Author: Alex Strauss

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    Is Mesothelioma Hereditary?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Could susceptibility to mesothelioma pass from parent to child through the genes? That is a question Greek scientists are trying to answer as they try to determine why some families seem to be ‘prone’ to mesothelioma. Although many other cancers are known to have a hereditary component, mesothelioma is unique in that it is known to be caused by exposure to the mineral asbestos. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers can trigger a series of physiological changes that leads to mesothelioma years later. In most cases where multiple members of a family are diagnosed with mesothelioma, they are all found to have been exposed to asbestos. Children are sometimes exposed to the asbestos on a parent’s work clothes. Or several members…

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    Mesothelioma ‘Triple Treatment’ May Jump Start Killer Cells

    ByAlex Strauss

    New mesothelioma research from Harvard University suggests that if one type of immunotherapy is effective against mesothelioma, three types might be even more effective. Immunotherapy involves manipulating the immune system to fight disease. Some types of cancer, including mesothelioma, take hold in the body in part by ‘shutting down’ the natural immunotoxins, or cell killers, that would normally attack them. Now, scientists are working with a number of molecules designed to jump start the immune system and help it recognize, target, and even ‘remember’ invading mesothelioma cancer cells. Using a mouse model of mesothelioma, the Harvard researchers investigated the roles of three factors effecting immunity: regulatory T-cells, intratumoural transforming growth factor (TGF)-â and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA4). The researchers…

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    Cell Protein Linked to Mesothelioma Survival

    ByAlex Strauss

    A protein imbedded in the outer wall of their cells appears to have an impact on survival for mesothelioma patients. That’s the conclusion of researchers with a French mesothelioma study panel known as MESOPATH.  After examining 157 cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma, the group found that a protein called c-mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET) could be correlated with survival in more than 75% of them. C-MET is one of many regulatory proteins found both inside and on the outer membrane of cells.  It is responsible for helping direct critical cell functions such as growth, survival, migration and invasion. But it has also been found to be overexpressed and mutated in a variety of malignancies. When the MESOPATH researchers tested mesothelioma cell samples,…

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    Mesothelioma Surgery Under Fire Again

    ByAlex Strauss

    The group that stirred worldwide debate among medical specialists last year with their stance against a radical mesothelioma surgery is taking up the controversial topic once again. Led by prominent Los Angeles-based mesothelioma doctor Robert Cameron, MD, Director of the UCLA Mesothelioma Comprehensive Research Program, the group includes experts from San Francisco, New York and as far away as South Africa. In addition to an interest in the rare asbestos-linked cancer mesothelioma, these experts share a common dislike for extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), a major surgical procedure that is still considered by some to be the ‘gold standard’ surgical treatment for this disease. Introduced in the 1940’s and modified over the years, EPP is a mesothelioma surgery that involves removal of…

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    Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Rates Remain High in Louisiana

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new report has some discouraging health news for the residents of Louisiana: Their risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases remains higher than residents of other states, despite an increase in asbestos regulation. In a recent study of the chronic, debilitating lung disease, asbestosis, researchers in the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals note that the state has more facilities that produce, process or use asbestos than any other state in the US. Like mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of internal body membranes, asbestosis is caused by inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers. “As a condition highly associated with occupational exposure, its incidence has been affected by changes in industry standards,” the authors write in the Journal of the Louisiana State Medical…

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    Italy Verdict May Have Worldwide Mesothelioma Impact

    ByAlex Strauss

    Advocates of better protection for workers from mesothelioma and other occupational diseases have won a major court victory. A Swiss billionaire and a Belgian executive – both former managers in the Italian affiliate of the Eternit cement company – have been sentenced to 16 years in jail and ordered to pay millions of Euros for negligence that led to more than 2,000 deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The Reuters news agency predicts that the decision, announced in Turin, Italy, could “set a precedent for proceedings worldwide about safety in the workplace.” Stephan Schmidheiny was a former owner of the cement company and Jean Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier de Marchienne was a shareholder and former manager in the…

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    Proton Therapy – “Clear Advantages” in Treating Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study suggests that an up-and-coming type of radiotherapy may do more good – with less damage – than the current gold standard radiation treatments for mesothelioma. Currently, most mesothelioma patients who are treated with radiotherapy receive the conventional electron-based variety. While radiation can sometimes shrink a tumor, one of the major risks is that the ionized particles will also do permanent damage to the healthy tissue around it. This can be particularly challenging in mesothelioma because the tumors tend to be thin, spread across a large area, and are located close to critical organs such as the heart and lungs. Like electron-based radiotherapy, proton-based radiotherapy works by ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. But in…

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    Mesothelioma May Affect New Generation of Vets

    ByAlex Strauss

    There is mounting evidence that military veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan may be at risk for mesothelioma and other serious respiratory issues because of exposure to airborne toxins. A recent issue of the Marine Corps Times tells the story of several veterans faced with huge medical bills because of mesothelioma or other serious respiratory issues. Mesothelioma is typically associated with inhalation or ingestion of asbestos. A number of veterans of Middle East conflicts believe the contaminants that they inhaled around open air burn pits or in desert dust is to blame for their rare medical conditions such as mesothelioma, constrictive bronchiolitis, or the newly-named “Iraq/Afghanistan War Lung Injury.” Dr. Terry Walters, deputy chief consultant of the Veterans Administration’s environmental…

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    Harnessing T-Cells to Fight Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Cancer researchers in Australia are harnessing the power of disease-fighting T-cells in the ongoing battle with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a virulent cancer of the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the abdomen. The response of the body’s immune system to mesothelioma and other cancers is complex. Mesothelioma tumors in mice and people produce large numbers of Regulatory (Treg) T cells. While Treg cells are typically thought of as one of the body’s ways of fighting disease, the latest research suggests that, in some cases, turning these cells ‘off’ might be more effective against cancer than letting them do their job. In the newest study of Treg cells, they were shown to act as important “mediators” of the body’s anti-tumor…

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    Mesothelioma Risk from Vintage Prefab Homes

    ByAlex Strauss

    The mesothelioma death of an elderly English man is more evidence of the danger posed by aging asbestos, especially in the country’s vintage prefab homes. Although Arthur Brown was 91-years old and had multiple health problems, the fact that he died of mesothelioma, the asbestos-linked cancer, has made headlines in England because, unlike most mesothelioma sufferers, he had never worked in the asbestos industry or lived with anyone who had.  Just as concerning is the fact that Brown’s wife also died of this very rare cancer. Brown and his wife spent much of their adult lives in one of the more than 150,000 prefab houses built in Britain just after World War II. Ordered by Winston Churchill as an inexpensive way to…