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Jury Awards Mesothelioma Victim New England’s Biggest Asbestos Award in History
When former power plant worker Gerald Sylvestre filed a lawsuit against the company that knowingly exposed him and his coworkers to the deadly carcinogen asbestos, the outcome provided several benefits. Not only was Sylvestre awarded the largest asbestos damage verdict in New England’s history, he was able to tell the story of the wrong that
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Study Confirms that Multimodality Treatment Provides Longest Survival for Mesothelioma Patients
If you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the first thing you want to know is what to do about it – what’s the best way to treat it? As disheartening as it is to learn that there is no “cure” for this rare and fatal form of cancer, you still want to know what
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Baby Powder Talc Leads to $417 Million in Ovarian Cancer Case, Raises New Asbestos Questions
Talc is the main ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, and because talc is mined from the same locations as asbestos (the mineral that causes mesothelioma) there have long been questions about whether the product is really as safe as its manufacturer would have us believe. A California jury handed down a resounding answer
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New Treatment Combination Eradicates Mesothelioma Tumors
When it comes to finding a cure for a rare disease like mesothelioma, there are unfortunately more disappointments than victories. But remember how, as children, we were taught, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again?” Fortunately, the researchers at the National Cancer Institute and Roche Pharmaceutical Research did try again, redoubling their efforts
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New Study Confirms Complete Tumor Removal Best for Mesothelioma Patients
Whether you are a recently-diagnosed mesothelioma patient or their family member, you may have turned to the Internet to learn as much as you could about the disease and its treatment. Unfortunately, going online reveals that mesothelioma is a condition for which there seems to be no good treatment answer. Patients expected survival is short
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Innovative Mesothelioma Therapy Receives Special FDA Approval
When it comes to bringing drugs and medical devices to market, pharmaceutical companies have to jump through a lot of hoops. There are layers upon layers of clinical trials and testing that need to be done before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides its approval. Yet, when it comes to rare and difficult diseases, there
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Younger Exposure to Asbestos Increases Mesothelioma Risk
It has long been known that exposure to asbestos puts an individual at risk for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly form of cancer that has no known cure and which generally strikes its victims several decades after they have worked with the carcinogenic material. Even though a great deal has been learned about
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Italian Study Indicates Dental Techs At Risk for Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare and fatal form of cancer that has long been associated with male-dominated occupations: factory workers, construction workers, shipyard workers are among those who have most frequently been diagnosed with the disease. As more is learned about the condition and more victims are identified, it is becoming increasingly clear that asbestos was
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New Occupational Source of Mesothelioma in Women Identified
Mesothelioma is a rare and fatal form of cancer that is caused by exposure to the carcinogenic mineral asbestos. Though many women are diagnosed with the condition, it is far more common in men, and this is largely due to the fact that asbestos was most frequently used in male-dominated occupational settings such as steel mills, shipyards,
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Research Suggests Personalized Treatment Approach for Mesothelioma Yields Improved Outcomes
A personal medicine study conducted by researchers from the University of Ljubljana and the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia, concluded that each mesothelioma patient has unique genetic biomarkers that can be both predictive of outcomes and can guide physicians to improved outcomes for mesothelioma patients. It has long been known that there is no
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Mesothelioma Patients Gain Significant Survival Using Chemotherapy Drug Combo
In the world of mesothelioma research and in the life of a mesothelioma victim, the gain of even a month can be momentous. Mesothelioma is a cruel disease that claims the lives of those who have been diagnosed with it swiftly – often in less than a year. When scientists identify a protocol that can
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Immunotherapy Continues to Hold Hope for Mesothelioma Patients
There is a standard multimodality treatment protocol that is offered to patients who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. It is a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The nuances of the treatment are largely dependent upon the patient’s condition and type of mesothelioma, the facility at which they are being treated, and the physician’s
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Mesothelioma Survival Rates Slowly Improving
One of the most stressful aspects of living with mesothelioma is the fact that the condition carries such a grim prognosis: whether you have been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, or the even rarer forms that impact the heart or testicles, most physicians will indicate that the survival rate for the disease is little
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Photodynamic Therapy Provides Real Hope in Mesothelioma Treatment
Researchers around the world are continuing to look for alternative protocols, including state-of-the-art technological breakthroughs. Among those treatment options that are currently being tested is photodynamic therapy, a technique that kills cancerous cells by first photo sensitizing drugs and then activating them with light. Mesothelioma patients are provided with very few options for treatment. The
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Study Shows Alarming Increase in Cases of Mesothelioma Among the Young
A mesothelioma incidence study was recently conducted by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, and one particular finding is drawing increased attention and alarm from health advocates. Though the study predictably indicated that most of the mesothelioma deaths in the United States in the years between 1999 and 2015 occurred in people over
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CDC Report Cites Rising Number of Mesothelioma Deaths in the U.S.
It has been decades since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that asbestos was a health hazard that caused mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases. Despite that revelation and subsequent attempts to cut back on American use of the dangerous mineral, asbestos is still legal in the country, and it is continuing to sicken tens
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Canada Announces Ban on All Asbestos Use by 2018
The Canadian government has made it official: after years of lobbying and advocacy on the part of health advocates, the country is joining much of the developed world in announcing that it has targeted the year 2018 for a complete ban on the use of asbestos and asbestos-containing products. This move will be an important
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Landmark California Mesothelioma Ruling Grants Family Members Right to Sue
A landmark decision on the rights of mesothelioma victims to sue has been handed down by the California state Supreme Court. The issue was whether companies could be held responsible for sicknesses precipitated by a family member carrying asbestos home on their clothing, hair, or skin. The court unanimously decided against the companies and in
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New Study Identifies Major Factor in Mesothelioma Development
Nobody knows why malignant mesothelioma tumors form in some who have been exposed to asbestos and not in others, or why the condition takes such a long time to make itself known. Researchers around the world are working hard to solve this mystery, and now scientists in Japan believe that they have identified a major
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Congress Moves to Ban Asbestos
In a move that may force the hand of the U.S. Congress, California’s Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer has introduced a bill titled S 3427 — the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2016. This would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to include a complete ban or restriction of the use of asbestos, the