Vi-Jon LLC, a St. Louis-based manufacturer of private-label talc products sold at Walmart, Dollar General, Kroger, and Walgreens, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to resolve hundreds of mesothelioma and asbestos injury claims. The company has proposed establishing a $25 million trust, saying that the move is necessary after a 400% surge in talc
According to a new study published in the journal Clinical Lung Cancer, researchers from Heidelberg University and 11 other German cancer centers have found that, in 72% of cases, mesothelioma patients who receive platinum and pemetrexed chemotherapy after their first-line immunotherapy treatment stops working can achieve a median overall survival of 11.5 months and disease
Hearing the word “mesothelioma” from a doctor is one of the most frightening moments a person can experience. In that moment, it can feel like the only thing left to do is start treatment immediately. But before moving forward, taking the time to seek a second opinion from a mesothelioma specialist may be one of
A new Phase 2 clinical trial called CHIMERA is testing whether adding the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard chemotherapy before and after surgery can dramatically improve outcomes in resectable pleural mesothelioma. The researchers hope that the approach will increase the rate of complete tumor elimination from approximately 5% with chemotherapy alone to 18% in patients
One of the most frustrating issues faced by mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer victims seeking justice has been the inability to seek compensation from foreign asbestos companies. In the past, these companies have relied on a series of strategies to keep their assets out of reach of the American justice system, but a recent decision
The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) has served the Libby, Montana community for more than 20 years, providing advocacy and care for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. But the clinic will close its doors at the end of August after its federal grant funding was not renewed. This closes a chapter
Dr. Leah Backhus is a nationally recognized thoracic surgical oncologist at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California, and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her particular focus is on thoracic oncology, minimally invasive surgical techniques, and the treatment of pleural mesothelioma. She holds the distinction of having
A redevelopment firm that knowingly exposed workers to the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis has been ordered to pay a $500,000 criminal fine and to serve two years of probation. Applied Partners LLC, admitted to starting demolition work at a former automotive plant in Saginaw, Michigan, without first completing asbestos remediation. The federal
According to a study published in The Lancet Oncology, physicians and researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute have developed an Artificial Intelligence model that outperforms human doctors in evaluating treatment response in pleural mesothelioma. This breakthrough means that disease progression can be detected five weeks earlier than the currently used criteria. It will offer patients
All too often, traditional mesothelioma treatments fail to provide the hoped-for benefit, leaving patients with limited options. But according to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago, a new triple-action cancer injection under development may offer new hope. The drug, called amivantamab, has produced what researchers described as “unprecedentedly