Author: Alex Strauss

Asbestos | Diagnosis | Europe | International | Legal | Occupations | Updates

Mesothelioma Risk Can Be Found in Unexpected Places
ByAlex Strauss March 20, 2016March 16, 2017

The case of a man who contracted mesothelioma after working in an industry not typically associated with asbestos illustrates the importance of digging deep into a patient’s history to make an accurate mesothelioma diagnosis. Asbestos has been heavily regulated in the US – and banned in 55 other countries – since it was linked to malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other illnesses in the 1960s. Unfortunately, it can still show up and wreak havoc in unexpected places. Unusual Asbestos Exposure A new report published in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health details the case of a 70-year-old Italian man who worked as a carpenter for six years in a small furniture company. Thirty years after leaving…

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Asia | Diagnosis | International | Scans | Updates

Mesothelioma Diagnosis: CT Index May Make it Easier
ByAlex Strauss March 18, 2016March 16, 2017

CT images of peritoneal mesothelioma have some distinct differences from images of other types of cancer, making CT a valuable way to help diagnose the asbestos-linked malignancy and plan appropriate treatment. A group of Japanese researchers recently set out to explore exactly how malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) differs from other cancers on CT. Their goal was not only to list the differences but to create a malignant pleural mesothelioma CT index that could be used as a guide for diagnosing the disease earlier. Early Detection of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Like other types of cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma survival is largely dependent on early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Mesothelioma, which is most often caused by exposure to asbestos, can take decades to develop….

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Biomarkers | Diagnosis | Europe | Genetics | International | New Drugs | Prognosis | Research | Treatments | Updates

Promising New Mesothelioma Drug Targets Growth Gene
ByAlex Strauss March 15, 2016March 16, 2017

A cancer drug developed in Great Britain is making news around the world for its apparent ability to slow and even reverse the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumors. The investigational drug, called HXR9, targets the natural cell process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. According to researchers at the University of Bradford and University of Surrey who developed it, mesothelioma cells treated with HXR9 lose their ability to defy a natural death. The Danger of Immortality All healthy cells, including those of the pleural mesothelium (the lining around the lungs), eventually undergo apoptosis and are replaced by fresh cells. But the same process that helps turn certain mesothelial cells into mesothelioma cells, also confers a sort of immortality, allowing…

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Chemotherapy | Immunotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | Treatments | Updates

Power-Packed Combination Treatment May Boost Mesothelioma Outcomes
ByAlex Strauss March 13, 2016March 16, 2017

There is evidence that a new kind of combination therapy could improve survival odds for people with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Maryland, and NYU School of Medicine treated forty mesothelioma patients with immuno-gene therapy before administering standard chemotherapy. The results were a “significantly higher” mesothelioma survival rate than most patients are told to expect. Mesothelioma Chemotherapy: Limited Effectiveness Although most mesothelioma patients end up having chemotherapy at some point during their treatment, the odds are not good that the treatment will have much impact on the length of their lives. This is because malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lung membranes caused by asbestos…

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Asbestos | Europe | International | Occupations | Updates

Asbestos Workers: Longer Employment Equals Higher Mesothelioma Risk
ByAlex Strauss March 10, 2016March 16, 2017

The longer a person’s occupational exposure to asbestos, the greater the lifetime risk of developing malignant mesothelioma or lung cancer. That is the finding of a new study out of Italy, where early retirement is allowed among workers who know they have been exposed to asbestos. The rates of mesothelioma and lung cancer were found to be higher the longer people worked in their asbestos jobs. Only a fraction of these eligible workers have taken the early retirement option. Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Before asbestos was linked to the development of malignant pleural mesothelioma, it was used extensively in Europe, Australia, the UK and the US as a strong and heat-resistant additive to items ranging from shingles and insulation to…

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Asbestos | Compensation | Occupations | Updates

Standing with 9/11 Firefighters and First Responders
ByAlex Strauss March 8, 2016March 16, 2017

Almost 15 years after the worst terror attack on American soil, the heroic firefighters and first responders, along with their families, continue to fight an uphill battle. The toxic debris, human remains and piles of rubble have long since disappeared, but their fight continues to this day in the form of delays and bureaucracy. In December 2015, amid much fanfare, Congress begrudgingly approved reauthorization of the Zadroga Act: wide-ranging legislation that provides healthcare and other benefits to 9/11 firefighters and first responders. “When the original bill passed in 2010, mesothelioma wasn’t even a part of the bill,” says John Feal, founder and president of The Feal Good Foundation, a 9/11 advocacy group working on behalf of firefighters, first responders, and…

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Asbestos | Immune Systems | New Studies | Prevention | Research | Updates

A New Prevention Strategy for Mesothelioma?
ByAlex Strauss March 7, 2016March 16, 2017

Most people who are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, whether it’s the pleural or the peritoneal variety, will undergo treatment with chemotherapy at some point. Unfortunately, by the time chemotherapy is administered, mesothelioma is often so advanced that the drugs have only a limited effect. In fact, most studies of chemotherapy for mesothelioma suggest that it probably only extends mesothelioma survival by a few months. But a new study suggests that it may eventually be possible to use drugs as a way to prevent mesothelioma in people who are at risk for developing it because of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma and Inflammation As with many types of cancer, the physiological processes behind the development of malignant mesothelioma are complex and not fully…

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

Amatuximab May Extend Survival for Mesothelioma Patients on Chemotherapy
ByAlex Strauss March 4, 2016March 16, 2017

There is mounting evidence that the monoclonal antibody amatuximab could be used to make chemotherapy more effective for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers studying amatuximab as part of an international trial recently published results that appear to offer some encouraging news for mesothelioma patients and their families. What is Amatuximab? Amatuximab is an chimeric monoclonal antibody developed by a company called Morphotek, Inc. to help in the treatment of people whose cancer cells overexpress the protein mesothelin. Mesothelin-positive cancers typically include pancreatic, ovarian, mesothelioma and lung. In patients with these cancers, amatuximab binds to the mesothelin and stops the cells from dividing. In a double-blind, placebo controlled trial that goes by the acronym (ARTEMIS), the compound is being used…

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Genetics | Immunotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Studies | Research | Treatments | Updates

New Genetic Insights May Mean More Mesothelioma Treatment Options
ByAlex Strauss March 2, 2016March 16, 2017

Medical science has moved a step closer to better understanding the underlying genetic causes of malignant mesothelioma, a rare and hard-to-treat cancer. The news, published in the journal Nature Genetics, means that some mesothelioma patients may benefit from drugs their physicians might not otherwise have thought to try. Genetics and Mesothelioma Like most cancers, pleural mesothelioma, a deadly malignancy caused primarily by asbestos exposure, has a genetic component. Mesothelioma researchers around the world are working to identify the specific genetic alterations that cause certain cells in the membrane around the lungs to malfunction and replicate out of control. Until the newly published study, several of these mutations had never been identified in malignant pleural mesothelioma. A Spectrum of Mutations Researchers at…

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Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | New Drugs | Research | Treatments | Updates

Promising Immunotherapy Drug Fails to Improve Mesothelioma Survival
ByAlex Strauss February 29, 2016March 16, 2017

There is some disappointing news today on the use of the new immunotherapy drug tremelimumab to fight treatment-resistant malignant pleural mesothelioma. The drug’s manufacturer, AstraZeneca, has announced that, when used by itself, the drug failed to improve survival in patients who had run out of mesothelioma treatment options. Still, it may not be the end of the road for tremelimumab and mesothelioma. Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Immunotherapy drugs like tremelimumab, which are designed to harness the power of a mesothelioma patient’s immune system to fight their cancer, are one of the most promising new types of cancer therapies. Tremelimumab is a monoclonal antibody that works by binding to the protein CTLA-4 on the surface of white blood cells and preventing it…

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