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Article Assesses Current Challenges and Future Hope for Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma, the rare and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, presents unique treatment challenges. A newly published analysis notes that most genetic mutations found in mesothelioma involve tumor suppressor genes rather than the driving mutations seen in other cancers, making it difficult to develop targeted therapies. Still, there is hope for success
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Church Workers’ Mesothelioma Fears Drive Asbestos Lawsuit
Fearing a future marked by mesothelioma or other serious illness, three former employees of a Los Angeles area churchhave filed suit, claiming they were exposed to asbestos while working on a rushed school construction project. Mauricio Calderon, Jose Lara, and Chad Pritchett allege that supervisors at Grace Community Church lied about asbestos test results and then fired them for raising
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Steelworker’s Family Prevails in Lung Cancer Lawsuit Against John Crane, Inc.
After Ralph Pappagallo died of lung cancer, his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against John Crane, Inc., as well as other companies whose asbestos-containing products he was exposed to during his four decades of work. Though the notorious asbestos manufacturer removed the case to federal court based on the federal officer removal statute, the
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Family Wins Important Victory
In the years before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, David Scoggins was regularly exposed to asbestos as he maintained power plants for Pacific Gas & Electric. When a lower court disqualified an expert witness, his family appealed the decision. The Court of Appeals agreed that the disqualification had been based on an inaccurate calculation and restored
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Family Awarded $12.25 Million in Damages Following Mesothelioma Death
A New York jury has delivered justice to a family devastated by mesothelioma, ordering Vanderbilt Mining to pay $12.25 million in damages to the estate of a woman who died following decades of asbestos exposure from its mining operations.
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Rhode Island Court Allows Part of Widow’s Mesothelioma Claim to Move Forward
Ever since his mesothelioma diagnosis, nearly a decade ago, Elise Angelini has been pursuing justice on behalf of her husband John. This week, a decision from the Rhode Island Superior Court dismissed several of her claims against the company she blames for his occupational exposure to asbestos, but allowed a significant portion of the case
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Asbestos Study Reveals Risk of Autoimmune Disease as well as Mesothelioma
Decades after the dangers of asbestos and its direct link to mesothelioma were made public, researchers are still learning how much damage the mineral causes. Beyond the rare form of cancer that attacks the mesothelium, scientists have found that asbestos also causes lung cancer, asbestosis, and other forms of cancer. Now, a CDC-funded report published in Open
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Mesothelioma Case Returned to California State Court
Sondra Scott was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after years of exposure to talc-based powders used by her and her husband, Richard. The couple filed a personal injury claim against multiple companies in Los Angeles County Superior Court, but some defendants removed the case to federal court on diversity grounds. The Scotts petitioned to have the
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St. Croix Lung Cancer Victim’s Widow Files Asbestos Lawsuit Against Refinery’s Labor Broker
Last year, a notice of settlement ended litigation between Hess Corporation and plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The agreement provided payment of $187 million to 911 victims with pending claims against the company’s Limetree Bay refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With that settlement precluding any additional victims’ claims, the widow of
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Bankruptcy Court Approves Avon’s Mesothelioma Talc Settlement
Late last week, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved the terms of a settlement to resolve outstanding personal injury claims against Avon Products by those whose mesothelioma and other diseases were caused by exposure to the company’s talc-based products. Though a few miscellaneous items remain to be ironed out, Judge Craig T. Goldblatt
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Study Demonstrates Radiology’s Role in Predicting Whether Mesothelioma is Operable
For patients with pleural mesothelioma, removal of their tumors can make a significant difference in survival time, but not everybody is a surgical candidate. Some malignant masses are inoperable (or unresectable), but that’s often not known without taking the patient to surgery and seeing what’s hidden in the pleural cavity. This is a significant challenge,
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UCLA Vaccine May Provide New Target for Mesothelioma Treatment
Research has shown that KRAS pathway alterations are frequently found in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells, and particularly in epithelioid subtypes. This discovery led cancer scientists to identify the mutation as a potential target for future treatments. A promising experimental cancer vaccine developed at UCLA is one of the first to be developed.
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Facing Mesothelioma Risk from Legacy Asbestos, Philadelphia Takes on a $30 Million Abatement Project
Few think of schools as mesothelioma risks, but the average age of U.S. school buildings is 49 years old. Roughly 38% were built before 1970 and 28% before 1950, when asbestos was commonly used in construction. In 2023, asbestos began falling from the walls and ceilings of Philadelphia’s 115-year-old Frankford High, leading to the building’s
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Federal Court Approves $50 Million Mesothelioma Settlement Plan for Talc Company
A federal court recently approved an asbestos talc bankruptcy plan that will provide mesothelioma victims, ovarian cancer victims, and their families with access to compensation from a $50 million trust fund. The proposed plan had been submitted by cosmetics supplier Presperse and its parent company, Sumitomo Corporation. The plan addresses hundreds of lawsuits filed by
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Court Orders Mesothelioma Victim’s J&J Lawsuit to Continue
In an unusual turn of events, a Louisiana court hearing a motion to dismiss allowed one count of a mesothelioma victim’s claim against Johnson & Johnson to continue, despite the victim not opposing the company’s motion to dismiss the charge.
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Asbestos Ship Sparks Controversy and Mesothelioma Concerns in Split, Croatia
The link between asbestos and mesothelioma has been well established for years and has led many countries — including Croatia — to ban the material. So, it’s no surprise that when a 50-year-old asbestos-contaminated Italian ferry arrived in Split, Croatia, it caused public outrage. The Moby Drea contains an estimated 350 tons of asbestos, and when
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Avon Bankruptcy Plan Addresses Mesothelioma Talc Injury Claims
Last year, the iconic beauty brand Avon Products filed for bankruptcy protection after facing hundreds of lawsuits linking its talc products to mesothelioma and other cancers. This week, the judge overseeing the case indicated that the company’s Chapter 11 plan needs to address insurance carriers’ concerns before it can be approved.
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Mesothelioma Research Targets a Key Enzyme
Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly asbestos-related cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. Notoriously resistant to traditional protocols and always considered fatal, it has long presented a challenge to researchers. Recently, Swiss scientists identified a promising new target for treatment — an enzyme called LDHB (lactate dehydrogenase B), which plays a crucial role
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Louisiana Court of Appeals Upholds District Court’s Asbestos Lung Cancer Decision
When Louisiana native Sue Perry died of lung cancer in 2020, her family successfully filed suit against Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), blaming take-home exposure to asbestos at their worksite for her illness and death. After the bench trial, the district court entered a Final Judgment and awarded the family $2.7 million, plus $850,000 to Mr.
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Scientists Discover Critical Weakness in Drug-Altered Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is an extremely challenging form of cancer. The rare, asbestos-related disease only has a 10% five-year survival rate, but a new study published by researchers from The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China, has offered a promising new treatment approach.
