New strategies in pleural mesothelioma: BAP1 and NF2 as novel targets for therapeutic development and risk assessment

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly lethal cancer with limited therapeutic options. Recent work has focused on the frequent somatic inactivation of two tumor suppressor genes in MPM-NF2 (Neurofibromatosis type 2) and the recently identified BAP1 (BRCA associated protein 1). In addition, germline mutations in BAP1 have been identified that define a new familial cancer syndrome, which includes MPM,ocular melanoma, and other cancers. These recent advances may allow screening of high-risk individuals and the development of new therapies that target key pathways in MPM.