Author: Alex Strauss

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

Reducing Complications in Radical Mesothelioma Surgery
ByAlex Strauss February 25, 2016March 16, 2017

A team of doctors in India have demonstrated how radical mesothelioma surgery may be made safer by managing body temperature and other parameters during the procedure. In a new report, they detail their success performing lung-removing surgery and heated chemotherapy on a 58-year-old man with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The Controversy Over Mesothelioma Surgery Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is considered the most radical form of mesothelioma surgery. It involves not only the removal of the diseased pleural lining around the lungs, where mesothelioma starts, but also the closest lung, all or part of the diaphragm, the lining around the heart, and other at-risk tissues. The procedure is often followed by a wash of heated chemotherapy drugs (HITHOC) to kill remaining mesothelioma cells. EPP…

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Chemotherapy | Europe | International | New Studies | Prognosis | Research | Treatments | Updates

Prognostic Factors in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss February 23, 2016March 16, 2017

Being anemic prior to treatment could be an indicator of poorer outcomes in people with malignant pleural mesothelioma. That is the conclusion of scientists in Ancona, Italy who have just released a new report on mesothelioma prognosis. Anemia and the biomarker CA125 emerged at the top of the list of negative prognostic indicators. Mesothelioma Treatment Outlook The prognosis or treatment outlook for mesothelioma patients is typically poor. Even the best mesothelioma treatments have a marginal success rate. Even so, there are cases of long-term mesothelioma survival. Doctors at the Marche Polytechnic Institute recently attempted to identify the characteristics that separate those with poor mesothelioma outcomes from those who had a better mesothelioma treatment response. Identifying Mesothelioma Prognostic Factors The new…

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Asbestos | Europe | International | New Studies | Occupations | Research | Updates

Asbestos-Like Fibers and Pleural Mesothelioma Risk
ByAlex Strauss February 21, 2016March 16, 2017

There is mounting evidence that asbestos is not the only fiber capable of triggering deadly malignant mesothelioma. In a new article published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, a team of Italian doctors offer a closer look at two “up and coming” agents that are also potential causes of mesothelioma. Asbestos and Mesothelioma Although there was evidence that people who worked with asbestos were contracting serious illnesses including asbestosis and lung cancer as early as the 1040s, it was not until 1960 that a pivotal study demonstrated a “causal connection” between the mineral asbestos and pleural mesothelioma. In a paper called “Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in North Western Cape Province”, Dr. JC Wagner and his team detailed the characteristics…

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Chemotherapy | Prognosis | Treatments | Updates

Modernizing the Process of Mesothelioma Prognosis
ByAlex Strauss February 18, 2016March 16, 2017

It is now more possible than ever to predict which mesothelioma patients are likely to benefit most from standard chemotherapy. Researchers at one of the nation’s top cancer centers have identified what they believe are key prognostic factors for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma who are not candidates for surgery. Mesothelioma Surgery Versus Chemotherapy Because pleural mesothelioma is such a difficult disease to treat, combatting it usually requires a combination of several therapies. Patients who are candidates for surgery may have chemotherapy or radiation prior to surgery in an effort to reduce the size of their mesothelioma tumor. After surgery, they may have more chemotherapy to keep mesothelioma cells from seeding new tumors. But not all mesothelioma patients stand to…

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Australia | International | Mesothelioma | Symptoms | Treatments | Updates

Treating Mesothelioma-Related Lung Fluid Build-Up
ByAlex Strauss February 16, 2016March 16, 2017

A buildup of excess fluid around the lungs – also known as pleural effusion – is one of the most common and life-limiting side effects of malignant pleural mesothelioma. As fluid fills up in the pleural cavity, the mesothelioma patient’s lungs have less room to expand leading to chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath. While there are many different ways of approaching the problem of pleural effusion in the treatment of mesothelioma, a new study says the benefits of a drainage catheter that stays in place probably outweigh the risks – especially as doctors become more familiar with the best way to use it. Pleural Effusions in Mesothelioma Pleural effusions are a common side effect of pleural mesothelioma and…

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Europe | International | New Studies | Radiation Therapy | Research | Statistics | Treatments | Updates

Risk for Mesothelioma After Radiation Treatment is Low
ByAlex Strauss February 12, 2016March 16, 2017

There is some good news for cancer survivors who have undergone external beam radiation as part of their therapy: The risk for mesothelioma later in life is still very low. Most cases of mesothelioma are caused by occupational or environmental exposure to asbestos. But scientists have long known that exposure to radiation can also cause cellular changes that increase the risk of eventually developing mesothelioma. Now, researchers in Italy have completed a longitudinal analysis of the US government’s large SEER cancer database and concluded that malignant mesothelioma is only slightly more common in cancer patients who have had radiation than it is in the general public. External Beam Radiation and Mesothelioma External Beam Radiation (EBRT) is designed to reduce the…

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Alternatives | Asia | Biological Therapy | Chemotherapy | International | Research | Treatments | Updates

New Approach Enhances Mesothelioma Survival in Mice on Chemo
ByAlex Strauss February 10, 2016March 16, 2017

Even the best chemotherapy for malignant mesothelioma has limited effectiveness. But new research suggests that manipulating a mesothelioma patient’s RNA may offer a way to change that. Most mesothelioma patients will undergo chemotherapy as part of their treatment. Pemetrexed (Alimta) is the mainstay of mesothelioma treatment, even though a substantial percentage of mesothelioma patients don’t respond to it. Now, a study conducted in Japan suggests that RNA interference technology (RNAi) can make mesothelioma cells more susceptible to chemotherapy and potentially improve mesothelioma survival. RNA in Malignant Mesothelioma Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a molecule that acts as a messenger, carrying and translating instructions from DNA that control critical cellular processes, from metabolism to replication and death. Cancer researchers have found that,…

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Asbestos | New Studies | Occupations | Prognosis | Research | Updates

Pleural Mesothelioma: The Cause May Impact the Outcome
ByAlex Strauss February 6, 2016March 16, 2017

There is new evidence that the substance that causes a case of pleural mesothelioma may have an impact on the outcome of that case. Although asbestos is the primary cause of most mesothelioma, carbon nanotubes are emerging as another possible mesothelioma risk because of their similarities to asbestos. A new study comparing the two toxic substances suggests that there are differences in the way the body reacts to them and these differences may affect mesothelioma survival. Exposure to Fibers and Mesothelioma Risk There are several reasons why asbestos appears to lead to serious illnesses like malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Most of them have to do with the shape of the fibers. Microscopic fibers of asbestos are slender and…

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Alternatives | Asia | Chemotherapy | International | New Drugs | Treatments | Updates

New Chemotherapy Approach Shrinks Mesothelioma Tumor in Japanese Patient
ByAlex Strauss February 4, 2016March 16, 2017

There is some potentially good news for mesothelioma patients who can’t tolerate pemetrexed, the most popular chemotherapy drug for the asbestos cancer. A team of doctors in Japan is reporting a good response in a mesothelioma patient treated with a specially-prepared version of paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin. The patient’s mesothelioma tumor shrank not once, but twice on this chemotherapy combination, suggesting that it may be a promising alternative to pemetrexed and cisplatin. Chemotherapy Treatment for Mesothelioma Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a notoriously difficult disease to treat. For mesothelioma patients who are not candidates for surgery, the most common treatment is a combination of pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) and a platinum-based drug called cisplatin. Unfortunately, there are a number of…

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Asbestos | Compensation | Diagnosis | Europe | International | Occupations | Updates

Mesothelioma of “Unknown” Cause: Asbestos May Still Be the Culprit
ByAlex Strauss February 2, 2016September 15, 2017

A new Italian study suggests that many cases of mesothelioma with “unknown” asbestos exposure may not be so mysterious after all. Asbestos (and a similar mineral called erionite) is the top cause of mesothelioma worldwide. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with mesothelioma has come in contact with asbestos at some point. But in about a quarter of cases, no clear asbestos exposure can be identified. University of Milan researchers say it may be because no one has looked hard enough. Sources of Mesothelioma-Causing Asbestos Exposure Most mesothelioma patients have come in contact with asbestos on the job, which is why anyone suspected of having mesothelioma typically has to undergo a thorough work history as well as an exam and various…

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