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Retrospective Review Reveals Rise in Mesothelioma in Women
A retrospective study aimed at assessing progress and trends in mesothelioma revealed that despite the introduction of numerous innovative treatment protocols, little progress has been made in overall patient survival. It also revealed some concerning news about the growing incidence of the rare, asbestos-related disease in women.
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Expert Witness in Mesothelioma Trial Says Asbestos in Talc is Unavoidable
For years, almost all mesothelioma lawsuits were filed against asbestos companies that supplied insulation, equipment, brake linings and other products associated with workplace exposure to the carcinogenic material. But a growing number of consumers — and especially women — have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases after years of using talc-based powders as part of their
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European Agency Recommends Approval of Opdivo Plus Yervoy for Mesothelioma
Survival outcomes for European mesothelioma patients are about to take a giant step forward now that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of a combination of Opdivo and Yervoy for the first line treatment of adults with the rare, asbestos-related form of cancer.
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Senators Propose Law to Protect Victims of Asbestos Exposure
Medical needs are the first priority for anybody diagnosed with mesothelioma – or any other asbestos-related disease. But they also need to address the financial impact of their illness. In most cases, they are debilitated and unable to work, and in some cases they are considered terminal. Many seek compensation either through litigation or by
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Talc Supplier Ordered to Pay $4.8 Million to Mesothelioma Victim
Talc supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels faced another multi-million-dollar loss this week as a California jury found them guilty of negligence and ordered them to pay a mesothelioma victim $4.8 million in damages. The company supplied its asbestos-contaminated product to the maker of Old Spice for their body powder product.
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Research Results May Solve Mystery of Mesothelioma’s Spread
One of the greatest threats posed by an aggressive cancer like malignant mesothelioma is its insidious spread to faraway parts of the body. Known as metastasis, the process defeats the effects of surgery and radiation therapy, leaving physicians playing a desperate game of whack-a-mole with deadly cells. In 2018 a group of researchers reported the
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Asbestos Company Fails to Evade Liability for Iowa Woman’s Mesothelioma
In August of 2017, Barbara Reed died of malignant mesothelioma after being diagnosed with the disease in April of 2016. When she and her family filed suit against those responsible, they included Reichhold, Inc., the company that had supplied asbestos-contaminated molds to her employer. Though the company tried to leverage an old Iowa law that
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Biotech Company Announces 4-Year Mesothelioma Study
In their quest for a cure for malignant mesothelioma, researchers have worked to find an effective way to kill its aggressive tumor cells without causing systemic toxicity or harming surrounding tissue. Among the treatments being investigated is photodynamic therapy, which uses light to activate drugs that kill tumor cells. A four-year National Institute of Health
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Scottish Researchers Create Artificial Intelligence Tool for Detecting Mesothelioma
The difficulty of diagnosing malignant mesothelioma and of tracking its progression through the body is one of the greatest challenges faced by patients and physicians alike, but researchers in Scotland are developing a groundbreaking new tool that could revolutionize the process. Cancer specialists have worked with a medical imaging software company to utilize Artificial Intelligence
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Though Rare, Mesothelioma Can Spread to the Tongue
A recent study from out of the United Kingdom has called attention to a rare manifestation of mesothelioma tumors in a patient’s mouth. The researchers report on a patient whose mesothelioma metastasized to the tongue. There have only been 23 total cases of metastatic spread of mesothelioma to the oral cavity, with nine of those
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Compounds in Breath May Help Distinguish Mesothelioma Subtypes
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and fatal form of cancer that is diagnosed in approximately 3,500 people per year. The majority of patients are diagnosed with the pleural type of the disease, which affects the lungs. To provide patients with the most effective treatment, doctors need to identify their mesothelioma subtype, and that analysis has
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Asbestos Abatement Company Puts Employees at Risk of Mesothelioma
Employees of A2 Environmental Services face significant risk of malignant mesothelioma after having been ordered to remove asbestos in an unsafe way. The safety concerns were revealed during court proceedings against the company’s owner, 45-year-old Stephanie Laskin of Newburgh, New York. Ms. Laskin pled guilty last week to illegal removal of asbestos that violated the
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Multi-Million Dollar Mesothelioma Award Stands but Will be Reallocated
Arthur Putt’s decades of working as an auto mechanic at gas stations in California and Indiana resulted in significant exposure to asbestos, and he was eventually diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. When he and his wife filed lawsuits against the various companies that manufactured the asbestos brake pads he worked with, all but Ford Motor Company
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Study Reaffirms Role of SMRP Biomarker in Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Despite the best efforts of researchers, malignant mesothelioma remains one of the most challenging forms of cancer to treat. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that the illness is so rare — the fewer patients there are, the less opportunity researchers have to study it and test responses. Another difficult aspect is
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Despite Asbestos Company Objections, Mesothelioma Victim Wins Right to Seek Evidence
Malignant mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of cancer, and many people diagnosed with the disease are completely unfamiliar with it. When told that the disease is preventable and that their illness was caused by exposure to asbestos decades earlier, many choose to pursue justice through the legal system. Victims are frequently awarded millions of
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Court Rules Retailer Cannot Escape Responsibility for Consumer’s Mesothelioma
There’s been a flurry of legal activity pitting people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma against companies like Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-contaminated talc products. One question that’s repeatedly been asked has been whether retailers who sold the contaminated products accused of causing harm can be held responsible for the damage suffered by
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Immunotherapy’s Effectiveness in Mesothelioma May Be Diminished by Other Medications
The use of immunotherapy in the treatment of mesothelioma has generated tremendous excitement, but the protocol is very new, and researchers still have a great deal to learn. A recent study has suggested that cancer patients taking common drugs may experience diminished impact from immunotherapy – and may even have shorter survival outcomes.
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Researchers Say Lung Fluid Accumulation is Oft-Missed Red Flag for Mesothelioma
Malignant mesothelioma is an insidious form of cancer that remains hidden in the body for decades. Seemingly healthy individuals are suddenly stricken with coughing, difficulty in breathing, chest pain and loss of appetite, and these symptoms are often mistaken for more common illnesses. This delays both diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Now researchers from Sweden are
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Pet’s Mesothelioma Leads to Remarkable Treatment Outcome
The asbestos that causes malignant mesothelioma in humans can also affect our furry friends, and dogs are notably vulnerable to the disease’s deadly tumors. When a six-year-old pet dog in Milan, Italy was diagnosed with mesothelioma of the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum, researchers took the opportunity to test an innovative drug delivery mechanism that loaded
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Construction Supervisor Wins Multi-Million Dollar Mesothelioma Award
A former construction supervisor diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma was awarded over $15 million in damages by a California jury that agreed he had been exposed to asbestos in cement pipes. The jury assigned Norris Morgan and his wife compensatory damages of $15,270,501 and an additional $15 million in punitive damages, and though an appeals court
