Using Cancer Statistics to Prioritize Mesothelioma Research
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Using Cancer Statistics to Prioritize Mesothelioma Research

ByAlex Strauss

New cancer statistics from Quebec, Canada suggest that mesothelioma should be a research priority for scientists looking into work-related illnesses. Quebec was once Canada’s heaviest producer and exporter of asbestos, the number one worldwide cause of deadly malignant pleural mesothelioma. In recent years, the number of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural plaques have been steadily rising and some Canadian health experts warn that the country is poised for a health crisis because of its close ties with the asbestos industry. But exact numbers of work-related cancer cases are not easy to find. Researchers from the Canada School of Public Health at the University of Montreal attempted to estimate the number of work-related cancer cases and…

How Much Asbestos Can Cause Mesothelioma?
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How Much Asbestos Can Cause Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

Avoid exposure to asbestos – especially if you are a smoker. That is the central message in an article by two Dutch cancer researchers who have some good news and some bad news about the link between asbestos exposure and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pulmonologists Dr. Paul Baas and Dr. JA Burgers of AVL/NKI Cancer Center in Amsterdam analyzed a study of 58,279 Dutch construction workers from 1986 to 2007. The study, published by Offermans et al in the January 2014 issue of the Journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, confirmed what past research has found – that the risk of lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, and mesothelioma increased as asbestos exposure increased. “The risk of development of…

Can Mesothelioma Be Genetic?
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Can Mesothelioma Be Genetic?

ByAlex Strauss

A new study out of Italy suggests that a person is more likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma if a sibling has the disease. That is especially true if both siblings were also exposed to asbestos. Scientists from Sapienza University and the Lazio Regional Health Service in Rome, as well as industrial disease experts from Viterbo, Italy searched a database including 10 percent of the Italian population to find familial clusters of mesothelioma cases. Among the 997 cases of mesothelioma recorded between 1980 and 2012, the team found 34 familial cases and 13 clusters. Together, these clusters accounted for 3.4% of all mesotheliomas in the database. “The most common clusters were those with affected siblings and unaffected parents,” reports Associate…

Advanced Radiotherapy Stops Mesothelioma Tumor Growth
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Advanced Radiotherapy Stops Mesothelioma Tumor Growth

ByAlex Strauss

Advanced new radiotherapy techniques may be more effective – and less toxic – for hard-to-treat mesothelioma patients. Caused by exposure to asbestos, malignant pleural mesothelioma is a fast-growing cancer that spreads across the membrane that encases the lungs. Radiotherapy is often used as part of a multi-modality approach to keep mesothelioma from spreading. But because of the size and irregular shape of mesothelioma tumors, as well as their proximity to the lungs and heart, there is a high risk of damaging vital organs with conventional external beam radiotherapy. Now, a study out of Australia demonstrates that new, more precise methods of radiotherapy delivery may be the best hope of controlling the growth of mesothelioma tumors. A team of radiologists at the University…

Mesothelioma Alert: Asbestos Imports Rising
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Mesothelioma Alert: Asbestos Imports Rising

ByAlex Strauss

The news that imports of the toxic mineral asbestos are on the rise in the U.S. is prompting outrage from a mesothelioma patient advocacy group. According to new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) numbers, the amount of asbestos being imported into the U.S. from other counties increased in the past year from 1,040 metric tons to 1,100 metric tons.  Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is highly carcinogenic and has used in thousands of products.  Because it has not been mined in the U.S. since 2002, the vast majority (92%) of the asbestos used in the U.S. is imported from Canada. The rest comes from Zimbabwe and elsewhere. Asbestos is known to cause malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and a host of other…

Asbestos Causes Autoimmune Responses Connected to Mesothelioma
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Asbestos Causes Autoimmune Responses Connected to Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma and lung cancer are not the only risks associated with exposure to toxic minerals like asbestos. A study out of Idaho State University finds that asbestos also has a negative effect on the immune system. Once heavily used in construction and manufacturing, asbestos has been known for decades as the cause of mesothelioma, a rare but serious cancer. In recent years, another mineral called erionite has been suspected of causing mesothelioma. In the US, erionite has been found in gravel mined and used on roads, particularly in the state of North Dakota. Although the risks of mesothelioma from erionite and asbestos are understood, less is known about the immune system’s response to these minerals. In a report in Toxicology…

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Asbestos Causes Autoimmine Responses Connected to Mesothelioma

ByMatt Clarke

Mesothelioma and lung cancer are not the only risks associated with exposure to toxic minerals like asbestos. A study out of Idaho State University finds that asbestos also has a negative effect on the immune system. Once heavily used in construction and manufacturing, asbestos has been known for decades as the cause of mesothelioma, a rare but serious cancer. In recent years, another mineral called erionite has been suspected of causing mesothelioma. In the US, erionite has been found in gravel mined and used on roads, particularly in the state of North Dakota. Although the risks of mesothelioma from erionite and asbestos are understood, less is known about the immune system’s response to these minerals.  In a report in Toxicology…

Rise in Asbestos Claims Not Hurting James Hardie’s Bottom Line
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Rise in Asbestos Claims Not Hurting James Hardie’s Bottom Line

ByAlex Strauss

Australian construction company James Hardie says a rise in mesothelioma claims from former workers exposed to asbestos on the job is not affecting its bottom line. The company recently released its semi-annual profit statement to the Australian stock exchange. The report shows that James Hardie has doubled its profits from the first half of 2013, despite the fact that the number of mesothelioma-related asbestos claims has risen above company expectations. Company profits were reported to be $108.3 million from April to September. Quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, James Hardie CFO Russell Chenu said, “We have seen some concerning trends in mesothelioma claims, which we have highlighted previously. We’ve now got a better handle on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’,…

Teacher’s Diagnosis Highlights Mesothelioma Risk in Schools
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Teacher’s Diagnosis Highlights Mesothelioma Risk in Schools

ByAlex Strauss

A recent mesothelioma diagnosis in the UK once again dramatically highlights the fact that even a small amount of asbestos can be deadly. Sixty-three-year-old school teacher Marion Potts of Brockenhurst died of mesothelioma in a Southampton hospital in June. According to an article in The Mirror, the Coroner recorded a verdict of “death from an industrial disease” after hearing evidence last week that Potts actually saw asbestos dust being released when she pinned work on the classroom walls. Most recently, Potts was head of the English department at Romsey School in Hampshire until her retirement two years ago. Mesothelioma is a growing threat among school teachers, administrators, maintenance workers, and even students in British schools. A government report released last…

Micro-RNAs May Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma
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Micro-RNAs May Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Scientists at one of the world’s top mesothelioma research centers, the Asbestos Diseases Research institute in Sydney, Australia, say that restoring the expression of certain micro RNAs in the cells of mesothelioma patients may offer a new way to fight the disease. A microRNA is a small RNA molecule which is involved in the regulation of gene expression. According to a new report in the Annals of Oncology, the Australian scientists found reduced expression of the micro RNA-15 family (miR-15/16) in the cells of mice with mesothelioma. “When malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines were compared with the normal mesothelial cell line MeT-5A, the downregulation of miR-15/16 was 2- to 10-fold,” they report. This finding is consistent with previous cancer research…