mesothelioma

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    Mesothelioma Radiation ‘Boost’: A Surgical Alternative?

    ByAlex Strauss

    For mesothelioma patients who are not candidates for surgery, new research suggests that an escalated dose of radiotherapy in the right place may help slow the cancer’s progression. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining around the lungs and other organs, is hard to treat with traditional therapies in part because of its atypical configuration. The cancer tends to spread across the thin, membranous tissue of the mesothelium in a ‘sheet’ formation, rather than a solid mass. The odd shape of mesothelioma tumors not only makes them difficult to remove surgically, but can also make them challenging to treat with radiation without harming vital organs beneath such as the lungs. But a group of radiology researchers in Milan, Italy found that,…

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    Diagnosing Mesothelioma With a Breath Test

    ByAlex Strauss

    Diagnosing mesothelioma may one day be as simple as taking a breath test. A team of researchers in the Netherlands have been testing the effectiveness of an electronic nose in detecting mesothelioma, a fast-growing cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  Mesothelioma is notoriously difficult to diagnose because it often mimics other lung-related diseases.  In addition, some of the most effective methods for diagnosing mesothelioma carry a high risk of complications, especially in the elderly – the group most likely to get the disease because of its long latency. Doctors in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Amsterdam Medical Center conducted an experiment to determine whether an electronic nose called the Cyranose 320 could tell the difference between healthy people,…

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    Both Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma Connected to Asbestos

    ByAlex Strauss

    Italy has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and according to two new studies, mesothelioma rates are a “suitable indicator” of asbestos exposure for both peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos has long been known to be the cause of mesothelioma.  Italian researchers have highlighted this association by analyzing Italian mesothelioma data from 1995-2002.  They discovered that the annual mortality rate was 1.9 per 100,000. Significant mesothelioma clusters were found in the industries often associated with asbestos exposure, including: asbestos-cement industries, shipyards, oil refineries and petrochemical industries.  The authors concluded that their study “confirms malignant pleural neoplasms mortality as a suitable indicator of asbestos exposure at geographic level.” In a related study, Italian researchers examined the relationship between…

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    Mesothelioma Deaths Still a Mystery among Minnesota Miners

    ByAlex Strauss

    More bad news for taconite workers along Minnesota’s Canadian border:  The number of taconite workers who have died of mesothelioma has risen from 63 to 82 since last year.  The increase is further evidence that, for reasons which are still unclear, these miners may be at higher risk for mesothelioma than the general population. The figures are the latest from an ongoing study on the health effects of the mineral taconite, a form of iron-ore which has been mined in the region since the 1950’s.  The $4.9 million dollar Taconite Workers Health Study began in 2008 after a number of taconite workers contracted lung cancer and mesothelioma, the asbestos caused cancer. Three years into the five-year study, the link between taconite mining…

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    Korea: Mesothelioma to Rise for Another 30 Years

    ByAlex Strauss

    While mesothelioma rates are expected to start declining in the U.S. within the next decade, Korea’s war on against this aggressive cancer may be just getting started. According to English language newspaper The Korea Herald, Korea’s Ministry of Environment is predicting that the number of mesothelioma cases will continue to rise in that country until the year 2045. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. The Ministry of Environment report shows that the number of mesothelioma patients registered at Korean medical facilities jumped from 61 in 1996 to 152 in 2007. The number of deaths from asbestos exposure also rose from 24 in 2001 to 57 in 2006. Although Korea recently enacted a law regulating asbestos use which will take…

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    9/11 Firefighters Could Get Help for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    New York Firefighters who develop mesotheliomaand other cancers in the wake of the 9/11 attacks may be a step closer to receiving federal health benefits to cover their illnesses, thanks to a new study. A decade after the World Trade Center bombings, the study has found that firefighters who responded are 19 percent more likely to get cancer of all types than the general population.  The study published this week in The Lancet is the first to look specifically at cancer rates among those exposed to the toxic dust and smoke. An earlier study conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and published in Environmental Health Perspectives used air analysis to confirm that the air in and around the site was…

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    Genetic Mutation Linked to Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Medical science may finally be a step closer to understanding why some people exposed to asbestos contract malignant mesothelioma and others do not. A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute and conducted by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center has found that people who have a genetic mutation on their BAP1 gene are more susceptible to mesothelioma and several other types of cancer. The study, published in a recent issue of Nature Genetics, followed two families that have an unusually high incidence of mesothelioma, which is typically very rare. In the U.S., mesothelioma affects fewer than 3,000 people each year. This, despite the fact that tens of thousands of…

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    Finding May Strengthen New Mesothelioma Therapy

    ByAlex Strauss

    NIH scientists believe they may have found a way to help ensure the effectiveness of a new mesothelioma drug called SS1P. SS1P is currently in clinical trials for malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare but virulent cancer caused by asbestos inhalation. SS1P works by targeting mesothelin, an antigen expressed on the surface of several types of human cancer cells. In mesothelioma cells, mesothelin is frequently ‘shed’ and ends up in the fluid around the lungs, where it is often used to help make a diagnosis. Unfortunately, this ‘shedding’ reduces the effectiveness of SS1P and other therapies that attempt to use mesothelin to find and target mesothelioma cells with anti-cancer drugs. Like the shed mesothelin, the anti-cancer drugs can simply end up…

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    Mesothelioma Claims Life of British Teen

    ByAlex Strauss

    Britain’s youngest ever victim of malignant mesothelioma has died of the disease at the age of 18. Sophie Ellis was just 13 years old when she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that is almost always associated with exposure to asbestos and typically strikes much older people. At the time, Ellis was told she had just three months to live, but with radiation, chemotherapy and radical surgery, she survived another five years. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was widely used until the 1980’s in a wide variety of industrial applications and construction products and is present in many older school buildings. Many mesothelioma victims contract the disease after working with asbestos containing products such as older car…

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    GM Mesothelioma Claims May Rise

    ByAlex Strauss

    Creditors of the bankrupt remains of General Motors have won the right to estimate just how much the company could have to pay out to mesothelioma victims in the coming years. Like many car manufacturers, GM used asbestos as part of the brake linings in its vehicles for years.  This encapsulated asbestos poses a serious health hazard, including the potential for malignant mesothelioma, to anyone who disturbs it by working on those brakes.  Because brake work can release deadly asbestos dust into the air where it can be easily inhaled, auto mechanics are at risk for asbestos-related diseases, including not only mesothelioma, but also asbestosis and lung cancer. Because of this danger, GM is no stranger to asbestos-related lawsuits and mesothelioma claims. …