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CAR-T Continues to Show Promise for Pleural Mesothelioma Patients
A recently completed phase I trial conducted by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer center has shown a safe and positive response in mesothelioma patients, according to a report published in the journal Cancer Discovery. After scientists administered chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy followed by Keytruda, 83 percent of patients were alive one year later.
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South Carolina Appeals Court Eases Burden of Proof in Mesothelioma Cases
A recent ruling by the South Carolina Court of Appeals both confirmed victory for a mesothelioma victim and his wife and eased the burden of proof for future victims of asbestos exposure.
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Court of Appeals Allows $1.9 Million Mesothelioma Award to Stand in Bowling Ball Case
When Barbara Vanni and her sons filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Honeywell International, Inc., the details of their case garnered a great deal of attention because it was so unusual. Unlike the majority of asbestos lawsuits which involve workplace exposure in factories, plants, or construction sites, Donald Vanni owned and operated a bowling alley, and
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Age Must Be Considered When Making Mesothelioma Surgery Decision
Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma are immediately confronted with a host of important decisions. While some are highly personal, those involving medical care are made in concert with patients’ physicians, who provide essential information about the risks and potential outcomes of their choices. Among the decisions to be made is whether or not to undergo
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Innovative Mesothelioma Protocol to Begin Phase I Trials
Researchers from the University of Vermont’s Cancer Center have developed an innovative approach to killing malignant mesothelioma cells, and its success in the laboratory has led to a scheduled Phase I clinical trial being scheduled to launch later this year. Led by Dr. Brian Cunniff, a team funded by pharmaceutical company RS Oncology and collaborating
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Cancer Care Report Details Hardships Experienced by Many Mesothelioma Patients
A report on the cost of cancer care confirms what many mesothelioma patients already know: Both out-of-pocket and time costs are rising significantly, and the combination of the two creates substantial hardship and adds to the stress and grief they are already feeling.
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Mesothelioma Research Group Appoints New Director
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that has been dedicated to the cure of mesothelioma since 1999. Following the announced retirement of their longtime Patient Services Director, Mary Hesdorffer, the organization conducted a nationwide search for an expert with the qualifications needed to assume the role. Yesterday the foundation’s Executive Director, Julie Powers
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Airborne Asbestos at Issue in Mesothelioma Appeal
When Navy veteran Michael Harris was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, he and his wife Beth filed negligence lawsuits against the companies he blamed for exposing him to asbestos. After his death his widow and their children continued their pursuit of justice but saw their claim against Thomas Dee Engineering Company dismissed when crucial testimony was
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European Study Confirms That Nivolumab Extends Mesothelioma Survival
Nivolumab is one of several promising protocols used in the fight against malignant mesothelioma. The relatively new drug was recently approved in combination with ipilimumab by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of the rare, asbestos-related disease, and with good cause: Clinical tests have repeatedly demonstrated that it extends patient survival. The
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Johnson & Johnson Uses Legal Maneuver to Evade Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Liability
Following multiple losses in court and facing thousands of product liability claims from mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims, consumer giant Johnson & Johnson has used a controversial legal maneuver to limit its liabilities. The company has created a new subsidiary responsible for all future asbestos claims, and then filed for bankruptcy protection on its behalf
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Court Returns Mesothelioma Case to State Court, Awards Attorneys’ Fees to Victim
Asbestos companies accused of negligence in mesothelioma cases use a variety of legal arguments to evade responsibility or minimize their financial risk. A common strategy involves removing a case from a state court to a federal court, where they are less likely to be assessed substantial damages. A recent claim involving a Washington man diagnosed
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Researchers Show that Laparoscopy is Key to Accurate Mesothelioma Staging
One of the most important things that happen after a patient is diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma — or any form of cancer — is a process known as staging. Doctors need to know how far the cancer has spread in order to determine the best treatment protocol, and do so through diagnostic testing. In most
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Jury Awards $32 Million After Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure Leads to Woman’s Mesothelioma Death
Kathy Weist was exposed to asbestos repeatedly throughout her 62 years, but it was the toxic fibers her husband carried home from his work that she most blamed for her malignant mesothelioma diagnosis. Mrs. Weist died in 2020, and last month, a South Carolina jury spent four-days listening to her story. At the end of
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UK Study Shows Promise of Nivolumab Treatment for Relapsed Mesothelioma
Despite the best efforts of researchers and physicians around the world, malignant mesothelioma remains a fatal disease. Still, scientific breakthroughs have extended survival time for many patients, and the introduction of each new protocol has offered hope. A study published last week in The Lancet has shown that treating relapsed mesothelioma with the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor antibody
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Mesothelioma Allies Encouraged as EPA and Asbestos Advocacy Group Reach Agreement
It’s been a long time coming, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and advocacy groups including the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) have reached an important agreement regarding the mineral that causes mesothelioma. Activists have been pushing for a comprehensive second risk evaluation for asbestos, and are hailing the new consensus as a victory.
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German Study Offers Good News to Mesothelioma Patients with Non-Epithelioid Histology
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a terminal disease, and patients are told that survival rarely exceeds two years. But a variety of factors impact each patient’s specific prognosis, and one is histological subtype. Patients with epithelioid mesothelioma generally respond better to available treatments and have longer survival times than those with non-epithelioid subtypes. But a recent
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California Bill Inspired by Mesothelioma Victim Becomes Law
Like many other mesothelioma victims, after receiving his terminal diagnosis 82-year-old Alfonso Rocciola filed a personal injury lawsuit against the companies that exposed him to asbestos. But his claim died when he did because under California law the damages he would have won were not available to his survivors. That injustice has been resolved with
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Judge Approves $100 Million Settlement in Asbestos Lawsuit
For years, people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases sought justice and fair compensation from Englehard Corporation, a subsidiary of BASF. They accused the company of exposing them to asbestos in the talc that they produced. These efforts were blocked by the company’s law firm, which insisted that no evidence existed to
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Companies Facing Claims for Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos Diseases Agree to $545 Million Settlement
Like many other companies whose products contained asbestos, Aldrich Pump LLC and Murray Boiler LLC have faced tens of thousands of personal injury lawsuits filed by victims of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. After paying approximately $100 million per year to defend and settle these claims, the companies have agreed to a $545 million
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Italian Mesothelioma Researchers Highlight Use of Focused Radiation Following Chemotherapy
In a study of the effectiveness of focused radiation following chemotherapy, Italian researchers have found that mesothelioma patients receiving the protocol enjoyed longer periods of progression-free health and a slower return of their tumors.
