Search Results for: asbestos/

Diagnosing Mesothelioma with BAP1 Testing: Does it Work?

Diagnosing Mesothelioma with BAP1 Testing: Does it Work?

ByAlex Strauss

Tests for the presence or absence of the BAP1 tumor-suppressor protein are likely to continue to play a pivotal role in the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. A new evaluation of worldwide studies including more than 1,800 mesothelioma patients found that people who were missing the BAP1 protein almost always had mesothelioma, while those whose cells were still producing BAP1 were not necessarily in the clear. Understanding BAP1 The BRCA1 associated protein 1 (BAP1) gene is responsible for producing a protein (BAP1) that helps suppress the growth of mesothelioma tumors. In some people, the BAP1 gene is mutated, leading to a loss of production of the BAP1 protein. This is known as BAP1 cancer syndrome. People with the BAP1 cancer syndrome…

The World’s Workers Still Dying From Malignant Mesothelioma
| | | | |

The World’s Workers Still Dying From Malignant Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

An international study of malignant mesothelioma suggests that deaths from the asbestos cancer have increased in recent years, in spite of advances in diagnostic and treatment tools. The study included data and estimates on deaths from malignant mesothelioma in 230 countries between 1994 and 2014. Based on information obtained from the World Health Organization, a team of scientists in Japan, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, the US, and the UK grouped the countries into three categories – those with reliable numbers on malignant mesothelioma deaths, those with less reliable mesothelioma data, and those that do not track mesothelioma deaths. Mesothelioma Deaths Are Up The researchers found that, in the 59 countries that keep good data on mesothelioma deaths (including the US), more…

Miner Study Finds Mesothelioma Often Undiagnosed
| | | | | |

Miner Study Finds Mesothelioma Often Undiagnosed

ByAlex Strauss

A new study of former South African mine workers suggests that too many asbestos-related diseases may be going undiagnosed. The study conducted by researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Institute for Occupational Health in Johannesburg found that, in a cohort of 149 workers, more than half of the cases of malignant mesothelioma were missed until after the patient had died. With cases of asbestos-related lung cancer, the difference between the number of cases identified by an autopsy and the number of cases actually diagnosed in the patient’s lifetime was even more dramatic – 22 identifications on autopsy versus just 3 lung cancer diagnoses. Doctors diagnosed 52 cases of the lung-scarring disease asbestosis among the studied workers,…

Causes of Mesothelioma

Causes of Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

What Causes Mesothelioma? What causes mesothelioma? For many cancers, figuring out the cause for an individual cancer can be very challenging. Why does a non-smoker get lung cancer and a smoker does not? Why do people with very healthy diets sometimes get stomach or colon cancer? It’s very difficult to explain, but mesothelioma is often the exception to the rule. The medical experts tell us that mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos. In fact, mesothelioma is often called the “asbestos caused cancer.” This means that if you were diagnosed with mesothelioma you were likely exposed to asbestos. If fact, many people diagnosed with this cancer have been exposed to asbestos at multiple times from multiple sources throughout their lives….

Other Asbestos Diseases

ByAlex Strauss

Asbestosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. The sharp needle-like asbestos fibers can lodge inside the lungs and cause scarring. This scarring can, over time, severely damage the lungs. Because of this, symptoms do not typically manifest themselves until years after asbestos exposure. Symptoms The primary symptoms of asbestosis are shortness of breath and lack of energy. Other symptoms include dry crackly inhalation, clubbing of the fingers. Finger clubbing which may look like bulging of the end of the fingers and misshapen nails is caused by a lack of oxygenated blood flow to the extremities. Fibrosis (the thickening and scarring of connective tissue) is usually present in the lower lobes of the lungs. Patients may also present…

Secondary Exposure to Asbestos

ByAlex Strauss

What is secondary exposure? Examples include the “deadly hug” and washing clothes: Asbestos and the “Deadly Hug” A husband comes home from work after working around asbestos. He is wearing his work clothes that have thousands or millions of invisible asbestos fibers on them. His children greet him at the door. They hug their dad. Some of the fibers are now transferred to the children’s clothes and skin. They may inhale or ingest some of these fibers. Now the kids have secondary exposure to asbestos through the “deadly hug.” There have been many cases of children like these who are diagnosed with mesothelioma years later because of their parent’s work. Washing Clothes and Asbestos Fibers This same husband now changes…

Mesothelioma Symptoms

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma is a very rare cancer and mesothelioma symptoms can be similar to many other diseases and ailments. Most people who are concerned about mesothelioma symptoms are those who worked around asbestos or who had a loved one die of an asbestos related disease such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. Thankfully, the frequency of mesothelioma is very small. About 2,000 cases occur each year in the United States, which makes it a very rare cancer. There are a number of different symptoms associated with each type of mesothelioma. The symptoms of mesothelioma are similar to so many other diseases that only a proper work-up, including scans and perhaps a biopsy, can determine if the underlying cause of your symptoms is mesothelioma…

Asbestos Sprayers Face Higher Lifetime Mesothelioma Risk
| | | |

Asbestos Sprayers Face Higher Lifetime Mesothelioma Risk

ByAlex Strauss

Workers whose job it was to apply spray-on asbestos insulation may be at even higher risk for lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma than other types of asbestos workers. A Finnish study of four different groups of asbestos workers found that asbestos sprayers had a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for malignant mesothelioma as much as 100 times that of the general population. The Danger of Spray-On Asbestos For decades, asbestos was prized for its strength and heat resistance and was a popular component of spray-on insulation. Before new asbestos regulations were put into place in the early 1980s, spray-on insulation could contain up to 50 percent asbestos. Lightweight and inexpensive, sprayed asbestos was considered one of the most efficient fireproofing materials…

Shoulder Pain: An Early Symptom of Mesothelioma?
| | | | | |

Shoulder Pain: An Early Symptom of Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that mesothelioma can affect more than just the part of the body where a tumor occurs. Along with lung-related symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath, a new study suggests that shoulder pain can also be an early sign of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Polish researchers reached that conclusion after studying the cases of 49 mesothelioma patients treated at the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw between 2006 and 2012. In looking over the patients’ medical records, they found that seven of the patients (14.3%) listed shoulder pain as the very first symptom of mesothelioma. In most cases, the shoulder pain among mesothelioma patients was relatively mild, with an average severity of 4 on a scale of…

Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Looking for mesothelioma information? The following section provides extensive information about mesothelioma, including symptoms, treatment, and more. Click on an item in the menu below to jump to that topic: What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It comes from cells of the mesothelium that covers many internal organs. There are about 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma comes from exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a cancer causing material used in many different kinds of products. Many companies kept using it even after they knew that it was dangerous. Although rare, mesothelioma cancer is not a death sentence. The longest-living mesothelioma survivor in the world wrote a free book about it….