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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
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Study Points to Advantages of “Hospital-at-Home” Care for Mesothelioma Patients
Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma require a significant amount of medical care and intervention, even if they choose a palliative course of treatment over a curative one. Surgical procedures meant to reduce pain and prolong life still require extensive hospital stays that add enormous expense while increasing patients’ misery. A recent study is supporting a shift
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New T-Cell Immunotherapy Stops Mesothelioma Growth and Spread
A small Phase 1 study of a new type of T-cell immunotherapy has delivered remarkable results for four mesothelioma patients, leading its creators to move forward to Phase 2 testing. The new technology, called TC-210, uses TRuC-T cells instead of CAR-T or other types of immunotherapy.
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Court Denies Attempt to Evade Accountability for Mesothelioma
Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive and fatal form of cancer that is entirely preventable. It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a toxic and carcinogenic substance. Businesses have known of asbestos’ dangers for decades, yet continued using it without warning those who were at risk for harm, and when charged with responsibility for illness they
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Lung Disease Medication Addresses Mesothelioma Side Effect
Patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma face frightening, life-threatening symptoms, as well as others that affect their quality of life. The combination of the two creates a level of misery that leads to depression and, for some, withdrawal. A physician from the United Kingdom has found a simple but effective answer that has addressed one
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Appeals Court Affirms $8 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Following Death of 38-Year-Old
Brennen James Atkeson was just 38 years old when he died of malignant mesothelioma. The Oklahoma man blamed raw asbestos products he was exposed to as a child, and sued the manufacturer, Union Carbide Corporation, their distributor, Montello, Inc., and drilling rig products manufacturer National Oilwell Varco. Though he died before his case could be
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Innovations in Radiotherapy Provide Shorter Path to Relief for Mesothelioma Patients
Though malignant pleural mesothelioma develops over years, its symptoms don’t appear until the disease is very advanced, and usually do so with dramatic and terrible ferocity. Patients, who are generally older and may already be in fragile health, can be overwhelmed with chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and other symptoms that significantly reduce quality
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Study Results Promise Quality of Life Improvements for Mesothelioma Patients Suffering Side Effects from Carboplatin
Carboplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy that is frequently used in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Like other chemotherapeutic drugs, it works by targeting rapidly dividing cells. Though this is effective at stopping the spread of cancer, it also affects healthy cells and leads to uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating side effects. Japanese researchers have identified an
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Burial Gives Rise to Legal Argument
Mesothelioma lawsuits are often contentious, adversarial proceedings, and a case pitting a Texas man’s family against 3M Company and General Dynamics is no exception. The two companies recently filed a motion to sanction the plaintiffs for having failed to conduct an autopsy after the victim’s death despite the companies’ request prior to his death that
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Australian Mesothelioma Researcher Wins International Award
Every two years the International Mesothelioma Interest Group presents the Wagner medal to an individual who has made major original contributions to the understanding of malignant mesothelioma. This year it is being awarded to Professor Anna Nowak, an internationally recognized researcher from the University of Western Australia.
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Fire at Asbestos-Contaminated Building Poses Mesothelioma Risk to Texas Firefighters
Firefighting has always ranked high on the list of risky professions, but few civilians realize that one of the greatest risks that firefighters face comes years after retirement, in the form of malignant mesothelioma or other cancers caused by exposure to toxic substances. That reality came to the forefront last week as more than 100
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Pep Boys Must Face Accusations of Malice in Mesothelioma Lawsuit
A mesothelioma lawsuit making its way through California’s court system has placed a spotlight on the actions of popular auto parts dealer Pep Boys. The company — whose iconic Manny, Moe and Jack logo has been a trusted symbol for countless do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists over the years — is accused of failing to warn its
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Study Analyzes Gender’s Role in Mesothelioma Experience
When assessing the needs of mesothelioma victims, we tend to think clinically, emotionally, and financially. A recent study has added another layer to our understanding of what these patients need, pointing to significant differences between women’s experience of the disease and that of men.
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National Cancer Center Scientists Identify 48 Genes Predictive of Mesothelioma Survival
Many mesothelioma researchers believe that the future of effective treatment of the rare, asbestos-related disease lies with precision oncology, an approach that analyzes the genetic code of each patient’s disease and uses it to prescribe immunotherapy and other treatment protocols. There has been some success with attempts at pursuing this strategy, but more needs to
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Study Identifies Qualify of Life as Contributor to Mesothelioma Survival
Australian researchers investigating quality of life in patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma concluded that many victims of asbestos exposure are not realizing the quality of life that they could or should, and that this is having an impact on their overall survival.
