Mesothelioma rates in Vietnam veterans are high because of decades of asbestos use by the U.S. military. Veterans exposed to asbestos during service, who later become ill, may file for VA benefits like disability compensation and health care. How Did the Military Use Asbestos? The heaviest use of asbestos by the U.S. military was between
hough it’s not exactly breaking news, a recently concluded Belgian study about mesothelioma survival goes a long way towards providing confidence for patients as they begin their treatment journey. The study, which was published this month in the scientific journal Lung Cancer by lead researcher Michael Rosskamp, confirms that the treatment protocol that provides the greatest
When it comes to being a mesothelioma survivor, Heather Von St. James is one of the most remarkable cases of all. The Atlanta native was recently profiled by one of her local news stations to mark Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and she told the story of having been diagnosed 13 years earlier with the rare
Immunotherapy represents one of the most promising new innovations in cancer treatment, with many people expressing optimism about the use of Keytruda and similar drugs, but for those researching treatments of malignant mesothelioma, initial reports have been less encouraging. Though headlines are being made about immunotherapy’s effectiveness in cancers like non-small cell lung cancer, lymphoma
Australia has the second highest rate of malignant mesothelioma in the world. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the most obvious is that between the 1950s and 1970s, it had the highest per capita rate of asbestos use in the world. Roughly 700 Australians die of the asbestos-related disease each year, yet
In an effort to understand why some malignant mesothelioma victims succumb so much faster than others, researchers from Curtin University in Australia have discovered that certain immune cells known as macrophages actually work against the body’s ability to fight off cancerous tumors in elderly laboratory animals. The group believes that the same dynamic is likely
The National Cancer Institute has just announced that it will be providing a $10.7 million grant to support research into an innovative treatment for malignant mesothelioma. The funding will go to the Translational Center of Excellence for Lung Cancer Immunology at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania so that researchers there can
Artificial intelligence sounds more like something out of a science fiction movie than a tool for doctors to diagnose malignant mesothelioma. But researchers who are working to perfect the transformative technology are predicting that it will become an integral tool in quickly and accurately identifying the rare and fatal form of cancer, that will allow
A new study of mesothelioma patient outcomes is raising important questions about recommended treatment protocols for patients with all types of malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study, a collaborative effort between the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, was the largest of its kind: it compared survival times
“Plague” is the word that Montana Standard writer David McCumber uses to describe the mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases that have stricken the town of Libby. The writer recently published a remarkable elegy to the town of Libby, which has struggled with the aftermath of asbestos contamination for over 60 years, and where long-time residents