Author: Alex Strauss

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    Asbestosis vs. Mesothelioma: Early Exposure May Make the Difference

    ByAlex Strauss

    British researchers studying occupational deaths in England and Wales may have found a way to explain why some people exposed to asbestos develop asbestosis while others developmesothelioma. Although both diseases are caused primarily by occupational exposure to asbestos, the new study published in a British medical journal suggests that heavier exposure earlier in life may be more likely to cause asbestosis than mesothelioma. The researchers based their results on an exhaustive study of 33,751 mesothelioma deaths and 5396 asbestosis deaths. Death rates were plotted by age group. Because mesothelioma can take decades to develop, it was not surprising that death rates for both diseases were much higher among the oldest birth cohorts. But what was a surprise is that the…

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    Mesothelioma Patients May Be Low in Antioxidants

    ByAlex Strauss

    New research suggests that the antioxidant vitamins found in abundance in fruits and vegetable may have a protective effect against malignant pleural mesothelioma. The news comes from a University in Turkey, where environmentally-induced mesothelioma is alarmingly common due to high erionite content in some small towns. Erionite is a naturally-occurring mineral that is structurally similar to asbestos, the primary cause of mesothelioma around the world. Erionite not only exists in the soil in these Turkish towns, but is also incorporated into hundreds of homes built from erionite-laden rocks. In an effort to evaluate whether or not certain key antioxidant vitamins might protect people against the deadly cancer, Turkish researchers enrolled 160 subjects, 42 of whom had been diagnosed with malignant pleural…

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    Australian Registry Releases First Mesothelioma Report

    ByAlex Strauss

    The first report using data from the newly-established Australian Mesothelioma Registry has been released, and the new is not good – especially for the country’s blue collar workers. According to the report from Safe Work Australia, a health and safety advocacy group for the country’s building industry, the Australian Mesothelioma Registry recorded 612 new cases of mesotheliomain 2011. The new national registry became operational in 2011 with a goal of recording and tracking all new mesothelioma cases. The purpose of the registry is to help spot trends, provide research data, etc. Six hundred and twelve new cases in 2011 equates to a rate of 2.7 mesothelioma cases per 100,000 people. However, Safe Work Australia cautions that the number is likely to…

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    New Mesothelioma Test Available Later This Year

    ByAlex Strauss

    A mesothelioma test created and validated at Brigham and Women/s Hospital in Boston could be available to the public within the next couple of months. The test, which will be known by the brand name DecisionDx-Mesothelioma, is designed to test patients who are suspected of having mesothelioma for the expression of a variety of genes. By creating a gene profile, the test can give doctors a clearer picture of which patients with mesothelioma symptoms might actually be suffering from the disease. Friendswood, Texas-based Castle Biosciences has announced that it has acquired the intellectual property and technology rights to the test from Brigham and Women’s. Castle Biosciences specializes in molecular diagnostic tests for rare cancers like mesothelioma. Currently, the company has three proprietary…

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    Moles Could Point to Mesothelioma Risk

    ByAlex Strauss

    A certain kind of skin lesion may offer a way to identify patients at risk for mesothelioma. Experts at the University of Hawaii, one of the world’s top mesothelioma research centers, say they have identified a type of mole present in people who carry a genetic mutation that may raise their mesothelioma risk. Mesothelioma is a rare but serious cancer of the mesothelial membranes that surround and protect internal organs. Its primary cause is exposure to asbestos. But not all exposed individuals develop mesothelioma. Research conducted by the University of Hawaii’s Dr. Michele Carbone and others found that people with a mutation on the BAP1 gene, a tumor-suppressor known to predispose people to several other types of cancer, also increases their…

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    Carbon Nanotubes: The Next Mesothelioma Risk?

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence that carbon nanotubes, cylindrical carbon molecules used in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields, may cause mesothelioma in the same way that asbestos does. Because of their special mechanical and electrical properties and their ability to conduct heat, nanotubes are being added to an increasing number of structural materials, including the carbon fiber used to make baseball bats, golf clubs and car parts. As a result, more people who work in manufacturing and scientific fields are likely to be exposed to nanotubes. But a new published study suggests that, if these tiny fibers accidentally enter the lungs through inhalation, they can act very much like crocidolite asbestos fibers and eventually trigger mesothelioma. Crocidolite is a common type of asbestos…

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    T-Cells Can Predict Mesothelioma Treatment Success

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma patients whose T-cell counts bounce back quickly after a round of chemotherapy have a better chance of survival. They are also most likely to benefit from the addition of immunotherapy. That’s the conclusion of a British study looking for prognostic indicators in mesothelioma patients undergoing a combination of chemotherapy. Noting that there is increased interest in pairing chemotherapy with immunotherapy, the group was also looking for a method of determining who would benefit most from the combination. Chemotherapy is the most common first-line treatment for mesothelioma. It involves flooding the body with a drug or combination of drugs designed to destroy cancer cells. Immunotherapy involves “programming” the immune system to recognize cancer cells as foreign invaders and attack them the…

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    Mesothelioma Now Covered by Zadroga Act

    ByAlex Strauss

    First responders and others who have contracted malignant mesothelioma because of their exposure to asbestos during the 9/11 attacks in New York are now eligible for government compensation under the Zadroga act. The announcement was made by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the attacks. The Zadroga Act, approved by Congress in 2012, was designed to help those were made sick because of the World Trade Center attack. Initially, the $2.8 billion fund was not available to people who contracted any type of cancer. Scientists had said there was little evidence to suggest that the toxic dust cloud created by the collapse and burning of the two buildings could cause cancer. But…

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    Implants May Help Mesothelioma Surgery Patients

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma patients who undergo surgery for their cancer may benefit from new biological implants to reconstruct their chest wall. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining that surrounds the lungs and lines the thoracic (chest) cavity. Pleurectomy and decortication is a surgical procedure designed to improve mesothelioma symptoms like shortness of breath by removing cancerous tissues surrounding the lungs, freeing the lungs up to expand more normally. During Pleurectomy and decortication, portions of the chest wall are removed and usually must be rebuilt. Often, this rebuilding is performed using synthetic materials. But a team of thoracic surgeons in the UK has just published a report on their success in using biological implants to rebuild the chest wall in patients…

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    Inhaling Mesothelioma Drug Soon Ready for Patient Trials

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma patients may eventually be inhaling their treatment medications instead of receiving them intravenously if current research in Scotland goes according to plan. Scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow are experimenting with a method for delivering chemotherapy medicine directly into the lungs where mesothelioma is triggered. Although mesothelioma is not a lung cancer, it is usually the result of inhalation or ingestion of airborne asbestos fibers.  In pleural mesothelioma, inhaled fibers lodge deep in the lung tissue, setting up a cycle of chronic irritation and inflammation that eventually affects the membrane around the lungs. As mesothelioma spreads over the pleural membrane, it can impede the lungs’ ability to expand and may eventually spread into the lungs or other organs….