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Trait Found in Mesothelioma May Present Significant Target for New Cancer Treatment
Though malignant mesothelioma is a uniquely challenging form of cancer, it shares many traits with other cancers that scientists are investigating as therapeutic targets. Among these is a mutation of PI3K-AKT-mTOR, a pathway that controls metabolism. When this mutation is present it protects cancerous cells, but researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New
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Australian Man Awarded $250,000 For Mesothelioma Treatment
After extensive discussions, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has decided to grant a 53-year-old man diagnosed with mesothelioma $250,000 to cover his medical expenses. His illness is being blamed on the asbestos-contaminated insulation used in many houses in Canberra before the territory was established as a self-governing entity. The payment is being called an
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Study Shows Benefits of Focal Radiation Therapy in Mesothelioma Treatment
Malignant mesothelioma is known for many things, including the fact that it is notably resistant to traditional cancer treatments. Researchers are constantly working to find effective means of slowing the asbestos-related cancer’s spread and delaying the need for aggressive surgeries or toxic systemic therapies. A new study published in the journal Lung Cancer indicates that the use
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Canadian Researchers Find Non-Occupational Mesothelioma Increasing
Malignant mesothelioma is a global scourge. The rare, asbestos-related disease has impacted both developed and developing countries, with the rate of cases stabilizing in the former and on the rise in the latter. Though countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have successfully minimized workplace risk and increased remediation efforts, a
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Zoom Mesothelioma Trial Ends With $2.5 Million Award for Retired Admiral
A contentious mesothelioma trial has ended with a California jury finding Metalclad Insulation LLC negligent and awarding more than $2.5 million to a retired Navy admiral and his wife. In addition to hearing testimony, the jury witnessed significant clashes between attorneys in the case, with the victim’s attorney praising his bravery and service while opposing
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Appeals Court Revives Mesothelioma Widow’s Lawsuit Against Honeywell
When James Maddy died of malignant mesothelioma in 2014, he and his wife Barbara had just one more month together before he succumbed to the disease. Three years later she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Honeywell International, Inc., saying that asbestos from the company’s Bendix-branded brake products had caused his fatal illness. Though the
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Reduced Jury Verdict Leaves Mesothelioma Victim With $130 Million from Johnson & Johnson
A couple that originally won a $300 million jury verdict in their mesothelioma lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson has accepted a reduction to $105 million in punitive damages and $15 million in compensatory damages, closing the book on their long legal battle. The case revolved around the woman’s 50-year history of using Johnson & Johnson’s
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Can Getting Sick Protect Mesothelioma Patients from Getting Worse?
It certainly seems counterintuitive, but there are some researchers who believe that mesothelioma patients may benefit from being infected with viruses.
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Can Vitamin D Cut the Risk of Cancer Deaths, Including Mesothelioma?
There is no doubt that malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. What is less clear is why some people exposed to the carcinogen actually get sick while others escape that fate. While some scientists work to find a cure, others are investigating how those at risk may protect themselves. One recent study is
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University of Pennsylvania Steps Up In Face of School Mesothelioma Risk
In a remarkable show of philanthropy, the University of Pennsylvania has announced it will be giving $100 million to the School District of Philadelphia to remove the asbestos that has already caused mesothelioma in one of its teachers. Asbestos and other environmental toxins have raised fears of disease in faculty, staff and students alike. With today’s
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“Factually Impossible Verdict” Leads to Rehearing of Mesothelioma Lawsuit
In late 2018, the family of mesothelioma victim Jerrod Bagwell was shocked by a Louisiana jury’s decision in their lawsuit against the asbestos companies they’d blamed for his illness. Despite the jury having agreed that his employer, RMC, was 75% at fault for his exposure to asbestos, they failed to apportion any liability to the
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Remote Monitoring of Mesothelioma Symptoms Deemed a Success in UK Study
Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma face countless challenges, not the least of which is managing their symptoms without having to constantly leave their homes. While COVID-19 is the most recent and obvious hurdle, those who do not live near a major metropolitan hospital have long struggled with the same problem. According to a new study
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Seeks Mesothelioma Patients for New Study
Researchers from the renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have announced a new Phase I study of CAR T-Cell immunotherapy for pleural mesothelioma. They are seeking candidates that meet specific criteria who wish to be included in this important research.
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Psychiatrist’s Testimony Regarding Mesothelioma Fears Permitted in Asbestos Exposure Case
Previous generations exposed to asbestos were not aware of the substance’s many dangers, but those exposed to the carcinogen today are much more familiar with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. That familiarity, and the resulting anxiety upon learning of exposure, is at the heart of a lawsuit making its way through the court systems.
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Missouri Supreme Court Upholds $2.1 Billion Johnson & Johnson Asbestos Verdict
In a stunning rebuff of a major American corporation, the Missouri Supreme Court refused to review an asbestos lawsuit that ended in a $2.1 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson. The original case had been filed by 22 women and their spouses who accused the corporate giant of knowingly exposing the women to asbestos in
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New Orleans Longshoreman Awarded $10.3 Million Following Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Though the courtroom setup was adjusted in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing did nothing to diminish a New Orleans’ jury from delivering justice in a recently held mesothelioma trial. After hearing testimony about the longshoreman’s exposure to raw asbestos from ships in the 1960s, the jury awarded the man $10.3
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Pittsburgh Mesothelioma Patient Describes Life with Optune Luna
It’s been more than a year since Optune, formerly known as Tumor Treating Fields, received FDA approval for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, and its use is reportedly slowing the disease’s progression while improving patients’ quality of life. A Pittsburgh news station recently highlighted how it is helping a Navy veteran diagnosed with the rare,
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Swiss Researchers Shrink Mesothelioma Tumors with Combination Photodynamic Therapy/Immunotherapy
Photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy are two innovative treatment approaches that have delivered positive results in mesothelioma clinical trials. Based on these findings, Swiss researchers pursued a novel approach that combined the use of those two protocols, and have reported dramatic, positive results.
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Hairdresser’s Mesothelioma Death Blamed on Asbestos In Hair Dryers
It’s widely understood that malignant mesothelioma has been caused by asbestos in insulation, by asbestos contamination in construction materials, and by asbestos in vinyl tiles, ceiling tiles, and other industrial equipment, applications and materials. But the carcinogenic material has been used in settings that have not received the same level of attention, and which may
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Researchers Confirm Safety and Effectiveness of Bevacizumab/Chemo Combination
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.
