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Do Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Fall Short on Minority Representation?
Clinical trials are essential to finding the best treatments – and potentially a cure – for malignant mesothelioma. But for these research studies to accurately indicate the efficacy of a protocol, clinical trial participant demographics must reflect actual patient populations. A recent study indicated that when it comes to precision cancer studies, minorities may be
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Woman’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit Accuses Husband’s Employer of Negligence
Linda Crossland was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2020, a devastating fact that she blames on multiple inadvertent exposures to asbestos during the course of her lifetime. She has filed suit against those she holds responsible, including her husband’s former employer, Woodward Design & Build LLC. Though Woodward filed a motion to have her case
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British Study Suggests That Increase in Radiotherapy Dose May Prolong Survival
Malignant mesothelioma is a cruel disease that claims patients’ lives and causes tremendous pain in the process. British researchers report that while studying radiotherapy’s use in decreasing pain, they unexpectedly found that higher doses of the treatment extended patient survival time.
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Can Marine Bacteria Help Prevent Future Mesothelioma Risk?
Malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral that has been used for centuries in a variety of industrial and high-heat settings. Asbestos’ strength, its resistance to heat and flame, and its conductivity, have made it advantageous in numerous applications, but this is offset by the fact that it is a potent carcinogen.
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Calling Ford’s Actions “Egregious,” Appeals Court Grants Mesothelioma Widow New Trial
After a highly questionable legal move by an attorney representing Ford Motor Company, an Illinois jury decided in favor of the automotive giant, saying they were not liable for a man’s malignant peritoneal mesothelioma death. But the man’s widow asked for and was granted a new trial based on the attorney’s actions, and despite Ford’s
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Researchers Find Chemotherapy Spray Facilitates Surgery in Previously Inoperable Peritoneal Mesothelioma
For patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, the best outcomes and longest survival times are achieved through a combination of surgical removal of the tumor followed by HIPEC, a heated bath of chemotherapy administered directly into the surgical site. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of patients are diagnosed in time for this procedure to be an
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Despite Multiple Court Decisions and a Jury Verdict, Ford Still Fighting Mesothelioma Liability
Last March, U.S. District Judge Loretta C. Biggs approved a $275,000 jury award, plus interest, for mesothelioma widow Laura Walls. Walls had spent years pursuing justice on behalf of her husband Robie, who died of the disease after more than five decades of exposure to asbestos in truck brake parts. Despite three-and-a-half years of losing
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New York Court Denies Talc Company’s Request to Dismiss Mesothelioma Claim
Jeffrey Campise died of malignant mesothelioma when he was just 42 years old. His family filed a personal injury lawsuit against the various companies whose talc he had used and been exposed to since infancy, accusing them of negligently and knowingly exposing him to asbestos. Among the defendant companies was talc supplier Whitaker, Clark, &
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Asbestos-Riddled Hospitals and Schools Blamed for 150 Deaths in England
It has long been known that school and hospital buildings in the United Kingdom are heavily contaminated with asbestos, but the true costs of the problem were made painfully clear when a recent report revealed that nearly 150 of the country’s health and education workers have died from mesothelioma since 2017.
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Talc Supplier Accuses Mesothelioma Widow of Fraudulently Naming Ohio Asbestos Defendants
When David Keiser died of malignant mesothelioma in 2021, his widow Carolyn filed a lawsuit in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio against three companies that she blamed for exposing him to asbestos and causing his death. Of the three, only Vanderbilt Minerals, LLC was not located in Ohio. The company accused
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Study Suggests that Asbestos Fibers’ Shape Plays a Role in Mesothelioma’s Development
Malignant mesothelioma is one of the world’s most mysterious illnesses, and one of the most fatal as well. The rare form of cancer has been directly linked to exposure to asbestos, but little is known about how it develops or why. Now researchers at the University of Maryland are suggesting that the shape and size
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Judge Agrees to Return Mesothelioma Case to State Court
After Louisiana native Alvin Fiffie’s mesothelioma death, his daughter Monique Mohammed substituted herself as plaintiff in his lawsuit against several asbestos companies, adding her own survival and wrongful death claims. She settled her claim against Avondale Shipyards, which had previously removed the case to federal court based on its status as a government contractor. With
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Judge Rejects Asbestos Company’s Appeal of $36 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
One month after William Walker was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, he filed a lawsuit against four companies he blamed for exposing him to asbestos. He later added thirty more companies to his suit. After a seven-day trial in May of 2022, he was awarded $36 million: $19.2 million of that award was assessed against his
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Mesothelioma Deaths Drive British Columbia’s Government to Take Action
Among the most notable sights at Canada’s recent International Day of Mourning celebration for workers who died on the job was the memorial to victims of asbestos who had died of malignant mesothelioma and other diseases. It was a poignant reminder that the country is seeing far too many individuals sickened and dying as a
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Can Chemoprevention Slow – or Stop – Mesothelioma Tumors from Developing?
While the lion’s share of research into malignant mesothelioma focuses on treating the rare, asbestos-related disease, some scientists are working to keep it from developing. Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists hope their work will lead to a prophylactic drug that can block tumor formation in asbestos-exposed individuals.
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Cannabis Study Offers Relief for Patients Suffering Painful Mesothelioma Symptoms
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer whose symptoms include significant and relentless pain. A newly released study published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care has concluded that medical cannabis can provide real and effective relief for this pain and that it does so safely.
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North Carolina Mesothelioma Victims Attempt to Consolidate Lawsuit
Malignant mesothelioma victims Augustus Adams and Clarence Hales both worked at a DuPont facility in Kinston, North Carolina between the 1950s and 1980s. Clarence died in 2019 and Augustus is still alive, and both men’s families filed suit against multiple defendants they blame for having exposed them to asbestos. Recently, the families’ attorneys noted the
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Antimalarial Drug Shows Promise for Treating Mesothelioma
Because malignant mesothelioma has proven so resistant to standard cancer treatments, researchers are constantly looking for a novel approach that will improve quality of life and extend survival. A recent study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic has given rise to hopes that quinacrine – once the standard medication for malaria prevention – may
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Talc Supplier Named in Mesothelioma Claims Files for Bankruptcy Protection
In recent years, mesothelioma claims have undergone a shift: where victims were once almost exclusively sickened by occupational exposure, today there’s a growing likelihood that victims’ exposure came from talc-based body powder. In many cases, the talc used by consumer giants like Johnson & Johnson’s and Colgate-Palmolive was sourced from a company called Whittaker, Clark
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Mesothelioma Victims Return to Legal Action Against Johnson & Johnson’s
Following a bankruptcy judge’s ruling that lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson can move forward, almost two dozen individuals diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma have renewed their legal process. The claims had been put on hold as a result of the company’s previous bankruptcy proceeding.
