The Crucial Role of Initial Tests in Mesothelioma Treatment
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The Crucial Role of Initial Tests in Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

Mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment begin with a series of initial tests to determine the specific type of the disease. A recent study explored these tests and their accuracy in predicting mesothelioma types. Discover why getting it right from the start can be a matter of life and death for mesothelioma patients. Prognosis and Treatment Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and other organs. Doctors often use surgery to remove the cancer. In some cases, they also use chemotherapy before the surgery to shrink the tumor. Before starting treatment, doctors conduct tests to figure out what type of mesothelioma their patient has. A recent study looked at how accurate the initial tests were in…

Mesothelioma Subtype Predicts Poor Survival Odds
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Mesothelioma Subtype Predicts Poor Survival Odds

ByAlex Strauss

Histological subtyping, which involves classifying mesothelioma types by certain microscopic features, plays a crucial role in diagnosis, treatment, and determining life expectancy in malignant pleural mesothelioma. The three major subtypes of pleural mesothelioma are epithelioid, sarcomatoid, and biphasic. While all three types carry a poor prognosis, epithelioid mesothelioma, which accounts for 50 to 70 percent of cases, usually responds better to treatment than the other two types. But a new published study suggests that that is not always the case. Doctors at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in Croatia say there is a subtype of epithelioid mesothelioma that carries as poor a prognosis as the sarcomatoid and biphasic types. To reach that conclusion, the team analyzed biopsy specimens and…

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…