One of the hardest parts of treating pleural mesothelioma is knowing whether a treatment is actually working. Doctors usually check this by measuring a tumor on CT scans to see whether it grows or shrinks.
But mesothelioma doesn’t form a neat, round lump the way many other cancers do. It spreads as a thin, uneven layer along the lining of the lung, making it much harder to measure consistently.
When it comes to tracking treatment response, many oncologists use the RECIST medical abbreviation, or Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. When this method is applied to mesothelioma, however, the results can be inconsistent.
Researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) set out to fix that problem. They developed and tested an artificial intelligence system called ARTIMES that measures how the cancer responds to mesothelioma treatment.
Instead of relying on a single measurement from a portion of the tumor, ARTIMES measures the entire tumor. This gives doctors a more complete and reliable picture of how a patient’s cancer is changing over time.
What the ARTIMES Study Found About Measuring Mesothelioma Tumors
ARTIMES is an AI tool built to measure mesothelioma tumors more accurately. The name comes from the study’s focus: artificial intelligence, tumor volume, and mesothelioma.
Instead of measuring only part of the tumor on CT scans, ARTIMES uses AI to identify the entire tumor, calculate its three-dimensional volume, and compare it with previous scans. This helps doctors determine whether the cancer is shrinking, staying the same, or growing.
To test it, researchers looked back at 10,926 CT scans from 2,080 mesothelioma patients around the world, including people who’d taken part in clinical trials.
ARTIMES outperformed the current standard method (RECIST) in two key ways:
- It spotted tumor growth about 5 weeks sooner, helping doctors identify earlier that a treatment wasn’t working.
- Its measurements lined up more closely with how long patients actually lived, making it a more reliable guide.
The tool is meant to help doctors, not replace them. Measuring a tumor’s full volume means checking scans in fine detail — far too tedious to do by hand — so the AI does the heavy lifting, and a doctor reviews the results.
For now, ARTIMES is only being used at the NKI, where it was developed. However, researchers have shared the tool publicly with other scientists and are working toward regulatory approval so it can be used in more hospitals.
Research continues to improve how mesothelioma is diagnosed and treated. Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide to learn more about your treatment options and the support available to you and your loved ones.
What Does ARTIMES Mean for Mesothelioma Patients?
For patients and families, the value of a tool like ARTIMES comes down to better information at the moments when it matters most.
Here’s what that could mean in practice:
- Catching an ineffective treatment earlier. ARTIMES detected tumor growth 5 weeks earlier than the current standard method, which could reduce the time patients spend on a therapy that isn’t helping.
- More reliable answers. Because it measures the whole mesothelioma tumor instead of a single width, its results line up more closely with how patients actually do over time.
- More tailored decisions. A clearer picture of how the cancer is responding can help doctors and patients decide whether to continue treatment, switch treatments, or consider another therapy.
- Better clinical trials. More accurate measurement can make studies of new mesothelioma drugs in ongoing trials more dependable, which may help promising treatments reach patients faster.
While it isn’t something most patients can ask for today, ARTIMES points toward a more precise standard of care that could become more widely available in the years ahead.
Get Help for Mesothelioma Cancer Today
Advances like ARTIMES are a reminder that mesothelioma care keeps moving forward, and that researchers around the world are working to give patients more accurate answers and better options.
For over 25 years, Mesothelioma Hope has provided personalized medical, financial, and emotional support to patients, families, and caregivers at every step of their journey.
Our Patient Advocates can help you:
- Understand your diagnosis
- Connect with experienced mesothelioma specialists
- Explore treatment options
- Access support resources that fit your family’s needs
Hope is only a phone call away. Call us at (866) 608-8933 to speak with a Patient Advocate today, or reach out through our contact form to learn how we can help you and your loved ones move forward.
