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Researchers in Japan Use Radiosensitizing Compound to Boost Radiation’s Impact on Mesothelioma Tumors
Among the many challenges posed by malignant mesothelioma is the fact that the rare form of cancer’s tumors have an irregular shape that makes targeted radiation difficult and risks damage to nearby organs. The inability to fully use this treatment has long handicapped physicians, but now Japanese researchers have identified a way to boost the…
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Mesothelioma Treatment May Benefit from New Israeli Technology
Like many other cancers, malignant mesothelioma cells express a protein called PD-1. Though this protein is meant to protect the body from infection, cancer cells compromise its mechanism and use it to protect themselves. Immunotherapy targets PD-1, inhibiting its action so that mesothelioma cells are vulnerable to cancer treatments, but the protocol doesn’t work for…
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Chinese Researchers Find Potential Tool for Faster Mesothelioma Diagnosis
The days and weeks between developing symptoms of malignant mesothelioma and getting a firm diagnosis can be incredibly stressful. Faced with the possibility of a terminal disease, patients must go through blood tests, imaging scans, and biopsies to be sure of what they’re dealing with, and to learn how advanced their disease is. But new…
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Appellate Court Decides Against Kaiser Gypsum in $20 Million Punitive Damages Case
Patricia Casey’s husband John died of malignant pleural mesothelioma following a decades-long career as a plumber and pipefitter at construction sites. When the couple filed personal injury claims against more than 60 asbestos companies, most settled out of court, leaving Kaiser Gypsum one of the few companies at trial. The jury found the company guilty…
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Italian Study Offers Mesothelioma Patients Way to Reduce Number of CT Scans
Once patients have been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, they work with their physicians to establish a treatment protocol and put a plan into action. But not every approach works as well as hoped, and success needs to constantly be checked so that it can be continued or discarded in favor of something else. Though…
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Australian Government Ordered to Pay in Mesothelioma Death of Husband and Wife
When someone in your family is diagnosed with mesothelioma, it opens the door to pain, anger, heartache, and grief. But imagine the same thing happening twice in your family. That is exactly what happened to the Pond family of Australia. This week a judge awarded the couple’s daughter more than $600,000, to be paid to…
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Plumber’s Mesothelioma Claim to Continue Against Water Heater Company
When mesothelioma victims file claims against the companies they blame for exposing them to asbestos, those companies have a few choices for how to proceed. They can settle out of court, thus avoiding costly and time-consuming litigation and providing the victims with the compensation they need and deserve. They can choose to defend themselves in…
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New Jersey Bankruptcy Court Hears Arguments Regarding J&J Mesothelioma Litigation
In the latest chapter on the legal battle between mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims and consumer giant Johnson & Johnson, the last week of June saw attorneys presenting oral arguments to New Jersey bankruptcy court judge Michael Kaplan. Notably, this time around, representatives for the victims spoke in support of what the company was proposing.
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Man Blames Mesothelioma on Asbestos in Printing Press
Jean Castagna died of malignant mesothelioma, but before his death he filed a personal injury lawsuit against several companies that he blamed for having exposed him to the asbestos that caused his fatal illness. Among the defendants is Komori America Corporation, a printing press manufacturer. Though the company argued against being held liable for his…
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Jury Awards Mesothelioma Victim’s Family $107 Million in Compensatory & Punitive Damages
The family of a 46-year-old janitor who died of malignant pleural mesothelioma has been awarded $107 million in compensatory and punitive damages by a California jury. Following a two-phase trial, the twelve-person-jury assigned blame to Union Carbide Corporation, Elementis Chemicals, and E.F. Brady Co., Inc.
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European Council & European Parliament Urge New Rules to Stop Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos-related Diseases
Unlike the United States, many countries in Europe and across the world have banned the use of asbestos in order to lower the risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. But the continued presence of asbestos in already-built structures continues to pose a threat, and together with the European Parliament, the Council of the…
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Mesothelioma Patients Need Trustworthy Resources
A mesothelioma diagnosis is devastating. Patients and their loved ones are desperate for information on what the rare form of cancer is, why it happened to them, and what to expect in the future. While there are many excellent resources available to you, it’s important that you’re careful to distinguish legitimate and trustworthy information provided…
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Maryland Court of Appeals Says Pump Manufacturer Had Duty to Warn of Mesothelioma Risk
Many mesothelioma victims have traced their asbestos exposure back to the days when they maintained equipment onboard Navy ships. Pursuing justice against manufacturers that knew their products were dangerous seems like it would be easy, but victims often end up having to appeal lower court decisions repeatedly until their claims can be heard by a…
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German Study Reveals High Accuracy of Mesothelioma Lung Fluid Test
Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is an extremely challenging and aggressive illness that is always considered fatal. Even confirming a diagnosis can be difficult, but a recent study conducted by German researchers has concluded that a lung fluid test that measures hyaluronic acid levels is extremely accurate at…
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Court Affirms Decision Against Caterpillar in Navy Veteran’s Mesothelioma Claim, Allows Widow to Keep $4.5 Million Jury Award
Before Navy veteran Edwin Estenson died of malignant mesothelioma, he and his wife Betty filed suit against multiple asbestos companies they blamed for his illness, including Caterpillar, Inc. After Edwin died, a Washington state jury ordered Caterpillar to pay Betty $4.5 million in damages. Caterpillar appealed, arguing that the lower court had made multiple mistakes…
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Judge Rules That Nuclear Plant Owed Duty of Care to Woman Who Died of Mesothelioma
Barbara Bobo died of malignant mesothelioma on the 16th anniversary of her husband’s death from lung cancer induced by asbestosis. Before her death she filed a personal injury lawsuit against her late husband’s employer, the Tennessee Valley Authority, accusing them of negligently exposing her to asbestos carried home on her husband’s work clothing. When her daughters…
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UK Researchers Pursue Best Practices for Mesothelioma Follow-up
Mesothelioma treatments can be painful and arduous. An enormous amount of effort and thought are put into creating the appropriate protocols for each patient based on the location of the tumors in their body, how advanced their disease is, and their personal wishes. Traditionally, less attention has been paid to what happens when treatment is…
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Respirator Company Must Pay Mesothelioma Victim $32 Million in Compensatory and Punitive Damages
William and Becky Tyler filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against American Optical Corporation (AOC) after Bill was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Though Bill had been exposed to asbestos while working at an asbestos-contaminated foundry, they sued AOC because the company’s respirator had failed to protect him as it claimed that it would. After a one-month trial,…
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Navy Veteran Argues that Insulation Company Knew that Asbestos Could Cause Mesothelioma
Years after David Welch served aboard the USS Carronade and the USS Princeton, the Navy veteran was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. The victim filed suit against Crane Company, accusing them of having been negligent in failing to warn of the dangers…
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Italian Study Provides Valuable New Test for Mesothelioma Risk
A study published in Scientific Reports highlights an important new finding regarding mesothelioma: it is possible to test blood to gauge the extent to which an individual has been exposed to asbestos, and to use that information to identify at high risk for asbestos-related diseases.
