Author: Alex Strauss

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    Chemoprevention of Mesothelioma: A Neglected Approach?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A group of researchers in Italy is calling for renewed study of a mesothelioma prevention approach they say has been ignored for too long. The method, called chemoprevention, involves using low doses of targeted toxins to seek out and kill cells that have the potential of turning into mesothelioma.  Ideally, these agents are designed to latch onto compounds that are only produced by pre-cancerous cells, minimizing the risk to healthy cells. This idea may be particularly valuable for malignant mesothelioma.  Although the cause – asbestos exposure – is well-known,  there is no way to keep exposed individuals from developing the disease. And because the early symptoms of mesothelioma are typically mild and may mimic other, less serious, conditions, mesothelioma is frequently diagnosed…

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    Mesothelioma Death: Asbestos Was Climber’s Greatest Risk

    ByAlex Strauss

    An Australian mountain climber who made headlines in 2006 by surviving a harrowing experience on Mt. Everest has died of mesothelioma. Fifty-six year old Lincoln Hall had climbed many of the world’s highest peaks, including Mt. Everest in 2006.  But when he developed serious symptoms of oxygen deprivation on the way down, he was left for dead by his climbing team. An American guide and his two clients found Hall the next day and sacrificed their own summit experience to save his life.  After treatment in a Nepal hospital for a chest infection, fluid on his brain and frostbite, Hall eventually returned to Australia where he was hailed as a hero. Despite the risks Hall took in his life, including his…

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    Australia’s Mesothelioma Fight Comes to Television

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia’s ongoing mesothelioma problem will soon be the subject of a two-part television miniseries. Produced by Australia’s ABC network and starring some of the country’s most respected actors, “The Devils Dust” tells the story of mesothelioma victim Bernie Banton.  Banton was a long time employee of James Hardie, an Australian manufacturer of fiber cement building products.  For years, the company added asbestos to its cement to increase its strength and durability.  After Banton was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 1999, he became an advocate for mesothelioma sufferers throughout the country. Although mesothelioma cases like Banton’s are tragically common in Australia, Banton’s case was brought into the national spotlight largely because of the book “Killer Company”, by journalist Matt Peacock.  It was Peacock…

  • Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Always Recruiting

    ByAlex Strauss

    Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis.  Because it spreads quickly and there is no single cure with standard therapies, participating in a clinical trial can be one way for mesothelioma patients to access promising treatments without waiting for FDA approval. Every clinical trial has its own set of requirements for participation. Some are open to newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients while others are reserved for those who have failed to respond to other treatments.  Participants usually must agree to a full physical exam, including urine and blood samples, and must agree to follow study protocols and have regular follow-up appointments. The National Cancer Institute provides a online database of clinical trials for mesothelioma and every other cancer.  Currently…

  • MesoMark Falls Short for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis

    ByAlex Strauss

    The Mesomark blood test for mesothelioma may miss the mark when it comes to diagnosing mesothelioma in its earliest stages. That is the conclusion of a large new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  The report was a meta-analysis of patients in 16 studies on the value of serum mesothelin as a marker for mesothelioma.  The studies included data on 4,491 patients, including 1,026 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and various control groups. All were measured for the level of mesothelin in their blood serum using the Mesomark test. Mesothelin is a protein present in the cells of the mesothelial membrane which surrounds the lungs and other internal organs. However, mesothelin is overexpressed in several types of tumors, including mesothelioma….

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    New Trust for Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Starting this month, Navy veterans who contracted mesothelioma by working with certain types of valves and steam control equipment on ships have a new potential source to help pay their medical bills and expenses. CIRCOR, the parent company of Leslie Controls, a major supplier of valves and gaskets to the US Navy from the 1940s until the 1980s, has created a trust fund specifically for Navy veterans with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.  The $74 million dollar trust fund was part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to the fibrous mineral, asbestos. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been linked not only to mesothelioma but also to lung cancer, asbestosis, and a host of other…

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    A New Test for Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the pleural membrane that encases the lungs, can be difficult to diagnose.  Early symptoms of the disease can be vague and mimic other lung conditions.  But the longer a patient goes without a firm diagnosis, the poorer the prognosis is likely to be since mesothelioma is resistant to many traditional therapies. In addition to considering the patient’s symptoms and history of asbestos exposure, doctors often rely on biomarkers – compounds found in the blood or lung fluid – to pinpoint mesothelioma. Now, a group of Danish scientists are investigating a new biomarker that may eventually allow for an earlier, more accurate, mesothelioma diagnosis. Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) is a key enzyme used to help cells…

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    Spice May Trigger Mesothelioma Cell Breakdown

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence that cancer researchers might do well to spice up their mesothelioma clinical trials. A team of researchers at Keio University in Tokyo report that curcumin, the primary component in the spice turmeric, can effectively reduce the viability of human mesothelioma cells in the laboratory. This, despite the fact that mesothelioma is notoriously resistant to many types of conventional cancer therapies. “Curcumin, which has a long history as a dietary spice, is known to suppress the growth of multiple cancer lines, but the effects on mesothelioma cells are not well-defined,” observed principal investigator Y. Yamauchi in Phytotherapy Research. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of internal membranes, triggered by asbestos exposure. Citing mesothelioma’s well-known treatment resistance, Yamauchi says alternative…

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    New Radiotherapy Technique May be Safer for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence that an advanced method for delivering radiotherapy may improve survival for mesothelioma patients after surgery. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a surgical procedure for malignant pleural mesothelioma that involves removing the mesothelioma tumor, as well as the pleural lining where the tumor is located, the nearest lung, all or part of the diaphragm, and other internal membranes. It is often followed by adjuvant radiotherapy to kill remaining tumor cells. Because the radiation target area in post-operative mesothelioma patients is irregular in shape and located close to critical internal organs, many patients receive a targeted type of radiotherapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). But postoperative IMRT also carries a high risk of a potentially fatal lung condition called…

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    Railway Employees Lose High Court Mesothelioma Battle

    ByAlex Strauss

    Mesothelioma patients who believe the railway industry is to blame for their disease have lost an important battle in the Supreme Court. The railway industry has long been a dangerous one, made even more so by the widespread use of toxic asbestos.  Steam locomotives, used by many railroads as late as the 1960’s, used asbestos, not only in the liner around the engine, but around the boiler, on the outside as ‘lagging’, and even in the engine cab.  More recently, some diesel locomotives have been found to contain asbestos gaskets.  Asbestos was also used in most train brake shoes through the 1990’s.  Asbestos causes mesothelioma a rare but aggressive cancer. The case before the U.S. Supreme Court was that of George Corson, a welder and…