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Innovative Blood Test May Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Diagnosis
For most mesothelioma patients, early diagnosis leads to more effective treatment and longer survival. But symptoms of the rare, asbestos-related disease don’t present until the tumors are well established, and more advanced the disease presents treatment challenges. A new test developed by healthcare company Grail may offer an important tool in the quest for earlier
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Court Calls Out Witness’ Lack of Knowledge in Mesothelioma Case
Gloria Maryn was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after years of laundering her son’s asbestos-covered work clothes. She filed a claim against Armstrong Pumps, accusing them of failing to warn of the danger posed by asbestos contained within the company’s products. The company filed a motion to have the case against them dismissed. In denying their
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Woman’s Mesothelioma Death Blamed on Cashmere Bouquet Talcum Powder
Like many victims of malignant mesothelioma, Maryann Purser recalls having used body powder from the time she was a small child. Before her death from the rare asbestos-related disease, she filed suit against Colgate-Palmolive Company, accusing them of having negligently exposed her to asbestos and having failed to warn her. She also sought punitive damages,
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Ford Fails in Attempt to Shut Down Mesothelioma Lawsuit
When Joseph Skrzynski was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, he and his wife Deborah filed suit against Ford Motor Company, blaming the company for his exposure to asbestos-containing parts during the years that he was employed by Towne Lincoln Ford Mercury dealership in Orchard Park, New York. Though Ford does not dispute the presence of asbestos
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Kaiser Gypsum Fails in Attempt to Strike $5 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
In February of 2020, an Oregon jury ordered Kaiser Gypsum Company Inc. to pay more than $6.2 million in damages to a mesothelioma victim and his wife, finding their conduct in the 1960s reckless and responsible for the man’s malignant mesothelioma. The award, reduced to $5,233,618, was appealed by the company on several grounds. This
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Study Shows Artificial Intelligence Boosts Accuracy and Speed of Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Malignant mesothelioma is a uniquely challenging disease to diagnose and treat. Its symptoms are frequently mistaken for those of less serious conditions. As a result, vital treatment is delayed. Researchers at Japan’s Hyogo College of Medicine determined that part of the problem is physicians’ lack of familiarity with the extremely rare illness. They tested whether
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Asbestos-Contaminated Town Continues to Pose Mesothelioma Risks
Despite the risks of malignant mesothelioma and the best efforts of the government, the town of Wittenoom in Western Australia has become a tourist destination. The former site of an asbestos mine, it is littered with blue asbestos tailings and fibers that have presented a challenge and draw for people in search of free camping
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Widow of Shipyard Worker with Mesothelioma Prevails in Court Fight with Vessel Owner
Paul Hotard died of malignant mesothelioma despite never having worked directly with asbestos. The shipyard worker spent years working for Avondale Shipyards, where he handed pipe to pipefitters and tacked pipe together for a welder to weld. He blamed SeaRiver Maritime, the owner of the vessels on which he worked, for failing to warn him
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New Genetic Test May Guide Selection of Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma is one of the most challenging forms of cancer to treat. The rare, asbestos-related disease is notoriously resistant to traditional treatments, leaving few options and short survival times for its victims. But the results of a new study conducted on lung cancer patients may point to a powerful new method of selecting the best
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Navy Vet’s Family Pursues Justice Following Mesothelioma Death
Nearly 70 years after serving in the U.S. Navy, Keith W. Hipwell died of malignant mesothelioma, the rare and deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Following his death, his family filed suit against Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation and others, blaming his painful death on their negligence and failure to warn. Though Foster
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T Cell Biotech Test Successfully Shrinks Mesothelioma Tumors
The last few weeks have seen a flurry of exciting news regarding innovative mesothelioma treatments, including news yesterday that biotech company TCR² Therapeutics achieved some positive results from the Phase I portion of its drug candidate gavo-cel. The drug specifically targets solid tumors that express mesothelin.
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Orphan Drug Status Granted to Promising Mesothelioma Drug
Days after being approved for its first-in-human trials, Verismo’s SynKIR-110 immunotherapy drug has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of patients with mesothelin-expressing mesothelioma. The designation provides special financial incentives to drug companies, and is reserved for medications designed to treat conditions that are so rare that drug development would otherwise be financially
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Report Confirms that Medical Debt Adds to Mesothelioma Patients’ Woes
When you’ve been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the cost of medical care should be the least of your worries. Unfortunately, the specialists and state-of-the-art technology required to treat this rare, asbestos-related disease come with astronomical price tags, and the bills pile up quickly. A report published in this month’s JAMA Network Open concludes that high medical debts
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Report Confirms What’s Long Been Known: Asbestos Bans Work to Prevent Mesothelioma
A study conducted by Spanish epidemiologists and occupational health experts has reached a conclusion long assumed by mesothelioma victims: the best way to protect others from getting the fatal disease, or any other asbestos-related illness, is to enact a ban on the use of the carcinogenic material.
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Drug Company Identifies Protein that Makes Mesothelioma More Susceptible to Treatment
Though chemotherapy is effective against many forms of cancer, the deadly asbestos-related form of the disease known as malignant mesothelioma has proven resistant to the protocol, leaving patients facing a grim prognosis. A California-based drug company is focusing on a protein that makes mesothelioma cells more susceptible to chemotherapy, and recently announced success in its
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Woman’s Asbestos-related Lung Cancer Blamed on Second-Hand Exposure
A lawsuit making its way through the Louisiana court system is profiling how mesothelioma and other deadly diseases can afflict people who have never personally worked with asbestos. Joyce Allen died of asbestos-related lung cancer that is being blamed on asbestos carried into her home on her husband Odell’s work clothes. Though the companies named
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Dutch Study Identifies Indicator of Keytruda Effectiveness for Mesothelioma
Immunotherapy treatments like Keytruda (pembrolizumab) offer significant hope for mesothelioma patients. The innovative medication has been shown to significantly extend survival beyond the typical period of less than a year, but the protocol has not been universally effective. In an effort to provide better treatment, Dutch researchers investigating the reason behind these disparities believe that
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Mesothelioma Study Yields Disappointing Conclusion about Adjuvant Radiation
The treatment options offered to mesothelioma patients largely depend upon the stage of their disease and their specific condition, but most are offered a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Though it is common for patients to be treated using radiation therapy after surgery to eradicate any cancer cells that might remain, a recent study
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Immunotherapy Treatment for Mesothelioma Receives FDA Clearance for Human Testing
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug that will target mesothelioma. Verismo Therapeutics, a Philadelphia-based biotechnology company, will begin testing its SynKIR-110 to assess its safety, its tolerability, and its preliminary effectiveness.
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Mesothelioma & Ovarian Cancer Victims to Be Heard by Third Circuit Court
After months of controversy and disappointing decisions, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims with cases pending against Johnson & Johnson will have their case heard by the Third Circuit. The court will be reviewing consumer giant Johnson & Johnson’ decision to place its mass tort liabilities for asbestos exposure into a newly formed entity, and then
