Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are three of the top treatments for malignant mesothelioma, and research is suggesting that immunotherapy may soon be added to the list, but now scientists from Nagoya University are adding another potential tool to oncologists’ toolbox: they say that tests of near-infrared irradiation combined with a cancer-targeting compound have been
Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma go through a rigorous staging and assessment protocol once their cancer has been diagnosed. The goal is to determine how advanced their cancer is, what their overall health status is and where the tumors are so that the best possible treatment plan can be put in place. One of the
If you have a known exposure to asbestos, whether from the workplace, exposure to a family member who worked with the substance, or some other source, you have long been aware of your risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases. As if those fears were not stressful enough, those same individuals are now
The SMART (surgery for mesothelioma after radiation therapy) protocol for pleural mesothelioma is a multimodal treatment strategy. Combining radiation and surgery in a novel way, SMART is helping mesothelioma patients live longer. What Is the SMART Protocol? The SMART protocol is a multimodal treatment, which means it uses more than one type of treatment to
Mesothelioma and immunodeficiency disorders are related because the immune system defends the body against malignancy. Individuals with deficient immune systems may be at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma after asbestos exposure. What Is Immunodeficiency? Also sometimes called immune deficiency, immunodeficiency is not a disease or condition in itself but a symptom or complication. Any
When a patient is diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, they’re generally given a better prognosis than those diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma impacts the abdominal cavity rather than the thoracic cavity that holds the lungs, and generally responds best to a combination of surgery and heated chemotherapy poured directly into the surgical cavity. The exception
Heated chemotherapy administered following removal of cancerous tumors has long been viewed as an effective treatment for patients diagnosed with peritoneal malignant mesothelioma, but its use in pleural mesothelioma has not been as accepted. But physicians from the University of Munich recently completed a study that led them to conclude that the procedure, known as
Patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma are most frequently offered a treatment approach that combines radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgical removal of the tumors that have infiltrated the body. The specifics of that recommendation will be based on the specifics of their condition, the cell type of their cancer, and their physician’s beliefs regarding the
A 64-year-old resident of Hawaii is the latest mesothelioma victim to file a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, accusing the company of knowing that its popular baby powder product was contaminated with asbestos and failing to warn the public of that risk. The suit is one of the first to be filed since the announcement
A St. Louis jury ordered Ford Motor Company to pay $8.433 million in compensation to lifelong resident Al Bennett and his wife Pam after hearing evidence that the company had exposed him to asbestos, leading to his diagnosis with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer that affects the lining of the