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Recommendations for People with a Genetic Predisposition for Mesothelioma
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Recommendations for People with a Genetic Predisposition for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Cancer expects from Ohio State University have just released an updated version of their recommendations for people with a genetic predisposition for mesothelioma.  These people have an inherited mutation on their BAP1 tumor suppressor gene. This mutation puts them at risk for several different types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma.  It is not possible to prevent cancer in people with this genetic risk factor. But the Ohio State doctors say awareness and screening may help extend the lives of people with a genetic predisposition for mesothelioma.  BAP1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome BAP1 stands for BRCA association protein 1. The BAP1 gene encodes for the BAP1 protein. BAP1 is one of the proteins that helps keep normal cells from turning into cancer…

Global Asbestos Ban Needed More Than Ever, Study Says
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Global Asbestos Ban Needed More Than Ever, Study Says

ByAlex Strauss

The authors of a new report on the “silent epidemic” of mesothelioma say a worldwide asbestos ban is more urgent now than ever. The researchers are from universities in Australia, New Zealand and Pennsylvania. They are experts in medicine, public health, and pathology.  Their new report sums up the global problem of asbestos and its link to deadly illnesses like lung cancer, asbestosis, and malignant mesothelioma. Australia and New Zealand are among the countries that no longer allow any asbestos in or out but they still have many cases of mesothelioma.  The US has yet to institute an asbestos ban. Malignant mesothelioma affects about 2,500 Americans a year.  The Link Between Asbestos and Mesothelioma Asbestos is the primary cause of…

Cosmetic Talc Can Cause Mesothelioma, Study Finds
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Cosmetic Talc Can Cause Mesothelioma, Study Finds

ByAlex Strauss

A new study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine appears to offer definitive evidence that repeated exposure to cosmetic talc can cause mesothelioma.  It is an issue that has come up repeatedly in courtrooms in recent years. Lawyers for mesothelioma patients who have used cosmetic talc say the products are unsafe. Manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson insist they are pure.  But the new study shows that may not be the case. If the product is contaminated with asbestos, as many appear to be, the study shows cosmetic talc can cause mesothelioma.  How Can Cosmetic Talc Cause Mesothelioma? Talcum powder is made from talc, which contains magnesium and silicon. Because it absorbs moisture, people use it to keep skin dry…

Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval
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Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval

ByAlex Strauss

A possible new drug for mesothelioma has received FDA approval for the treatment of advanced epithelioid sarcoma.  Tazemetostat (Tazverik) is an oral medication made by a company called Epizyme. It is a brand new kind of drug that blocks a protein called EZH2. Tazemetostat is in testing for several different types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma.  The recent FDA approval is an encouraging sign that it could one day be a new drug for mesothelioma.  In Search of a New Drug for Mesothelioma  Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most serious consequences of exposure to asbestos. Once asbestos fibers get into the lungs and other tissues, they never leave. Their presence sets up a cascade of cellular reactions that can…

Surgery Extends Survival for Patients with Pleural Mesothelioma
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Surgery Extends Survival for Patients with Pleural Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Patients with pleural mesothelioma who choose to have surgery live longer than those who do not. This applies no matter which kind of surgery they have.  That is the conclusion of a Mexican study published in the Annals of Oncology. Doctors with the country’s National Institute for Respiratory Diseases conducted the study. It included 122 pleural mesothelioma patients.  The researchers analyzed a wide range of variables like age, sex, asbestos exposure, and overall health. They discovered that the decision to have surgery was one of the most important survival factors in patients with pleural mesothelioma. Treatment Options for Patients with Pleural Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with no known cure. It usually occurs in people who have been…

Can These Compounds Protect Against the Toxic Effects of Asbestos?
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Can These Compounds Protect Against the Toxic Effects of Asbestos?

ByAlex Strauss

A recent study out of Australia suggests that compounds called zeolites might offer protection against the toxic effects of asbestos. Asbestos is the primary cause of malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer for which there is no cure. There is no way to remove asbestos from the body after a person has been exposed. But the new study suggests that zeolites might counteract some of the toxic effects of asbestos.  If the impact can be validated in humans, it could one day change the outcomes for thousands of people at risk for mesothelioma.  What Are the Toxic Effects of Asbestos? Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral made up of long microscopic fibers. The size and shape of these…

Familial and Environmental Asbestos Exposure Raise Mesothelioma Risk in Women
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Familial and Environmental Asbestos Exposure Raise Mesothelioma Risk in Women

ByAlex Strauss

Italian researchers say women who live around an asbestos plant or with one of its workers may be at special risk for mesothelioma from the combination of familial and environmental asbestos exposure.  The research appears in a new issue of the Annals of Work Exposures and Health.  Scientists have long known about the link between asbestos on worker’s clothes and mesothelioma among the women who wash those clothes.  But the new report shows that some of these women face an even greater cumulative risk because of environmental asbestos exposure. Bringing the Mesothelioma Risk Home Traditionally, most jobs with the potential for asbestos exposure have been in male-dominated industries. These include industries like construction, shipbuilding, plumbing, electrical work, and asbestos mining…

Mesothelioma in Women: Study Reveals Diagnostic Trends
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Mesothelioma in Women: Study Reveals Diagnostic Trends

ByAlex Strauss

A major study of mesothelioma in women finds that women tend to contract the disease earlier in life than men do. The analysis included 354 cases of malignant mesothelioma from a database of more than 2,800.  While the average age for pleural mesothelioma diagnosis is 72, the average age for women to be diagnosed with any type of mesothelioma was just 60. It could mean that the latency period for mesothelioma is shorter for women than it is in men. It could also mean that women are more attuned to mesothelioma symptoms and recognize the disease sooner.  Mesothelioma’s Long Latency  The latency period is the time between exposure to a cancer-causing agent and the occurrence of cancer. Mesothelioma has one…

Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment
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Invasiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma: MRI Beats CT for Assessment

ByAlex Strauss

New research shows MRI beats CT when it comes to measuring the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma. Scientists from several of the top US cancer centers ran the study. It included nearly 500 mesothelioma patients and appears in the journal Clinical Colorectal Cancer.  The study shows that the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma is more visible on MRI than it is on CT. The news could make a difference in how doctors plan peritoneal mesothelioma treatment.  Peritoneal Cancer Index and Mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer grows on the peritoneal membrane lining the abdomen. Like all forms of mesothelioma, it usually comes from exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for about a fifth of all mesothelioma cases.  Doctors assess the invasiveness of peritoneal mesothelioma…

Tumor Treating Fields for Mesothelioma Faces Criticism
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Tumor Treating Fields for Mesothelioma Faces Criticism

ByAlex Strauss

Tumor Treating Fields for mesothelioma is coming under fire from some other researchers. The treatment uses electricity to interfere with division of cancer cells. The FDA approved it for mesothelioma last year under the Humanitarian Device Exemption. It is only the second treatment ever approved for asbestos cancer.  But scientists in Italy and the Netherlands are disputing some of the findings from the STELLAR trial of TTFields. They published separate articles in a recent issue of The Lancet Oncology. STELLAR tested Tumor Treating Fields along with chemotherapy as a novel mesothelioma treatment. The FDA based its approval on the STELLAR results.  But the newly published articles suggest that there were problems with the trial. Both say Tumor Treating Fields is…