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Mexican Mesothelioma Study Yields Surprising Results
Once they receive their dire diagnosis, the first question most mesothelioma patients ask their physicians is, “How long do I have to live?” Though physicians don’t provide specific answers to this question, they do weigh prognostic contributors when providing general guidance. A new study has yielded surprising information regarding the factors previously thought to have
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“Superior Knowledge” At Issue in Georgia Mesothelioma Claim
It’s been eight years since Kevin Sinyard was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, and six years since he first filed suit against Georgia Power Company, Ford Motor Company, and Piedmont Hospital, Inc. Though those claims were all dismissed after the companies successfully filed motions to dismiss, a Georgia appeals court has responded favorably to an
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Asbestos-Related Violations Put Workers and Residents at Risk for Mesothelioma
A Las Vegas-area apartment manager has pled guilty to asbestos-related violations that put both workers and residents at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bobby Babak Khalili knowingly hired untrained laborers to tear out contaminated materials in two different apartment complexes without taking any of the required safety
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Ford Motors Ordered to Pay $20 Million to Mesothelioma Victim and his Wife
After two weeks of testimony about Ford Motor Company’s role in Bill Trokey’s malignant mesothelioma, a St. Louis jury took just three hours to find the company guilty of negligence. They ordered the company to pay Trokey and his wife a total of $20 million in damages.
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Dutch Population Study of Mesothelioma Reveals Impact of Asbestos Prohibitions
A just-published study of the incidence of malignant pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma in the Dutch population reveals an unexpected drop in the number of cases since a national ban was put in place in 1993. The study’s authors were surprised to find that the decrease in incidence of the asbestos-related disease began in 2010, far
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Study of Asbestos Interaction with Lung Cells Holds Clues to Mesothelioma Development
Traditionally, exploring the roots of malignant mesothelioma involves examining how the body’s cells respond when exposed to asbestos. But a group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has taken a different approach, exploring how asbestos particles change once introduced into the body. This unique perspective may lead to new approaches to treatment.
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Splitting Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Victims May Complicate J&J Bankruptcy Proceedings
Though mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims with claims against Johnson & Johnson are united in their objection to the company’s bankruptcy strategy, another issue has been raised that may create significant divisions. The federal bankruptcy watchdog overseeing the bankruptcy wants to create separate committees representing each of the victims group’s interests and claims.
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Court Documents Reveal Johnson & Johnson’s Involvement in Asbestos Testing on Prisoners
As mesothelioma and asbestosis patients continue pursuing legal action against Johnson & Johnson, the public is learning increasingly shocking news about the iconic consumer company. Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported on Johnson & Johnson’s involvement in a study that injected prisoners with asbestos, a known carcinogenic material, in order to compare its effects to that of
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Missouri Jury Hears Mechanic’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Ford
Ford Motor Company has repeatedly been accused of exposing workers to the asbestos that led to their malignant mesothelioma diagnosis. This week a Missouri jury is hearing testimony in a case filed by a former mechanic. He blames the asbestos in the company’s brakes for his fatal illness.
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Mesothelioma Victims Disappointed by Judge’s Johnson & Johnson Decision
After months of hearings and legal pleadings, a federal bankruptcy court has reached a decision that disappointed victims of mesothelioma who blame asbestos in Johnson & Johnson products for their illness. Judge Michael Kaplan gave the company a green light to move forward with their bankruptcy proceeding, effectively putting a halt to more than 38,000
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Unrealistic Expectations are Common Among Mesothelioma Patients
Mesothelioma specialists are all-too aware that the rare, asbestos-related disease is a terminal disease. But a recent study suggests that message may not be getting across to patients and their caregivers, particularly when patients are under the age of 70.
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Mesothelioma Victim Dies After Testifying Against J&J Bankruptcy Maneuver
As the public waits for a decision on whether Johnson & Johnson will be allowed to proceed with its controversial bankruptcy maneuver, those most affected by their decision continue to suffer the ravages of malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. One of those victims died earlier this month, just weeks after testifying about his use of
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Different States Have Different Takes on Second-Hand Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a fatal and rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. While the vast majority of those diagnosed with the disease trace their exposure to their work environment, there are also many victims exposed by living with people who carried asbestos fibers home on their clothing. People sickened by what is known as
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Experts Warn Asbestos Industry Minimization of Risk Will Lead to More Mesothelioma
While health advocates and mesothelioma experts continue their work to raise awareness and ban the use of asbestos, occupational medicine experts are warning that those efforts are being undermined by powerful asbestos industry experts. An article in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology highlights concerns that those who mine, manufacture, and sell asbestos are continuing to
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Mesothelioma Patients Can Benefit from Participating in a Support Group
When you’ve been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, your sense of time and the future shifts dramatically. While moments with family and friends immediately become even more valuable, there are certain emotions and experiences that they simply can’t understand, and that you may not want to share. That’s where joining a cancer support group can make
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Is Nivolumab/Ipilumab The Answer to Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma?
For years, mesothelioma doctors have cautiously reviewed data from the CheckMate 743 study evaluating first-line immune checkpoint inhibition of the rare, asbestos-related cancer. Last week the primary researchers on the investigation published their three-year follow-up on the use of nivolumab and ipilimumab, concluding that the drug combination continued to provide long-term overall survival benefit for
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Courts Offer Mesothelioma Victims Reasonable Benefit of Doubt in Naming Defendants
Malignant mesothelioma does not develop until decades after an individual has been exposed to asbestos, and this extended period of time makes pursuing legal actions a challenge. Identifying contaminated products encountered fifty years earlier can be difficult, especially when the victim is undergoing aggressive medical treatment. Fortunately, the courts have adopted compassionate rules that allow
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Libby Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Victims Cheered by $36.5 Million Verdict
In the long history of asbestos companies’ greed leading to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, what happened in Libby, Montana stands apart. The town is where the W.R. Grace Company operated a vermiculite mine that sickened thousands and killed hundreds. After years of pursuing compensation from the company, which declared bankruptcy, victims turned to its
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Unexpected Patient Death Puts Mesothelioma Clinical Trial on Hold
The hope for a cure for mesothelioma rests on the development of new drugs and treatment protocols. Clinical trials test the safety and effectiveness of these innovations. They are operated under tightly controlled processes with the approval and oversight of the Food and Drug Administration. One such test that was being run at the Memorial
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Boston Researchers Focus on Estrogen-Signaling Gene’s Role in Mesothelioma Survival
Though mesothelioma afflicts both men and women, it is far more prevalent in men, who have traditionally worked in fields with greater likelihood of exposure to asbestos. Still, women represent one in four cases of the rare asbestos-related disease, and in most cases experience longer survival times and better prognoses. Scientists investigating this phenomenon have
