Author: Alex Strauss

Diagnosis | New Studies | New Techniques | Research | Surgery | Treatments

Mesothelioma Surgery and the Threat of Opioid Addiction
ByAlex Strauss October 10, 2018October 9, 2018

A new study of opioid addiction among lung cancer patients may have implications for pleural mesothelioma patients who are considering surgery. The study, published this month in JAMA Oncology, finds that patients treated with more invasive surgical techniques are more likely to become chronic opioid users than those who have less invasive surgery. Opioids Are ‘Standard of Care’ for Lung Surgery Patients Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York studied the cases of nearly 4,000 people from the SEER Medicare database who had some type of surgery for non-small cell lung cancer, a type of cancer that shares many commonalities with the lung-related asbestos cancer, pleural mesothelioma. Some of the lung cancer patients studied underwent open thoracic surgery while others…

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Asbestos | New Studies | Occupations | Research | Statistics

Heartland Teachers Face Mesothelioma Risk in the Classroom
ByAlex Strauss October 9, 2018October 9, 2018

Even though teaching is not a profession typically associated with asbestos exposure, a newly published report out of Wisconsin offers a disturbing reminder of the mesothelioma risk posed by asbestos, wherever it is found. Researchers with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the University of Wisconsin analyzed mesothelioma incidence in the state between 1997 and 2013. They discovered that, not only are there higher numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases among people in construction and manufacturing — two areas that have often been linked to mesothelioma — but the incidence also appears to be elevated among teachers. Malignant Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Malignant mesothelioma is the most deadly of a group of illnesses associated with exposure to asbestos, a fibrous…

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Prognosis | Statistics | Surgery | Treatments

Surgery May Offer Survival Advantage for Rare Mesothelioma Subtypes
ByAlex Strauss October 9, 2018October 9, 2018

People with the most dangerous subtypes of malignant pleural mesothelioma may live longer if they undergo surgery. In an article in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, University of Arizona researchers say cancer-directed surgery can lengthen survival in people with sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma, two of the hardest cancers to treat. Multiple studies have suggested that there is a survival benefit from surgery in people with epithelioid mesothelioma, the most common subtype. But, the evidence is much more scanty for people with either sarcomatoid or biphasic mesothelioma, both of which are associated with a worse mesothelioma prognosis and shorter overall survival. Now, the Tucson-based research team says surgery aimed at removing the cancer (rather than just alleviating symptoms) can help these mesothelioma…

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Asbestos | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Surgery | Treatments

Short Term Mesothelioma Survival Better with Conservative Surgery
ByAlex Strauss October 8, 2018

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have added their voices to the ongoing debate over the best type of surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma. After a meta-analysis of 30-day mortality among 500 mesothelioma patients, the group has come down on the side of pleurectomy decortication (PD), the more conservative — and less risky — of the two major types of mesothelioma surgery. Mesothelioma Surgery: EPP vs. P/D Pleural mesothelioma, also referred to as asbestos cancer, is notoriously difficult to treat. Successful mesothelioma treatment usually involves a combination of therapies, such as Alimta (pemetrexed), radiotherapy, and curative surgery in patients who are healthy enough to undergo it. (Surgery is currently only recommended for patients with epithelioid mesothelioma,…

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Alternatives | Asbestos | Asia | Holistic | International | New Drugs | Treatments

Is it Time for a Curcumin-Based Mesothelioma Treatment?
ByAlex Strauss October 3, 2018

Yet another scientific study appears to confirm the power of the spice-derived compound curcumin as a weapon against malignant pleural mesothelioma. The Chinese researchers who conducted the latest study say the substance has the potential to be the basis of a whole new way of treating this aggressive asbestos cancer. This team tested curcumin on a line of mouse mesothelioma cells, both in the lab and in live animals, and published their promising results in the prestigious International Journal of Oncology. Curcumin’s Impact on Mesothelioma Cells Curumin is a primary chemical in turmeric, responsible for the root’s spicy flavor and characteristic yellow hue. If turmeric does, in fact, help fight cancer, as so many health food stores and supplement makers…

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Asbestos | Legal | Prevention | Statistics

Advocacy Groups Call for Asbestos Ban on Mesothelioma Awareness Day
ByAlex Strauss September 26, 2018September 25, 2018

Today marks the annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day in the US and mesothelioma patient advocacy groups are once again using the day to call for a total ban on asbestos, the primary cause of of this rare and deadly cancer. Asbestos is a carcinogenic mineral that was once commonly used in a variety of building, insulation, and household products. Since it was definitively linked to both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma in the early part of the 20th century, fifty-five countries have banned it. Even though asbestos is blamed for the mesothelioma deaths of an estimated 2,500 Americans every year (and as many as 40,000 deaths from other asbestos-related illnesses), the US has failed to institute a ban — a fact that…

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Europe | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Radiation Therapy | Research | Surgery | Treatments

New Study Points to Benefits of IMRT for Mesothelioma Treatment
ByAlex Strauss September 24, 2018September 22, 2018

There is more evidence that mesothelioma patients who have lung sparing surgery can live longer if it’s followed up with highly targeted radiation therapy. In the first study to come out of Israel on the subject, a team of oncologists, pulmonologists, radiation oncologists, and thoracic surgeons at Rabin Medicine Center in Petah Tikva say intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is safe and effective for slowing down the growth of pleural mesothelioma tumors. The Challenge of Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma The irregularity of malignant mesothelioma tumors makes them difficult to treat with standard external beam radiotherapy without damaging healthy tissue and causing serious side effects. This is particularly problematic in patients who still have both lungs, either because they were not good…

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Canada | International | Prognosis | Statistics

Mesothelioma Survival Has Changed Little in Two Decades in Canada
ByAlex Strauss September 22, 2018

There was some sobering news out of Canada this week that gives even more urgency to the need to find a cure for malignant mesothelioma. According to data compiled by Statistics Canada, while the net survival of several types of cancer has increased since the early 1990s, there has been little change in mesothelioma survival. Analysis of Cancer Net Survival The report, published in the journal Health Reports, calculated changes in net survival (where cancer is hypothetically the only possible cause of death) of patients with 30 different types of cancer during two 2-year time periods — 1992 to 1994 and 2012 to 2014. After factoring for age-related changes, the report analyzes differences in the five-year survival rates of patients…

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Diagnosis | New Studies | New Techniques | Prognosis | Research

Advanced Computer Program Might Pinpoint Mesothelioma Sooner
ByAlex Strauss September 19, 2018

Scientists at New York University School of Medicine have successfully used a sophisticated computer program to distinguish between different types of lung cancer and identify the mutated genes behind them. The developers say the technology could open the door to faster diagnosis of other types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma. Malignant Mesothelioma, the Asbestos Cancer Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Instead of starting in the lung tissue like other types of lung cancer, it grows on the membrane that surrounds the lungs and can then spread to the lungs and other organs. There is no cure and the prognosis for mesothelioma is usually poor. As with most types of cancer, earlier diagnosis…

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Alternatives | Asia | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Radiofrequency Ablation for Recurrent Mesothelioma: A New Treatment Option?
ByAlex Strauss September 17, 2018September 14, 2018

A procedure normally used to help alleviate pain has been used to successfully stop a case of recurrent malignant pleural mesothelioma in Japan. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses electrical energy delivered through a thin, hollow needle to heat and destroy cancer cells. Most of the time, this technology is used to destroy small tumors or a treat small area of cancer to alleviate symptoms such as pain or discomfort. But thoracic surgeons at the Hyogo College of Medicine in Hyogo, Japan say their new case study suggests that the procedure should also be considered as a definitive treatment — especially for mesothelioma patients for whom surgery is not a viable option. Complex Mesothelioma Case Drives RFA Decision In a new report…

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