NSAIDS Temporarily Stave Off Mesothelioma in Mice
| | | | |

NSAIDS Temporarily Stave Off Mesothelioma in Mice

ByAlex Strauss

Aspirin and COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex will not keep mesothelioma from developing, but they may slow it down a little. That is the conclusion of a team of Australian scientists studying the effects of these drugs on mice and asbestos-exposed people. Both COX-2 inhibitors (pain relievers which act on a specific enzyme responsible for inflammation) and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin have been associated with a lower incidence of cancer. In addition, because mesothelioma is known to be triggered, in part, by chronic inflammation caused by asbestos fibers, researchers at the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases and the School of Public Health at the University of Western Australia theorized that these drugs might be used to prevent mesothelioma….

Can Chest X-rays Help Prevent Mesothelioma?
|

Can Chest X-rays Help Prevent Mesothelioma?

ByAlex Strauss

A mesothelioma doctor believes that lives might be saved if people exposed to asbestos in the workplace received annual chest X-rays. Asbestos is the cause of malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the membranes around the lungs, heart or abdomen. Asbestos is still used in some industrial applications and is present in the insulation, floor tiles and shingles of tens of thousands of older homes and buildings. People who work or live around asbestos are at significantly higher risk of eventually developing mesothelioma. There is, as yet, no way of predicting which asbestos exposed individuals will develop mesothelioma, but, as with many cancers, early detection improves the odds of survival. Because mesothelioma usually does not cause many symptoms until in its…

Wall Covering May Prevent Mesothelioma
|

Wall Covering May Prevent Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A British company has developed a way to help protect construction workers and building occupants from the threat of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos.  Birmingham, England-based Datatecnics has released the world’s first asbestos-sensing film.  When walls containing asbestos are papered with the polymer, an alarm will sound if the film is breached. In an interview with Electronics Weekly, Datatecnics CEO Mohammed Zulfiquar explains, “Asbestos is in a lot of public buildings. The Government estimates that 70 percent of UK schools contain it and the guidance from the Health and Safety Executive is to manage most of it, not remove it.” Asbestos has long been linked to mesothelioma, a malignancy affecting the membranous tissue encasing internal organs.  Asbestos was once commonly…