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Conrail Loses Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer Case Against Ex-Smoker
The scientific community has determined that exposure to asbestos dramatically increases the risk that cigarette smokers will be diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, and the same is true of lung cancer. Yet despite incontrovertible evidence in support of this connection, Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) argued in court against its responsibility for a longtime railroad worker’s diagnosis
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Study Shows That Music May Reduce Pain for Mesothelioma Patients
We’ve all heard that “music soothes the savage beast,” but is there a chance that it can also reduce the suffering endured by mesothelioma patients and others diagnosed with cancer? Thats what researchers in Taiwan have concluded after a groundbreaking study. Scientists from Taipei Medical University found that cancer patients who had been instructed to
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FDA Approves First New Mesothelioma Treatment in Fifteen Years
In what is being heralded as groundbreaking news for those suffering with malignant mesothelioma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given its approval of a new treatment called the NovoTTF-100L System specifically for the treatment of the rare and deadly form of cancer: it’s the first such approval to be granted for a mesothelioma
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Jury Orders J & J to Pay $25 Million to Woman With Malignant Mesothelioma
A New York jury has awarded $25 million in compensatory damages to a 66-year-old woman who blames their talc-based baby powder product for her malignant mesothelioma. Donna Olson and her husband Robert filed their lawsuit in 2017, indicating that she had used both Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and their scented Shower to Shower product
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District Court Upholds $33 Million Award for Mesothelioma Widow
Ann Finch lost her husband Franklin to malignant mesothelioma in January of 2017, just months after he had been diagnosed with the rare and fatal form of cancer. In October a North Carolina federal jury awarded her $32.7 million in damages, assigning blame to Covil Corporation, a pipe insulation company that had sold all of
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Immigrant’s Dream of a Better Life Ended By Malignant Mesothelioma
An immigrant’s dream of a better life in America came to a tragic end in 2016 when he died following a nearly two-year battle with malignant mesothelioma. Before Branko Srica succumbed to his disease, he provided testimony about exposure to asbestos that occurred over 11 years of removing and replacing asbestos tiles as part of
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Experts Work to Close Care Gap for Mesothelioma and Other Cancers in Rural Areas
Patients who are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma face significant challenges, and only state-of-the-art treatment can help them. Unfortunately, for those who work in rural areas, that treatment is not readily available. Addressing that very real problem was the topic of recent meeting led by the chief executive officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
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Baltimore Event Highlights Impact of Clinical Trials for Mesothelioma and Other Illnesses
Before being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, Raya Bodnarchuk was already being celebrated as a noted artist and sculptor who taught at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. But most recently she was recognized for an entirely different reason: she and several other participants in clinical trials were invited to speak about their positive
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Study Questions Effectiveness of Micro RNAs for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis
In the battle against malignant mesothelioma, physicians and researchers agree that one of the biggest challenges of treating the rare form of cancer is the fact that it is so difficult to diagnose: the condition’s symptoms generally do not arise until the disease has advanced too far for treatment to be effective. In an effort
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Attorney Exposes Weakness of Johnson & Johnson’s Witness
California court watchers are getting a robust education about mesothelioma, and how big companies work to hide their role in the illness, as they watch the case of 61-year-old Patricia Schmitz unfold in an Alameda County Superior Court room. Mrs. Schmitz is a mother of two and grandmother who is not expected to survive the
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Talc Pleurodesis Mesothelioma Patients Need Revised Imaging Approach
One of the most common treatment protocols used to ease symptoms for patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma is a procedure known as talc pleurodesis. The treatment addresses the discomfort and breathing difficulties caused by pleural effusions, a build-up of fluid around the lungs. This buildup causes tremendous pressure and makes it nearly impossible for patients
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80-Year-Old With Mesothelioma Awarded $3 Million From California Jury
An elderly California man who spent decades working as a laborer for Masonite Corporation has been awarded a $3 million court verdict after presenting evidence about his malignant mesothelioma diagnosis, and the years of asbestos exposure that he suffered. The jury found that D.W. Nicholson Corporation, a contracting company that specialized in the installation of
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Mesothelioma Victim Describes Her Ordeal to Jury
When 61-year-old Patricia Schmitz climbed into the witness box in the Alameda County Superior Court this week, it was to describe to the jury the impact that her mesothelioma has had on her life. Mrs. Schmitz is suing both Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive, accusing both companies of knowingly allowing asbestos to contaminate the talc-based
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Memorial Glade Honors 9/11 Victims of Mesothelioma and Other Illnesses from Toxic Dust
On May 30th, New York City will unveil a new memorial to the thousands who were sickened and died of mesothelioma and other toxic dust-related illnesses following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Though most people associate the site with those who were lost on the day of the terrorist strike,
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New Imaging Technology May Improve Effectiveness of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery
An innovative new imaging technology developed by a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital is being tested on peritoneal mesothelioma patients to establish safe dosing levels and assess its effectiveness. If proven successful, it may offer significant improvements in survival for patients diagnosed with the rare and deadly disease.
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$10 Million Jury Award Upheld for Longtime A/C Installer Diagnosed with Mesothelioma
Michael and Cindy Burch of California recently filed a lawsuit against CertainTeed Corporation, accusing the company of causing Michael’s malignant mesothelioma and of actively concealing the dangers of their product. The jury hearing the case agreed with the couple and assigned 100% of his actual economic damages to the company, as well as 62% of
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Enrollment in Mesothelioma Study Achieved Three Months Early
Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most challenging forms of cancer to treat. Because the asbestos-related disease isn’t generally diagnosed until it is in an advanced stage, but it has also proven to be highly resistant to the traditional cancer treatments that stop or stall the advance of malignancies. To counter these difficulties, researchers are
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Study On U.S. Asbestos Incidence Has Mixed Message
Does it feel like you’re hearing more about malignant mesothelioma now than ever in the past? There are reasons for that. Part of it has to do with our highly connected society, which is constantly plugged in and spreading messages via social media, television, and other communications devices. Some is because of increased advertising on
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New “Containment” Approach May Prevent Metastases in Mesothelioma
When it comes to treating malignant mesothelioma, the generally accepted protocol is a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The goal is to remove as much of the cancer as possible and then to attempt to kill whatever is left behind. Though this may provide relief of symptoms for some patients and even extend
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Mesothelioma Patients And Those At Risk Warned Against B12 Supplements
Whether you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or are concerned about being diagnosed in the future as a result of a know exposure to asbestos, a recent report in the International Journal of Cancer is warning against taking Vitamin B12 supplements. The study, which was conducted by researchers from the American Cancer Society and the National
