Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer: These Biomarkers Can Tell the Difference
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Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer: These Biomarkers Can Tell the Difference

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in Canada say when it comes to distinguishing between mesothelioma and lung cancer, some proteins are more valuable than others.  The team has identified an especially important protein biomarker for mesothelioma. A biomarker is a compound in body fluid or tissue that can act as a signpost for disease.  Understanding the value of this particular protein as compared to other biomarkers may improve the testing process for mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer share many of the same characteristics. Both affect the lungs and both cause similar symptoms. But they are treated differently.  It is not always easy to tell these two cancers apart, even with high-level diagnostic tools. But the biomarker testing completed in Canada may make it…

Asbestos and Lung Cancer: Study Highlights the Link
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Asbestos and Lung Cancer: Study Highlights the Link

ByAlex Strauss

A new report on asbestos and lung cancer says asbestos could be to blame for the cancer, even if the patient is a heavy smoker.  In smokers, lung cancer is usually attributed to tobacco use. But cancer researchers in Australia and Finland say that is not always right, especially if the patient has been exposed to asbestos. They propose new criteria for establishing the cause of lung cancer in asbestos-exposed people. The criteria would apply to both smokers and non-smokers. Mesothelioma is Not the Only Cancer Linked to Exposure Malignant mesothelioma is the cancer most often associated with asbestos exposure.  Mesothelioma is a rare but fast-growing and treatment-resistant cancer. Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma. Smoking increases…

Lung Cancer Blood Test: Can it Find Early Mesothelioma?
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Lung Cancer Blood Test: Can it Find Early Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients and their doctors may have reason to be optimistic about a new lung cancer blood test. A random trial of more than 12,000 high-risk people in Scotland shows the EarlyCDT test combined with CT imaging can detect cancer early. Earlier diagnosis is likely to lead to longer survival of lung cancers like pleural mesothelioma. Researchers presented their findings on the new lung cancer blood test at a global conference this week in Spain. Largest Lung Cancer Trial As in the US, lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in Scotland. Pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer. Although it is rare, mesothelioma is more common in the UK than in other parts of the world. This is…

New Hope for Relapsed Pleural Mesothelioma?
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New Hope for Relapsed Pleural Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that adding a drug called vorinostat to immunotherapy might help relapsed pleural mesothelioma patients.  The new study comes from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. It focused on patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is similar to pleural mesothelioma in many ways.  The study found that patients who received vorinostat along with an immune checkpoint inhibitor had better results. The findings could be good news for relapsed pleural mesothelioma patients, too. Different Immunotherapy Drugs Vorinostat is sold under the brand name Zolinza. It is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. HDAC inhibitors alter the way proteins are expressed inside cells. They also stimulate the immune system.  Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) like Keytruda also…

Risk of Dying from Mesothelioma Varies by Type, Study Shows
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Risk of Dying from Mesothelioma Varies by Type, Study Shows

ByAlex Strauss

The risk of dying from mesothelioma rises and gradually falls  in the decades after exposure for most, but not all, types of asbestos cancer. New research shows those peaks and valleys can vary based on a number of factors. Public health researchers from across Italy recently published their findings on asbestos workers’ risk of dying from mesothelioma. They suggest that the lifetime risk of dying from peritoneal mesothelioma stays high, even after the risk of death from pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer begins to drop off. Quantifying the Risk of Dying from Mesothelioma Asbestos is the primary cause of all three types of mesothelioma: pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common asbestos-related cancer. Pleural tumors start on…

Mesothelioma Patient Alert: Study Questions Safety of B12 Supplements
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Mesothelioma Patient Alert: Study Questions Safety of B12 Supplements

ByAlex Strauss

New research about the safety of Vitamin B12 supplements is raising red flags for mesothelioma patients and those at risk for mesothelioma. A major international study published in the International Journal of Cancer suggests that too much Vitamin B12 in the body may be a cause of lung cancer. The study included researchers from top institutions like Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the University of Pittsburgh, the American Cancer Society, and the National Cancer Institute. Pleural Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Pleural mesothelioma has a lot in common with lung cancer. It develops in the cells of the membrane around the lungs. As mesothelioma spreads, the membrane becomes less pliable, making it hard for the lungs to expand normally….

Ginsburg’s Recovery Shows Value of Healthy Lifestyle for Mesothelioma Survival
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Ginsburg’s Recovery Shows Value of Healthy Lifestyle for Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s successful lung cancer surgery illustrates the value of healthy lifestyle for mesothelioma survival. Although Ginsburg did not have mesothelioma, people battling the asbestos cancer would do well to pay attention. The 85-year-old Supreme Court justice recently had two nodules removed from her left lung. Her lung cancer was in an early stage. Doctors say they were able to remove all signs of cancer and Ginsburg is now recovering at home. Ginsburg’s Regular Exercise Routine Justice Ginsburg has survived cancer twice before. She had colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. In both cases, she bounced back quickly. She did not miss a day on the bench. Ginsburg is known for her healthy lifestyle. She eats…

Man-made Insulator Unlikely to Pose Same Mesothelioma Risk as Asbestos
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Man-made Insulator Unlikely to Pose Same Mesothelioma Risk as Asbestos

ByAlex Strauss

German scientists say a man-made insulating material called refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) is unlikely to raise the risk of lung cancer or mesothelioma in workers, despite the results of animal studies. . Although some tests of the aluminum-silicate based material on animals have suggested that it may also cause cancer, human studies have found no proof. Now, a new study conducted by researchers in the Institute of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology in Munich say RCF fibers probably do not raise the risk for lung cancer or mesothelioma. They base their conclusion on the fact that RCF fibers are similar in size and shape to rock wool fibers and are likely to have a similar level of toxicity. Rock wool or…

Kidney Risk May be Unavoidable with Top Mesothelioma Drug
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Kidney Risk May be Unavoidable with Top Mesothelioma Drug

ByAlex Strauss

Italian scientists studying the popular mesothelioma chemotherapy drug pemetrexed (Alimta) have some sobering news for patients: Kidney damage remains a risk, even in patients whose kidney function tests are on the low end of normal. Doctors in the nephrology and dialysis unit at St. Andrea Hospital in La Spezia, Italy, performed a retrospective evaluation of 38 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who developed kidney injuries after being treated with pemetrexed. Twenty nine of the study participants had no other risks for renal damage. The guidelines for administering pemetrexed to patients with mesothelioma, NSCLC, and other types of cancer say that the patient’s eGFR, a measure of kidney function, should be higher than 45. Although all of the patients in…

Mesothelioma Risk in Consumer Products
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Mesothelioma Risk in Consumer Products

ByAlex Strauss

Tremolite asbestos is a non-commercial form of amphibole mineral found in some chrysotile, talc and vermiculite deposits.  Like all forms of asbestos, it carries the risk of asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.  Although people who live or work around asbestos mines or work directly with asbestos-containing products are at greatest risk, tremolite may also pose a mesothelioma risk to consumers. A recent study by a California firm called ChemRisk is warning that hundreds of consumer products contain mesothelioma-causing tremolite.  To get an idea just how great the mesothelioma risk is, the group looked at the exposure-response relationship in two high-asbestos environments – the Thetford chrysotile mine in Canada and the vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana.  For people working in these…