Mesothelioma News

Mesothelioma researchers are always looking for ways to improve the effect of chemotherapy, and one possibility being researched is the use of an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medication called bevacizumab. Though it has been theorized that bevacizumab could improve overall survival, colorectal cancer patients on whom it was used had shown troubling bleeding after surgery.

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The search for an effective treatment for malignant mesothelioma takes researchers in many different directions, with some focused on innovative technologies while others explore novel uses for familiar therapies. In the latter category, Italian researchers from the University of Turin recently found that the active form of vitamin D reduced human mesothelioma cell viability and

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After years of asbestos mining and use of the carcinogenic material in the construction of homes, buildings and infrastructure, Australia experiences an extraordinarily high percentage of its population affected by malignant mesothelioma. To address the high rates of the disease, the country invests in innovative research, including a clinical trial slated for 2021 that will

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In mesothelioma survival (as in all other things), “location location location” is often a determining factor. Specifically, the location of the medical facility that patients choose determines their treatment, and that can make a difference in their overall survival time. Studies have shown that it’s true in the United States, and a recent study showed

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As America has slowly worked to eliminate use of and exposure to asbestos, the number of people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases is on the decline. While mesothelioma diagnoses have dropped approximately 16.2% over the last dozen years, the diminishing numbers of victims has done nothing to extinguish the outrage felt by

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Malignant mesothelioma is an extremely rare disease. Approximately 3,000 individuals are diagnosed with the asbestos-related cancer each year, and only 15 to 20 percent of those have peritoneal mesothelioma, the subset of the disease that forms in patients’ abdomen. Though every type of mesothelioma is considered terminal, a recent study points to advances in the

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The United Kingdom loses a greater percentage of its population to malignant mesothelioma than any other country, due in large part to asbestos use during the massive rebuilding required after World War II. Accordingly, the country’s scientists work tirelessly to find a cure for the rare asbestos-related disease. This morning researchers published a report detailing

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There have been several U.S.-based studies that have indicated that patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma who live near to or seek treatment from major metropolitan academic hospitals survive longer with their disease. But these results are not universally true, and long-term research done in Australia contradicts the premise entirely.

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Preliminary results have been released from a Canadian mesothelioma study, and the conclusions are chilling. Researchers are seeing a slow but steady transition from the disease being almost entirely occupational to a greater number of people being diagnosed following lower, non-work-related exposures to asbestos.

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Over and over again, researchers and oncologists have pointed to a personalized approach to treating malignant mesothelioma. They’ve found that by digging into the genetic codes of individual patients and searching for microscopic indicators in each patient’s cells, they can create better, more tailored treatment options that are appropriate, provide the most realistic approach, and

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The entire nation and much of the world has been affected by fear of COVID-19, but perhaps none are as concerned as those diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. This population, with its scarred lungs and fragile health, knows that exposure to the virus could be a death sentence. Their concerns are in particularly

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A firm diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma needs to be made before an effective treatment plan can be put into place, and after that initial diagnosis is made surgeons need to be able to distinguish between benign and malignant tissue. Prior to surgery they rely on biomarkers to guide them, but several of these markers exist

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Malignant mesothelioma is so rare that it presents a challenge for many physicians. It is not uncommon for doctors never to have seen a patient with the disease and, if one is diagnosed, to be unfamiliar with the appropriate course of treatment. In response to this and to refresh available information for others, two researchers

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Oncologists have a list of characteristics that suggest that a mesothelioma patient will be more or less likely to have a longer or shorter survival time. Being female, being younger, or in better health without co-morbidities at the time of diagnosis, are all indicators of a better prognosis. Now researchers from the Linyi People’s Hospital

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It’s been just over 18 months since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novocure’s Tumor Treating Fields, now known as Optune Lua, for use in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. The device has been introduced gradually in cancer treatment centers across the United States, and now St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Kentucky has announced that

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When a mesothelioma patient gets diagnosed, they’re asked about previous exposure to asbestos. This is because, in most cases, their disease is a result of negligence on the part of asbestos companies that manufactured or supplied the parts that the individual worked with. When the victim and their loved ones choose to pursue a legal

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While much of the world remains locked down due to the COVID crisis, scientists and researchers continue their work, and that includes searching for a cure for malignant mesothelioma. In the last few weeks there have been notable breakthroughs, including the first FDA approval of a new drug in over a decade. This week, the

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Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland have published new research identifying a specific protein as a biomarker for survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, has provided scientists with yet another tool in the battle against this rare and fatal form of cancer.

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When mesothelioma patients and their physicians discuss treatment plans, one of the most common topics is trade-offs. Almost every step forward in the status of their cancer might come at the cost of some other aspect of their health. One example is the kidney damage that often follows cisplatin-based chemotherapy treatment. But now Japanese researchers

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Mesothelioma researchers have long favored targeted cancer therapies, and this week that approach was supported by the results of a study out of the University of California San Diego. Following the establishment of a multidisciplinary molecular tumor board at the renowned facility, doctors found that those patients who were treated using precision medicine strategies experienced

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