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Surgery After Radiotherapy Offers Significant Improvement in Mesothelioma Survival
One of the most devastating aspects of malignant pleural mesothelioma is the speed with which the disease overtakes its victims. Scientists searching for a way to slow the process and extend survival have been optimistic about a treatment known as SMART, or surgery for malignant mesothelioma after radiotherapy. A report just published in the journal Lancet
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Mesothelioma Researchers Hopeful About Cancer Discovery
Malignant mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that is notoriously resistant to treatment. Despite the best efforts of researchers and physicians, the asbestos-related disease continues to claim the lives of patients shortly after their diagnosis. Though the gold standard treatment for mesothelioma continues to be a combination of platinum-based chemotherapy along with surgery and
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As One Colleague Battles Mesothelioma, Philadelphia Teachers Face Continued Asbestos Risk
Once again, Philadelphia schoolteachers are confronting the very real risk of malignant mesothelioma from asbestos in their aging school buildings. This time the problem is with Center City’s Masterman School. As the school opened its doors in preparation for the new school year, sixty different areas of asbestos contamination were identified. Teachers say that they
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Ovarian Cancer and Mesothelioma Victims File Suit to Prevent Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy Filing
Multiple law firms representing mesothelioma and ovarian cancer patients have filed an emergency motion to prevent Johnson & Johnson from pursuing a bankruptcy filing strategy that could impact thousands of victims. The move by the attorneys was prompted by fears that such a filing would shield the consumer giant from liability for the harms suffered by
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Baby Powder Mesothelioma Victim Awarded $26.5 Million by California Jury
It took the state Superior Court jury in Alameda County, California less than one week of deliberations to conclude that asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder had caused 35-year-old Christina Prudencio’s malignant mesothelioma. They awarded the young woman $26.5 million in compensatory damages and will now move on to consider whether punitive damages should
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National Cancer Institute Reports that All Types of Asbestos Raises Mesothelioma Risk
For years, asbestos companies have defended themselves against mesothelioma claims by arguing that the type of asbestos in their products poses no risk. They’ve said that only certain, other types of asbestos can cause the rare and fatal form of cancer. But a new report published by the National Cancer Institute pushes back against those
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Utah Supreme Court Reverses Summary Judgments in Mesothelioma Case
After a trial court dismissed a mesothelioma lawsuit against two asbestos companies, the victim’s husband appealed the case to the Utah Supreme Court, asking them to reconsider whether work site owners have a duty to protect against second-hand asbestos exposure. Last week the court’s judges sided with the widower. His wrongful death suit against ConocoPhillips
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South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds $16 Million Mesothelioma Award
It has been a long road to justice for the family of mesothelioma victim Dennis Seay, but this week the South Carolina Supreme Court confirmed the rulings of every judge and jury that has heard his case. They upheld the $16 million award assessed against CNA Holdings, agreeing that the man had not been the
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$15.6 Million Awarded to Nevada Electrician with Mesothelioma
A Nevada jury hearing the case of an electrician afflicted with malignant mesothelioma awarded $15.6 million in compensation to the man and his family. The defendant in the case was Eaton Corporation, an electrical supply company.
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California Jury Told Johnson & Johnson Should Pay Millions for Woman’s Mesothelioma
A California jury heard closing arguments this week in an emotional case involving a 35-year-old woman diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Christina Prudencio’s attorneys are urging jurors to assess “tens of millions” of dollars in damages to Johnson & Johnson, asserting that her suffering is a direct result of the company having ignored explicit warnings
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Organ Resection Deemed Safe for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patients
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients who undergo CRS/HIPEC, a procedure that combines surgery with bathing the surgical site with a heated chemotherapy solution, tend to respond well and experience better overall survival. But there have been questions about whether patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy benefit or suffer when their surgery is more extensive and
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Tacoma Man with Mesothelioma Awarded $11.2 Million
Nearly fifty years after Dennis Woodruff was exposed to asbestos while dismantling World War II Navy ships he was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Last week a Tacoma jury awarded him $11.2 million in damages, making the company that failed to protect him responsible for the harm that he suffered.
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New Study Details Global Rise in Mesothelioma Cases
Despite decades of knowing the dangers of asbestos, the substance has continued to be used globally. As a result it has exposed countless people to the risk of malignant mesothelioma and other deadly diseases. A study published this week in the journal JAMA Network Open has detailed the extent of the damage being done. Its authors found
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Researchers Develop Machine Learning Tool to Predict Mesothelioma Risk
“How long do I have?” is among the most important questions asked by those diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Though the asbestos-related disease is always considered fatal, there are numerous variables that affect each individual’s prognosis. In an attempt to improve clinicians’ ability to answer their patients’ questions and offer appropriate treatment, a group of
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Two-Part Panel Provides Clear Distinction Between Mesothelioma and Metastatic Cancer
Malignant mesothelioma is a notoriously difficult and deadly form of cancer. Providing patients with correct treatment from the outset is one of the keys to extending survival and quality of life. But distinguishing between the asbestos-related disease and other forms of cancer can be a challenge. A recent discovery by Italian scientists may solve that
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Dismissed Mesothelioma Lawsuit Will Get Another Hearing
Mesothelioma lawsuits have been compared to emotional roller coasters for good reason. While one day’s court hearing or legal ruling can devastate, a later hearing on the same case can give rise to new hopes. This was recently demonstrated in a California appeals court, where a widow who filed a wrongful death suit against Thomas
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Court Denies Johnson & Johnson’s Appeal, Must Pay Mesothelioma Victim $29 Million
Late last week, Johnson & Johnson was handed another defeat in its attempt to evade responsibility for mesothelioma and ovarian cancer caused by its iconic talc-based baby powder. Though the company appealed a California jury’s award of $29 million to a 55-year-old mesothelioma victim, the appellate court denied their motion and ordered the company to
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Study Reveals Real-World Use of Second-Line Immunotherapy Improves Mesothelioma Survival
Mesothelioma researchers focus on results yielded in clinical trials, but sometimes the best way to test the effectiveness of a protocol is to study the outcomes seen in real patients. When researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found mixed results in clinical studies of immune checkpoint inhibitors provided after platinum-based chemotherapy, they decided to conduct
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Family Blames Father’s Mesothelioma on Asbestos-Contaminated Artificial Snow
Though most deaths from mesothelioma are caused by occupational exposure to asbestos, that is not always the case. Many people have been sickened by second-hand exposure to asbestos brought home on their loved ones’ work clothing, or from having lived close to an asbestos mine or processing location. In a case that makes clear exactly
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Canadian Researchers Working Towards Mesothelioma Blood Test
People who manifest symptoms of malignant mesothelioma have to go through a series of diagnostic tests to determine whether they actually have the disease. Though imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans and MRIs are painless, the tests that deliver the most definitive results are much more invasive. Biopsies that analyze cells require that tissue samples
