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Phase 1 Study Yields Improved Survival in Relapsed Pleural Mesothelioma
A Phase 1 clinical trial of a new immunotherapy drug has yielded improved survival in patients with relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma. The drug, galinpepimut-S (GPS), is made by SELLAS, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in novel cancer immunotherapies. GPS was combined with the checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) and extended median overall survival from approximately 28 weeks
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Asbestos Settlement Welcomed by Mesothelioma Advocates
Mesothelioma victims and advocates are expressing satisfaction after a settlement was reached between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a coalition of U.S. states and asbestos advocates. The settlement marks the end of a contentious legal battle over increased asbestos reporting.
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Australia Makes Innovative Mesothelioma Treatment Affordable for All
A recent decision by health administrators in Australia is making two of the newest – and most expensive – mesothelioma drugs accessible and affordable for all. The country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the equivalent of the United States’ Food and Drug Administration, approved Opdivo and Yervoy for the treatment of the rare and fatal asbestos-related
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Study Suggests Mesothelioma Patients Would Benefit from Fewer In-Person Appointments
It sounds counterintuitive, but a recent study indicates that pleural mesothelioma patients would be happier and healthier if they had fewer appointments with their physicians. The reason is simple – appointments that offer no active treatment create additional stress.
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The Technology Behind the COVID-19 Vaccines May Soon Be Used to Treat Mesothelioma
The rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines has introduced the world to messenger RNA, and researchers are indicating that the technology may soon be used to treat individual patients’ mesothelioma and other cancers. Clinical trials have already begun, investigating whether vaccines based on the same science can teach the immune system to prevent recurrences and
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Paper Mill Employee’s Family Wins $16.67 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
Justice came too late for a Washington state man who died in 2019 after being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, but a King County Superior Court jury awarded his widow $16.67 million in compensation for his early death and her loss. Though the jury heard over one month of testimony, it took them less than one
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Japanese Researchers Identify Novel Biomarker for Mesothelioma
If you’ve been told you have malignant mesothelioma, you likely went through a challenging diagnostic process that left you uncertain and scared for what seemed like ages. That is because there are no fast and easy tools that can definitively confirm the presence of the rare and deadly disease. Researchers across the world are working
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U.S. Senator References Mesothelioma in Push for Asbestos Regulation
Mesothelioma was a top concern voiced by Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana this week. Tester is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and his comments came during a question-and-answer session with new EPA Administrator Michael Regan on better asbestos regulation and the potential for an asbestos
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Drug Once Used for Malaria May be Revived for Use in Mesothelioma Patients
It is a little-known but common practice for drugs meant for one illness to be “off-branded” for use in another, and that practice may soon be applied in the quest for a cure for mesothelioma. The drug being redirected is quinacrine. Once considered the gold standard for treating malaria, it has recently been relegated to
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Does Pleural Effusion Impact Mesothelioma Outlook?
Pleural effusion is common in patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. It is a build-up of fluid between the layers of the pleural that can make it difficult to breathe and can cause pain and coughing. Though traditionally viewed as a benign byproduct of the fatal asbestos-related disease, researchers in the United Kingdom recently explored
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ONCOS-102 Two-Year Mesothelioma Study Demonstrates Remarkable Overall Survival
In yet another step forward in the journey to defeat malignant mesothelioma, researchers at Targovax have announced remarkable median overall survival in its two year studyo assessing ONCOS-102 in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy. The company reports that they have extended median overall survival from 13.5 months without their treatment to between 21.9 months and 25
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Navy Veteran’s Asbestos Exposure Leads to Mesothelioma and Liability Claim
Dale M. Spurlin’s service in the United States Navy placed him in danger, but not from wartime enemies: from 1963 to 1969 his service aboard two Navy ships exposed him to asbestos, and that eventually led to his diagnosis with malignant mesothelioma. Now he and his wife are seeking justice from several different companies whose
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$12.1 Million Verdict Awarded in Ohio Mesothelioma Lawsuit
The estate of an 83-year-old Korean War veteran has been awarded $12.1 million by a jury and judge hearing the details of his decades-long asbestos exposure and his subsequent diagnosis and death from malignant mesothelioma. The jury initially awarded the plaintiff $6.1 million in compensatory damages and the judge in the case added another $6
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Mesothelioma Patients See Positive Results from Secondary Chemotherapy Drug
Though mesothelioma researchers’ primary goal is identifying a cure for the rare and fatal form of cancer, they view any incremental progress as a positive. This week cancer researchers attending the virtual ASCO meeting heard news that UK scientists had obtained superior progression free survival in patients already treated with standard chemotherapy when they combined
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Norwegian Company Explores Immunotherapy/Cancer Vaccine for Mesothelioma Patients
Despite significant efforts towards seeking a cure for malignant mesothelioma, scientists have continued to be stymied by the rare, asbestos-related form of cancer’s resistance to treatment. In reviewing these challenges, Norwegian company Ultimovacs’ researchers are exploring combining their UV1 cancer vaccine with ipilimumab and nivolumab as a first line therapy.
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Anticipating Adverse Effects Helps Mesothelioma Patient Comply with Optune Lua
One of the most exciting new protocols available for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma is a device known as Optune Lua, or Tumor Treating Fields. Already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it is a wearable that uses electrical fields to interrupt cancer cell division, thus slowing and sometimes stopping tumor growth. In
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EU Joins U.S. in Approving Immunotherapy Combination for Mesothelioma
Eight months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, the European Union has done the same. The innovative immunotherapy protocol is now one of the most promising therapies available for treating patients whose pleural mesothelioma has been identified as unresectable.
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$2.1 Billion Asbestos Award Stands as Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal
With a refusal to consider an appeal of a groundbreaking asbestos decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ended a long and emotional journey for 20 women and their families who blamed Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder for their ovarian cancer. Though the original verdict of over $4 billion was halved by a St. Louis appeals court,
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COVID Vaccine Study Offers Good News for Mesothelioma Patients
The last 16 months have been particularly challenging for mesothelioma patients, whose health concerns have been exacerbated by fear of COVID-19. Aware of their additional vulnerabilities and physical frailty, patients have delayed appointments and shut themselves away from family and friends out of fear of exposure to the virus. Now that coronavirus vaccines are widely
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Despite Asbestos Company’s Motion, Mesothelioma Victim’s Case Will Go to Jury
Before he died of malignant mesothelioma, Alvin Smith gave deposition testimony about his extensive exposure to asbestos-insulated wire and cable through his decades of working as an electrician. That testimony was the basis of his lawsuit against Ericsson, Inc., whose predecessor companies Anaconda Wire & Cable and Continental Wire & Cable manufactured the materials. In
