Author: Alex Strauss

Alternatives | Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | New Drugs | Research | Treatments

Mesothelioma Patients Recruited to Test Promising New Combo Drug
ByAlex Strauss April 19, 2018

Patients with malignant mesothelioma who have not gotten better after chemotherapy are being invited to enroll in a clinical trial of a combination drug that could be the future of mesothelioma treatment. The drug is called SEL-403. Developed by Selecta Biosciences, the drug seeks to get around the problem of the body producing antibodies that decrease the effectiveness of certain mesothelioma drugs. What is SLE-403 and How Could it Improve Mesothelioma Treatment? SEL-403 is a combination of two agents, The first is LMB-100, an immunotoxin that targets the protein mesothelin, which is overproduced by most mesothelioma tumors as well as by several other types of cancer cells. Since LMB-100 targets this particular protein, it is less likely to attack healthy…

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Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Research | Treatments | Vaccine

A Cure for Mesothelioma? Hopes High for New Cancer Vaccine
ByAlex Strauss April 17, 2018April 17, 2018

Researchers at Stanford University are about to move into human trials of what some believe may be the most promising treatment yet for malignant mesothelioma and other types of solid tumors. The new treatment is an immunotherapy vaccine that combines two separate agents, both of which are already being tested independently. Unlike some other types of immunotherapy – including drugs like Keytruda and Opdivo that have been tested for mesothelioma treatment – the new treatment is not customized to attack a specific type of cancer cell. Instead, it relies on a two-part system that “teaches” immune system T-cells what kind of cells to attack by injecting the vaccine directly into a tumor. This is known as “in situ”…

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Chemotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Surgery | Treatments | Updates

Study Finds Chemotherapy Unlikely to Improve Peritoneal Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss April 14, 2018April 14, 2018

A new study from the University of Illinois suggests that patients with peritoneal mesothelioma who undergo surgery may not get any benefit from having chemotherapy, too. Mesothelioma patients who have cytoreductive surgery, which is also called debulking surgery, tend to live more than four times as long as those who do not have the surgery. Rinsing the abdominal cavity with a heated solution of cancer-killing drugs may improve survival even more. But, according to the new study, the same cannot be said of chemotherapy drugs that are delivered orally or by injection or infusion so that they circulate through the whole body (systemic chemotherapy). Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Cytoreductive Surgery Peritoneal mesothelioma is a fast-growing malignancy that occurs on the membrane…

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Asbestos | Compensation | Legal | Prevention

Mesothelioma Talcum Powder Case Raises Safety Concerns
ByAlex Strauss April 12, 2018April 12, 2018

The final numbers are in and the New Jersey mesothelioma patient who was awarded $30 million dollars last week will get another $80 million in punitive damages from Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier. Banker Stephen Lanzo and his wife filed suit against the two companies claiming that Mr. Lanzo’s use of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products caused his pleural mesothelioma, a fast-growing cancer on the membrane around the lungs. The case represents the first time that a man has won a lawsuit alleging a connection between talcum powder and malignant mesothelioma, and raises serious safety concerns for consumers. Johnson & Johnson and other talcum powder producers have already been brought to court by women who claim their…

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Asbestos | Europe | International | Occupations | Prevention

Uninformed Asbestos Workers Face Higher Mesothelioma Risk
ByAlex Strauss April 10, 2018

A new survey conducted among asbestos workers in the UK finds that too many do not fully understand the laws about asbestos exposure and how to reduce their risk of deadly malignant mesothelioma. The survey was commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the British equivalent of the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The goal was to determine how much construction workers know about the risks and regulations regarding asbestos, the primary cause of pleural mesothelioma in the UK and around the world. Too Many Don’t Know How to Manage Mesothelioma Risk Most people have heard that asbestos—once a common component of many building products—is associated with the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestos…

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Holistic | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Treatments

Mesothelioma Patients May Benefit From Kindness, Study Reveals
ByAlex Strauss April 9, 2018

A study of more than 400 patients and their families shows that people coping with cancers such as malignant mesothelioma do better when their medical caregivers show them kindness. The study was originally published in the Journal of Oncology Practice and identifies six specific types of kindness that can help to ease the pain and challenges of mesothelioma treatment. High Tech Must Be Balanced by “High Touch” In the introduction to the report, Dr. Leonard Berry, a University Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Texas A&M University, says high tech therapies for mesothelioma and other cancers should be balanced by “high touch” from caregivers. “Simple kindness can help to diffuse negative emotions that are associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment—and may…

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Asbestos | Compensation | Legal

Mesothelioma Patient Awarded $37 Million in Talcum Powder Case
ByAlex Strauss April 6, 2018April 6, 2018

A New Jersey mesothelioma patient and his wife have been awarded $37 million dollars in compensation after a jury agreed that asbestos-laced talcum powder was to blame for the man’s illness. Stephen Lanzo claimed that Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products like Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, which he had been using all his life, entered his lungs and caused him to develop pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive membrane cancer with no-known cure. Johnson & Johnson and other talcum powder companies are still fighting claims that their products could cause ovarian cancer. But the mesothelioma community has been especially interested in the Lanzo’s case because it is the first time the company has lost a case alleging its talc products…

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Asbestos | Diagnosis | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Scans

What Type of Mesothelioma Do I Have? CT May Be Able to Tell
ByAlex Strauss April 5, 2018

Researchers from one of the country’s top cancer centers say it may be possible to tell what subtype of pleural mesothelioma a person has by using computed tomography (CT). Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive lung-related cancer for which patients and their doctors must develop a treatment plan quickly to get ahead of the disease. The challenge is that, not only is mesothelioma highly resistant to standard cancer treatment, but different subtypes of mesothelioma are often managed with different drugs and therapies. The new study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York suggests that CT may offer an accurate and non-invasive way to classify mesothelioma patients which could speed the treatment planning process and lead to longer mesothelioma survival….

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Asia | International | New Studies | Research | Symptoms | Treatments

Life After Mesothelioma Can Still Be a Challenge
ByAlex Strauss April 2, 2018April 2, 2018

A new Japanese study has some sobering news for people hoping to survive malignant mesothelioma: Life after mesothelioma can still be challenging. The study was conducted by multiple centers across Japan. A total of 133 mesothelioma patients who had been free of disease for at least five years completed questionnaires about their experiences and their quality of life. Assessing the Lives of Mesothelioma Survivors To get a picture of what life is like for mesothelioma survivors, the study group sent a 64-question survey to hospitals and patient advocacy groups. Patients completed the questionnaire themselves and then returned it to the researchers by mail. The questions specifically about quality-of-life came from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the…

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Alternatives | Asia | Europe | International | New Studies | Radiation Therapy | Research | Treatments

Hard-to-Find Therapy Fights Mesothelioma Tumors with Carbon Ions
ByAlex Strauss April 1, 2018

Carbon ion therapy—a cancer treatment developed in California but currently only available outside the US—may have the ability to significantly slow down the growth and spread of pleural mesothelioma tumors. Researchers at one of the world’s most experienced carbon ion therapy centers in Chiba, Japan shared that conclusion in a new article in the journal Oncotarget. According to the new research, carbon ion beams directed at two lines of malignant mesothelioma cells in the lab “suppressed cell viability”. The addition of cisplatin, one of two primary chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of mesothelioma around the world, “significantly enhanced its action.” The news is likely to be both exciting and frustrating for American mesothelioma patients who do not yet have…

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