mesothelioma

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    Alaska Lawmakers Allow Asbestos in Gravel

    ByAlex Strauss

    Alaska lawmakers have decided not to let the threat of mesothelioma stand in the way of progress. In April, the state legislature voted to allow mining and use of asbestos gravel in communities where NOT using it would be too expensive. Asbestos, a mineral long associated with malignant mesothelioma, occurs naturally in many parts of the state.  But according to Alaska Public Radio, the presence of asbestos has stopped construction on roads and other public projects that depend on local gravel. The new legislation gives legal protection to landowners and construction companies if people exposed to asbestos contract mesothelioma or another asbestos-linked illness.  Although the bill’s sponsor says it is intended to jump start projects that have been on hold for years…

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    Finding the Mesothelioma Asbestos Connection

    ByAlex Strauss

    Even though the cause of mesothelioma – exposure to asbestos – is well-known, it is not always easy for a mesothelioma patient to find his or her own ‘asbestos connection’. For people who worked in asbestos-filled job environments, such as asbestos mines or factories which manufactured asbestos-containing products, the connection can be obvious. The same is true for mesothelioma patients who have worked as electricians, plumbers, construction workers, or in ship building or demolition – all careers where exposure to asbestos materials was common. But for others, the link can be more challenging.  Since work history can be a vital part of diagnosing mesothelioma, not knowing where, or even if, a person has been exposed to asbestos can delay treatment and impact…

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    Australian Court: Asbestos Company Directors Guilty

    ByAlex Strauss

    After a legal battle that lasted more than ten years and prompted a made-for-TV movie in Australia, seven former corporate directors were recently found guilty of lying to employees and the public about mesothelioma compensation. Building product company James Hardie Industries was Australia’s biggest producer of asbestos cement and had manufactured asbestos products of various kinds since the 1930’s. In 2001, it moved its operation overseas, leaving behind a trust fund for Australian workers whose asbestos exposure at work put them at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. The company publicly stated that this mesothelioma compensation fund was ‘fully funded’ and would provide ‘certainty’ for current and future mesothelioma victims. In fact, the fund was on the verge of…

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    Red Wine for Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Patients battling mesothelioma may want to discuss with their licensed healthcare provider the idea of adding red wine to their treatment strategy. There’s new evidence that the component in red wine that has long been known to fight heart disease and some cancers may help do the same for malignant mesothelioma. Resveratrol is a natural phenol derived from the skin of red grapes.  It has been linked to the “French affect” wherein the French appear to enjoy some cardiovascular protection against dietary fat. In recent years, resveratrol has also been the subject of numerous cancer studies.  The Korean study represents the first time resveratrol has been tested against mesothelioma, an especially virulent and hard-to-treat cancer. To test the impact of resveratrol…

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    9/11 Committee Recommends Mesothelioma Coverage

    ByAlex Strauss

    Firefighters and first responders at risk ofmesothelioma because of 9/11 may finally be getting some help from the federal government. The World Trade Center Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee has added a list of cancers – including mesothelioma – to the list of illnesses they feel should be covered by the Zadroga Act.  Passed by Congress in 2010, the Zadroga Act provides $4.3 billion to monitor, treat and compensate people affected by the 9/11 attacks. Although cancer was not on the original list of illnesses covered by the act, a number of scientific studies on emerging health effects convinced the Advisory Committee that it should be.  Even before first responders began getting sick, a Mount Sinai School of Medicine analysis of…

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    Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Experience Counts

    ByAlex Strauss

    When it comes to advanced radiotherapy techniques for mesothelioma, experience counts. That is the central message of a study conducted at Duke University Medical Center. Radiation Oncology researchers at Duke examined the records of mesothelioma patients who had received Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) following surgery between 2005 and 2010.  All the mesothelioma patients had undergone extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), a radical procedure that involves the removal of the pleura and other membranes, a lung, and all or part of the diaphragm. Radiotherapy can be especially challenging for mesothelioma – a cancer of the membranes around organs – because so many critical structures are located so close to the treatment area.  IMRT is designed to help direct more radiation into tumors while…

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    ‘Body Clock’ Chemical Could Help Fight Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    One of the chemicals responsible for helping establish the body’s circadian rhythms may also help doctors fight mesothelioma. BMAL1 is an important component of the circadian clock, the internal biochemical ‘clock’ that regulates such important body functions as heart rhythm, wake-sleep cycles, and hunger.  Previous studies have found that mesothelioma cells produce more BMAL1 than healthy cells. Now, a group of Japanese doctors is proposing that the extra BMAL1 in mesothelioma cells could serve as a target for anti-cancer drugs. Malignant pleural mesothelioma – the most common form of mesothelioma – is a cancer of the mesothelial lining around the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos and, to date, there is no consistently affective treatment.  The irregular shape of…

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    Chemoprevention of Mesothelioma: A Neglected Approach?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A group of researchers in Italy is calling for renewed study of a mesothelioma prevention approach they say has been ignored for too long. The method, called chemoprevention, involves using low doses of targeted toxins to seek out and kill cells that have the potential of turning into mesothelioma.  Ideally, these agents are designed to latch onto compounds that are only produced by pre-cancerous cells, minimizing the risk to healthy cells. This idea may be particularly valuable for malignant mesothelioma.  Although the cause – asbestos exposure – is well-known,  there is no way to keep exposed individuals from developing the disease. And because the early symptoms of mesothelioma are typically mild and may mimic other, less serious, conditions, mesothelioma is frequently diagnosed…

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    Australia’s Mesothelioma Fight Comes to Television

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia’s ongoing mesothelioma problem will soon be the subject of a two-part television miniseries. Produced by Australia’s ABC network and starring some of the country’s most respected actors, “The Devils Dust” tells the story of mesothelioma victim Bernie Banton.  Banton was a long time employee of James Hardie, an Australian manufacturer of fiber cement building products.  For years, the company added asbestos to its cement to increase its strength and durability.  After Banton was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 1999, he became an advocate for mesothelioma sufferers throughout the country. Although mesothelioma cases like Banton’s are tragically common in Australia, Banton’s case was brought into the national spotlight largely because of the book “Killer Company”, by journalist Matt Peacock.  It was Peacock…

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    New Trust for Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Starting this month, Navy veterans who contracted mesothelioma by working with certain types of valves and steam control equipment on ships have a new potential source to help pay their medical bills and expenses. CIRCOR, the parent company of Leslie Controls, a major supplier of valves and gaskets to the US Navy from the 1940s until the 1980s, has created a trust fund specifically for Navy veterans with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.  The $74 million dollar trust fund was part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to the fibrous mineral, asbestos. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been linked not only to mesothelioma but also to lung cancer, asbestosis, and a host of other…