-
COVID-19 Impact on Mesothelioma Patients
According to a preliminary study, fear of the coronavirus is keeping patients diagnosed with mesothelioma and other cancers away from healthcare services, and that is likely to result in an increase in their death rates in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Based on current statistics, the study’s authors anticipate almost 34,000 excess cancer
-
Canine Mesothelioma Detections Now Being Applied to Coronavirus
Over the last few years there has been considerable optimism at the possibility that dogs could be trained to detect malignant mesothelioma and other cancers from the exhaled breath of patients suspected of having those diseases. The research has been based on identifying volatile organic compounds that are consistently found in mesothelioma patients’ breath, and
-
Researchers Identify Workaround for Chemotherapy Resistance in Mesothelioma Patients
Patients diagnosed with cancer can generally anticipate effective, survival-enhancing treatment with chemotherapy, but for patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma that familiar protocol may prove ineffective. That’s because the rare and fatal form of cancer has proven particularly resistant to chemotherapy. But now a group of researchers from Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-
Mesothelioma Victim Blames Lab Equipment for Terminal Illness
Malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, and that exposure can come from a wide range of sources. Victims have identified products ranging from brake linings and boiler insulation to artificial snow and baby powder. Last month the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania heard testimony in the case of a
-
Researchers’ Work May Lead to Better Mesothelioma Treatments
Though malignant mesothelioma is a unique form of cancer that has proven resistant to standard treatment protocols, there has been evidence that innovative approaches such as immunotherapy and gene therapy may be effective. Unfortunately, those protocols are both expensive and time consuming. Now a group of researchers led by a team from UCLA has reported
-
New Study Links Talc to Malignant Mesothelioma
In the midst of an avalanche of lawsuits filed by malignant mesothelioma victims against companies selling and manufacturing talc-based products, consumer giants like Johnson & Johnson, Avon and Colgate Palmolive have argued that their talc has no asbestos contamination and that talc does not cause the rare and fatal disease. But a recent study conducted
-
What Mesothelioma Patients Need to Know About Depression
The idea that being diagnosed with a terminal illness like malignant mesothelioma would make a person feel depressed hardly comes as a surprise, but there is a significant difference between feeling down and dejected and being clinically depressed. While feeling sad, angry or grieving the loss of your future is a healthy response to any kind
-
Johnson & Johnson Seeks New Trial Following $750 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
Last February, a New Jersey jury handed down a resounding verdict in a multi-plaintiff malignant mesothelioma lawsuit. It decided that Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder had been responsible for the victims’ illness, and that the company should pay a punishing $750 million in punitive damages. This week the consumer giant argued that the verdict should
-
Mesothelioma Victim Claims His Illness Came From Asbestos in Ceramics Studio Talc
A man diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma has filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against the seller of talc products used in his wife’s ceramics studio. Stanley Peterson’s claim against Vanderbilt Mineral, LLC has been making its way through the New York City Asbestos Litigation courts, and has finally been freed to move forward after Justice of
-
Japanese Study Gives Artificial Intelligence High Marks for Understanding Mesothelioma and Other Cancers
In the quest to help physicians understand and anticipate mesothelioma, one of the most important factors is being able to forecast when the rare form of cancer will return. Though there are many protocols that have successfully stopped the growth of the cancerous tumors, predicting its return gives patients more of a fighting chance and
-
Combined Immunotherapy Study Shows Significant Survival Benefit in Malignant Mesothelioma
Immunotherapy represents the newest weapon in the fight against malignant mesothelioma, and a recently completed phase III clinical trial has given researchers significant reason for optimism. According to a press release issued by Bristol Myers Squibb, a combination of Nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) provided significantly improved overall survival over chemotherapy in patients whose tumors
-
Clinical Trial of Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Provided Extended Survival for Pleural Mesothelioma Patient
Most patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma are treated using a multi-modality approach that includes some combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Whether their goals are curative or palliative, these are the tools that are most frequently used. But a recently-published case study of a 64-year-old patient who chose to follow a different path
-
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Talc Companies Raises International Questions
A recent ruling in a talc mesothelioma lawsuit has raised important questions about who is responsible when an American company’s product affects people who buy it overseas. The case was filed by an English woman who was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma after years of exposure to products manufactured and sold by The Estee Lauder Companies,
-
Researchers Identify New Characteristics for Long-Term Mesothelioma Prognosis
Though malignant pleural mesothelioma is a fatal condition, some patients fare far better than others and are able to survive for extended periods of time, with some living longer than five years after diagnosis. A group of researchers from the University of Helsinki set out to determine what histopathologic factors of these patients’ tumors might
-
Months After FDA Approval, Novocure Announces Brand Name for New Mesothelioma Treatment
It has been several months since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided approval for Novocure’s Tumor Treating Fields device to be used in treating malignant mesothelioma. The innovative delivery system is in use by a growing number of cancer treatment centers across the country, and now has officially been given a brand name. The
-
Michigan Researchers Investigating New Breath Test for Mesothelioma
The earlier that malignant mesothelioma is detected, the more options physicians have for treatment and the better the patient’s chance for longer survival. But because the disease has such a long latency period early diagnosis has been elusive. That may all change if physicians in Michigan find success in their new study. They are exploring
-
How Accurate Are Estimates of U.S Mesothelioma Occurrence?
As clinicians on the front lines of cancer treatment become more adept at identifying patients at risk for malignant mesothelioma, there are rising suspicions that the statistics linked to the disease may fall far short of the reality on the ground. Reporting has indicated that there has been little change in the number of cases
-
Widow Prevails as Missouri Court of Appeals Reverses Decision in Asbestosis Case
The widow of a man who’d worked for years on asbestos-contaminated boilers saw her wrongful death lawsuit dismissed because the boiler manufacturer she accused of responsibility argued that nobody had seen him physically touch their boilers, so there was no proof that they were the cause of his asbestosis. Upon appeal the ruling was overturned,
-
Montana Supreme Court Permits Mesothelioma Case to Proceed Against W. R. Grace’s Insurer
More than 800 mine workers diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and other asbestos-related diseases won a significant victory last month when the Montana Supreme Court gave the green light to a lawsuit against their employer’s insurer. The mine workers had been employed by W. R. Grace & Co., and the court decided that their insurance
-
Mesothelioma Fears Leads Army Corps of Engineers to Nix Fairgrounds for COVID-19 Field Hospital
Fear of future mesothelioma diagnoses has led the Army Corps of Engineers to scrap plans for housing an emergency medical unit at the Big Fresno Fair in Fresno, California after an inspection revealed both asbestos and lead paint present in the facility’s walls. Exposure to either can lead to significant illnesses in the future, with
