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Mesothelioma.net Blog > 2009 > October |
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Archive for October, 2009
Friday, October 30th, 2009
Recently Dr. Harvey Pass of NYU Langone Medical Center in New York and Dr. Michelle Carbone of John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu of published an update on screening for malignant pleural mesothelioma found on the Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery web site. The report stated that early detection of mesothelioma could find patients at a more treatable stage, resulting in prolonged survival over the present median of 12 months.
Past studies frequently used chest X-rays for screening patients. However, X-rays are not sensitive enough to effectively screen patients with mesothelioma. With the help of computerized tomography, more recent studies stress the importance of detailing suspicious changes which could provide an earlier diagnosis.
The most recent studies use serum biomarkers. These biomarkers may have the ability to distinguish people exposed to asbestos that do not have cancer from those with mesothelioma before the onset of the disease. The biomarker types include:
- Soluble, mesothelin-related protein
- Osteopontin
- Megakaryocyte potentiating factor
These markers may be included in screening trials to monitor individuals exposed to asbestos and considered high-risk. Continued improvement in screening for asbestos diseases, particularly mesothelioma, is critical to the patient’s ability to receive proper treatment and care. More information on clinical trials can be found on our web site, or you may contact us to answer your questions.
Tags: mesothelioma, mesothelioma research
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Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Mesothelioma patients need access to immediate and effective treatment, often available only at large cancer centers that may be thousands of miles from their home. Even if the treatment or clinical trial is available, the travel costs can prevent these patients from accessing this critical care.
Thankfully, there is a solution. Multiple organizations, such as Angel Flight, Corporate Angel Network, and Pilots of Patients, donate their planes and financial resources, as well as pilots who donate their time, to provide air transportation to those patients who require financial assistance or perhaps are too ill to fly commercially.
Each organization has different requirements, but overall they do request that the patient has some mobility, is medically stable enough to fly in an unpressurized plane, has financial need, that there is no other transportation available, and that the patient has received a medical diagnosis requiring specialized treatment from a specific hospital.
The following list is not comprehensive, but provides a sampling of these types of organizations:
We are thankful that these organizations are willing to donate their time and resources to the valuable cause of assisting mesothelioma patients and admire their generosity.
Tags: mesothelioma, mesothelioma treatment
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
A UK woman who was exposed to asbestos through secondhand exposure has died from peritoneal mesothelioma. Linda Sinnett most likely was exposed to asbestos through transfer from her father’s clothing.
Sinnett’s family believes she ingested asbestos fibers that were released into the home, specifically the kitchen, when her mother laundered her father’s clothing. Sinnett’s father was an employee for the Great Western Railway Works and often brought home asbestos on his work overalls. The family believes these dangerous fibers contaminated the food and food preparation areas.
When asbestos fibers are ingested, they can migrate to the mesothelium of the peritoneum and lodge there. Over time, the fibers cause irregularities in the cells there that develop into cancer called peritoneal mesothelioma.
Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the mesothelial lining (also called mesothelium) of the organs in the chest and/or abdomen. The mesothelium is a thin layer of cells that produce fluid that lubricates and protects organs such as the heart, lungs, stomach and testicles.
Like other types of mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma typically has a long latency period. It usually takes years or even decades after asbestos exposure for the cancer to be diagnosed. Of the cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year, only 15% – 20% begin in the peritoneum.
Our web site has additional information on the types and treatment of mesothelioma. If you prefer, please feel free to contact one of our family advocates to ask your questions.
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Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
According to research published in the British Journal of Cancer, one in 17 carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma. During the study, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Health and Safety Executive, researchers, interviewed over 600 patients with mesothelioma and 1,400 healthy people to investigate rates of asbestos cancer linked with various occupations.
The researchers determined those men born in the 1940s and who worked as carpenters for longer than 10 years before the age of 30 are at high risk for mesothelioma. The risk was also high for plumbers, electricians, decorators (one in 50), and other construction workers (one in 125).
Additionally, researchers learned that the asbestos exposure also causes one case of asbestos lung cancer for every case of mesothelioma, making the overall risk for the carpenters in this group one in 10.
The study also showed that two-thirds of all British men and one-quarter of women had worked in professions that potentially involved asbestos exposure.
The study will continue into 2010, when results are released about the role of amosite causing mesothelioma in younger generations. Amosite, more commonly referred to as “brown” asbestos, is mined in South Africa and primarily used as a fire retardant in thermal insulation products.
Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma
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Monday, October 26th, 2009
Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant recently made public his support of a British cancer charity, Killing Cancer. The primary focus of the charity is to raise money to fund further trials for photodynamic therapy, a procedure that shows great promise in the treatment of mesothelioma and other cancers.
During photodynamic therapy, a light-activated drug is injected into a vein, spreading throughout the body and eventually collecting in cancer cells. After several days (typically after mesothelioma surgery), a fixed frequency light is inserted into the cancer site through a fiber optic device allowing the light to be manipulated by the doctor.
The cancer cells die when exposed to the light which activates the drug that has been absorbed. The light exposure must be timed appropriately so that the normal cells have had time to discard the drug, while the cancerous cells are still holding on to it.
Plant says he is a big fan of the treatment which he states is helping friends fight their cancer.
The major side effect of PDT is skin sensitivity, as well as nausea, vomiting, and sometimes a metallic taste in the mouth. Clinical trials are underway in the United States to evaluate PDT for cancers of the brain, skin, prostate, cervix, and peritoneal cavity.
While PDT is still undergoing testing, it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and relief of esophageal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA approved agent is called porfirmer sodium, or Photofrin.
Tags: mesothelioma, mesothelioma research, mesothelioma treatment
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