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Mesothelioma Lawsuit Filed Against Multiple Asbestos Companies in Connecticut
A mesothelioma lawsuit has been filed against John Crane Co., General Electric, ViacomCBS, Foster Wheeler and other defendants by the son of Navy veteran Fred Russel Stafford. Michael Stafford is accusing the companies of strict liability in his father’s illness and death, of negligence, of breach of warranty, and of failure to warn of the
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Could Cancer Without Chemotherapy be the Future for Mesothelioma Patients?
As is true with so many other types of cancers, the first line of treatment for malignant mesothelioma is chemotherapy. Despite its many side effects, most mesothelioma patients receive chemotherapy as part of a multi-modality protocol that adds on surgery and/or radiation therapy. But as newer drugs are developed that approach cancer cells in different
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UK Study Identifies New Test That Improves Accuracy of Mesothelioma Diagnosis
One of the biggest challenges facing doctors who treat mesothelioma is that accurate diagnosis of the disease can be difficult. The rare form of cancer shares biological traits with many other illnesses, but only responds to certain treatments. Getting the diagnosis wrong can delay any hopes for extended survival or of improving quality of life.
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eBay Samples at Heart of Appeals Court’s Mesothelioma Decision
When mesothelioma victim Richard Pifer wanted to prove that asbestos in marking chalk was the cause of his illness, he turned to eBay to purchase samples for testing. But the chalk manufacturer, Irwin Industrial Tool, objected to the samples being admitted as evidence. Though a lower court judge agreed and granted the company’s motion for
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Court Reinstates San Francisco Widow’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson
Douglas Strobel and his wife Jo Ann filed suit against Johnson & Johnson shortly after he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in February of 2019. Though the judge who first heard his case had dismissed the couple’s lawsuit, an appeals court has reinstated it. Mr. Strobel died in April of 2020, but his widow will
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Careful Patient Screening Essential to Success of Newest Mesothelioma Treatment
It’s been less than a year since the FDA approved the use of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) for first line treatment of malignant mesothelioma, and with each passing day more is learned about its best uses. A report published in the journal EBioMedicine indicates that despite optimism about improved survival time, the immunotherapy drug combination is
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Honeywell Sues Its Own Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Over Payments to Mesothelioma Victims
Facing billions of dollars in mesothelioma liabilities, many asbestos companies that negligently exposed workers to the carcinogenic material filed for bankruptcy protection. In response, the courts required them to establish asbestos bankruptcy trust funds to ensure that victims would receive compensation for their illnesses. Among those companies affected was North American Refractories Co., or Narco,
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Set Builder’s Mesothelioma Death Blamed on BBC Corporation
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has found itself the subject of multiple mesothelioma lawsuits in recent months, with the latest being filed by the family of renowned set builder Richard Evans. Evans, whose work included the popular shows Doctor Who, The Lotus Eaters, and Hard Times, died of the rare asbestos-related disease in 2019.
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Checkmate-743 Trial Shows Durable Overall Survival in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Despite the best efforts of scientists around the globe, malignant pleural mesothelioma continues to carry an extremely poor prognosis, with a five-year survival rate of just 10%. Still, patients are benefitting from research. The Checkmate-743 trial recently yielded a report of increased durable overall survival in mesothelioma from the immunotherapy combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab.
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Judge Denies Company’s Attempt to Evade Mesothelioma Inquiry
When a person diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma decides to pursue legal action against those responsible, one of the first steps that their attorneys take is to investigate every possible source of asbestos exposure. This step is essential to the pursuit of justice, but some companies try to quash even the suggestion that they might be
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Miami Study Finds Variability in Income Levels and Survival in Mesothelioma Patients
In assessing potential risk factors and outcomes for patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, there have long been questions about whether a patient’s socioeconomic status plays a role in their access to quality care. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the issue and found significant variability.
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Study Shows Significant Mesothelioma Survival Boost With Surgery
The role of surgery in the treatment of mesothelioma continues to generate controversy, but researchers in one of the largest studies of surgery’s role in mesothelioma treatment have concluded that combining tumor removal with chemotherapy has the single greatest positive impact on extending patient survival. Speaking to attendees of the virtual World Conference on Lung
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Researchers Cautiously Optimistic About “Triplet” Therapy for Malignant Mesothelioma
Researchers from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston demonstrated cautious optimism about their recent study of a triple neoadjuvant regimen using cisplatin, pemetrexed, and atezolizumab. Speaking at the virtual World Congress on Lung Cancer, the scientists reported that sixty percent of eligible patients who received the triplet therapy moved on to surgical resection or
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Herpes Virus May Stop Mesothelioma Tumors from Growing
Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom are exploring a novel approach to stopping the growth of malignant mesothelioma tumors. They have taken an altered form of the herpes virus and delivered it directly to patients’ malignant tumors. Though the protocol did not kill the tumors, it did keep them from growing
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High Rate of COVID-19 and COVID-19 Deaths in Mesothelioma Patients
A recently released study of the impact of COVID-19 on Spanish mesothelioma patients revealed that nearly one in five contracted the disease, and of those affected, three out of four died. The research was presented at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer.
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Appeals Court Grants Asbestos Victim Second Chance for Justice
Michael Benavidez was diagnosed with multiple asbestos-related diseases after years of working as a sheet metal worker. He filed suit against Fluor Corporation, accusing them of using asbestos-containing insulation, products and other building materials at an Anheuser-Busch facility in California where he had worked as a subcontractor in the 1970s. As a result of inconsistencies
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Gemcitabine and Ramucirumab Combination Slows Mesothelioma Blood Vessel Growth
In the quest to find a cure for malignant mesothelioma, one of the most promising areas of research involves stopping angiogenesis, the generation of blood vessels that supply essential nutrients to tumors and facilitate their growth. A group of Italian researchers tested the use of gemcitabine, a metabolic inhibitor, in combination with ramucirumab, a drug
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Construction Company Sues Court Over Limits on Mesothelioma Victim’s Deposition
When Edward Richards was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma at the age of 72, he and his wife filed a lawsuit against 105 defendants, accusing them of exposing him to asbestos and seeking compensatory and punitive damages. With his physician predicting he had just six months to live, his case was expedited. He submitted written discovery
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Leukemia Drug May Slow Mesothelioma Tumor Growth
Researchers and physicians are joined in the quest to slow or stop the aggressive growth of mesothelioma tumors. While physicians apply methodologies that have been tried and tested, researchers continue to look for other approaches, constantly viewing the puzzle of the disease from different perspectives in the hopes that one will hold the key. One
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Court Denies Union Carbides Repeated Attempts to Stop Mesothelioma Widow’s Lawsuit
When Charles Brannan was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2015, he and his wife Louise immediately filed a personal injury lawsuit against Union Carbide Corporation and several other asbestos companies, accusing them of failing to protect or warn him of the dangers posed by their products. He died less than a month after that claim
