Author: Alex Strauss

Asia | Biological Therapy | Chemotherapy | International | New Drugs | Research | Treatments | Updates

New Drug Combination May Extend Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss September 5, 2016March 16, 2017

A drug derived from the eggs of leopard frogs may offer new hope for people with intractable malignant mesothelioma – especially if the drug is administered in combination with a malaria drug called dihydroartemisinin (DHA). A newly-published Chinese report suggests that the combination has anti-tumor effects on non-small cell lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma not seen with conventional cancer drugs. A Winning Drug Combination? Onconase (also known as Ranpirnase) is a cytotoxic enzyme found in the stem cells of leopard frog eggs and early embryos. It has been used in chemotherapy to help treat malignant mesothelioma, a cancer that is highly resistant to standard cancer drugs. Studies have shown that Onconase can help shrink mesothelioma tumors by attaching itself to…

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Asbestos | Diagnosis | Europe | International | New Techniques | Occupations | Prevention | Scans | Updates

Monitoring Program Improves Mesothelioma Diagnosis
ByAlex Strauss September 3, 2016March 16, 2017

A Polish program designed to identify mesothelioma earlier in former asbestos plant workers could have implications for malignant mesothelioma patients around the world. Mesothelioma is the most deadly of a range of diseases associated with exposure to asbestos. Other illnesses linked to asbestos exposure include lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural plaques. A new report published by Poland’s Nofer Institute of Occupational Health, says a 16-year-old mesothelioma monitoring program has led to better understanding of malignant mesothelioma, improved the ability to diagnose it, and identified more cases that might have otherwise gone undetected. Mesothelioma in Asbestos Workers Although asbestos was banned in Poland in 1997, because the disease has such a long latency period, many people are still being diagnosed with mesothelioma….

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Alternatives | Asbestos | Holistic | Legal | Symptoms | Treatments | Updates

Changes in Medical Marijuana Laws Could Impact Mesothelioma Patients
ByAlex Strauss September 1, 2016September 15, 2017

California mesothelioma patients who rely on medical marijuana to help manage their symptoms or support their treatment may find the product even safer if the governor signs a proposed new law. The law would set new standards for how medical cannabis products are manufactured in the state, requiring that medical marijuana be processed without solvents or with nonflammable, nontoxic solvents. Mesothelioma Patients May Be Affected The bill, which is supported by California’s cannabis industry, would impact people like Californian and pleural mesothelioma patient Andy Ashcraft and his wife Ruth. The Ashcraft’s added cannabis oil to Andy’s daily healthy-living protocol after conventional treatments failed to shrink his mesothelioma tumor. Like many mesothelioma patients, Ashcraft was exposed to asbestos in his workplace,…

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Asia | Diagnosis | International | New Studies | Research | Scans | Updates

Mesothelioma-Related Lung Fluid: Better Diagnosis with HIgh Tech Tool
ByAlex Strauss August 29, 2016March 16, 2017

Technology that integrates 18-FDG PET and CT imaging together may be a more powerful way to diagnose malignant lung fluid in people with pleural mesothelioma than either modality alone. Scientists in China did a retrospective study to compare the imaging results of people with pleural effusion from various causes, including malignant pleural mesothelioma. The team found that the integrated PET/CT technology accurately diagnosed malignant pleural effusion better than 18FDG-PET imaging alone and much better than CT imaging. What is Malignant Pleural Effusion? Malignant pleural effusion is a condition where fluid containing cancer cells collects in the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. If this fluid is caused by a condition other than malignant mesothelioma or another cancer,…

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Australia | Chemotherapy | International | Mesothelioma | New Studies | Occupations | Research | Symptoms | Treatments | Updates

Pleural Fluid May Help Mesothelioma Grow and Spread
ByAlex Strauss August 26, 2016March 16, 2017

The excess lung fluid that is behind one of the most bothersome mesothelioma symptoms may be more than just a side effect; it may actually contribute to the growth and spread of malignant mesothelioma. More than 90 percent of mesothelioma patients will experience pleural effusion, a buildup of fluid in the space around the lungs. As fluid fills the pleural space, many patients develop shortness of breath and chest pain. Draining the fluid can help temporarily. But a study conducted at Australia’s Institute for Respiratory Health, the University of Western Australia, and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth suggests that this fluid is not just a byproduct of mesothelioma growth. Their study suggests that it is biologically active and may…

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Asbestos | New Studies | Occupations | Research | Updates

Asbestos Preparation Impacts Mesothelioma Risk
ByAlex Strauss August 24, 2016March 16, 2017

There is new evidence that how asbestos fibers are prepared for use can have an impact on their ability to trigger asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and malignant mesothelioma. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is ground up for use in a variety of industrial and construction applications. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently found that asbestos that is ground while dry, rather than ground with water, contains 7 times more iron than wet-ground asbestos, potentially making it even more likely to cause deadly mesothelioma. Asbestos and Mesothelioma Before asbestos was linked to peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma in the early part of the 20th century, asbestos was prized for its strength and ability to resist heat, fire and…

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Asbestos | Asbestos | Australia | Biopsy | Diagnosis | International | Mesothelioma | Occupations | Prognosis | Updates

Mesothelioma Subtype Unrelated to Source or Degree of Asbestos Exposure
ByAlex Strauss August 22, 2016March 16, 2017

The source or degree of a mesothelioma patient’s asbestos exposure does not appear to have a direct impact on what mesothelioma subtype they develop. That is according to the results of a newly-published study out of Australia, a country with one of the world’s highest rates of asbestos cancer. To make their determination, mesothelioma researchers reviewed malignant mesothelioma cases from the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry between 1962 and 2012, comparing each patient’s subtype with their exposure history. Understanding Mesothelioma Subtypes Mesothelioma tumor subtypes are determined by subtle differences at the cellular level. Subtype is determined by examining mesothelioma cells under the microscope. Understanding mesothelioma subtypes is an important part of developing effective mesothelioma treatments since the different types respond differently to…

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Europe | International | New Studies | Research | Symptoms | Treatments | Updates

Mesothelioma Patients Could Benefit from Earlier Palliative Care
ByAlex Strauss August 19, 2016March 16, 2017

Too many patients with malignant mesothelioma may be suffering more than they have to because they are not being offered palliative care earlier. Cancer researchers in Italy reached that conclusion after evaluating the charts and symptoms of mesothelioma patients enrolled in a home palliative care program in Palermo. Palliative care is the medical specialty focused on alleviating pain and other life-limiting symptoms. While palliative care is often associated with the end of life, the new study suggests that many mesothelioma patients could benefit from better symptom control earlier in their disease. Evaluating Mesothelioma Symptoms One of the most deadly aspects of malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure, is that it often causes no symptoms at…

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Biopsy | Diagnosis | Europe | International | New Studies | New Techniques | Research | Surgery | Treatments | Updates

Diagnosing Mesothelioma with Medical Thoracoscopy
ByAlex Strauss August 15, 2016March 16, 2017

Medical thoracoscopy, a procedure used to diagnose and treat pleural diseases such as malignant pleural mesothelioma, provides the information needed to make a diagnosis in about 80 percent of patients. That is up by more than 20 percent in the last three decades. In a newly published study, a team of Italian pulmonary medicine specialists say the procedure, which is also known as pleuroscopy, has steadily improved as doctors have gotten more adept at using it to diagnose mesothelioma and other thoracic malignancies. The Challenge of Mesothelioma Diagnosis Pleural mesothelioma, a virulent cancer that starts on the membrane surrounding the lungs, is notoriously difficult to diagnose. The symptoms of mesothelioma, which can include cough, chest pain, fatigue and shortness of…

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Europe | International | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Drugs | New Studies | Research | Treatments | Updates

Study Reveals “Promising" New Mesothelioma Therapy
ByAlex Strauss August 13, 2016March 16, 2017

Scientists in Italy have found what they are calling a “promising new therapeutic option” for malignant pleural mesothelioma. The drug, called trabectedin (Yondelis), received FDA approval for advanced sarcomas and unresectable ovarian cancer in 2015. Now, there is evidence that it might offer a more effective way to combat mesothelioma, too – especially when combined with other drugs. Mesothelioma Incidence Still Rising Pleural mesothelioma, also known as the “asbestos cancer”, is extremely rare but also extremely deadly, largely because it is resistant to standard cancer chemotherapy. Most patients with mesothelioma do not survive beyond about a year after diagnosis. Even though many countries have now banned asbestos because of its link to mesothelioma and other cancers, rates of the disease are still…

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