results on pain.
Findings From the ASSESS-meso Study On Mesothelioma
Of the 150 patients recruited to take part in the ASSESS-meso study, about 75% of which were men with an average age of 72.4 years old, about 14% reported feeling moderate to severe chest pain on a daily basis over the course of several months.
Of these patients who reported chest pain, none of them were receiving strong opioids to help manage these symptoms. After 9-12 months being observed for the study, those affected by chest pain reported a much lower quality of life than those who did not report feeling chest pain, with the symptoms often interfering with daily activities.
Although the patient cohort were more commonly afflicted by shortness of breath than pain, the stark difference in quality of life observed of those who reported pain forced the researchers to take notice.
What These Results Mean for Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that usually carries with it a poor prognosis – even for stage 1 mesothelioma, the earliest stage of the disease, patients have an average life expectancy of only 20 months after diagnosis. Therefore, palliative care, meant to provide care and relief for patients nearing the end of their lives, often comes to the forefront.
The researchers examining pain in the ASSESS-meso study suggested that a higher priority be placed on managing these symptoms when treating mesothelioma. The researchers recommended that “high risk” mesothelioma patients – those who were more likely to have a poor prognosis and a high symptom burden – be identified earlier, and a timelier strategy be put in place to manage their pain.
The ASSESS-meso team also recommended that future researchers examine ways to better manage shortness of breath, without neglecting patients with severe pain.
Sources & Author
- Understanding pain in malignant mesothelioma: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study. BMC Palliat Care. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42288902/. Accessed on 07/01/2026.
