TODAYS DATE: Thursday Sep 02, 2010 YOUR ONLINE RESOURCE FOR NEWS ABOUT MESOTHELIOMA

Researchers Consider the Role of Gender in Surviving Mesothelioma

Monday, August 30th, 2010

It’s more common for men to develop pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, than women. That’s likely due to the greater presence of men in the kinds of heavy industrial jobs such as ship building, mining and automotive repair where asbestos was prevalent, particularly in earlier decades.

Still, mesothelioma is not exclusive to men or gender specific. Women also develop the disease associated with asbestos exposure, sometimes from laundering the dust-covered clothes of a family member who brings home asbestos on their work clothing. A group of researchers at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, Mass., has published a new study in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery evaluating the role of gender in survival with mesothelioma.

The researchers examined the cases of more than 700 patients who underwent surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital between 1987 and 2008 to treat mesothelioma. Of the patients, approximately 145 were women.

The researchers observed that women generally tended to develop the disease at a younger age and to live longer with the disease after surgery. Given that, the researchers say women patients with mesothelioma are good candidates for aggressive treatments. including extrapleural pneumonectomy, surgery to remove a diseased lung and surrounding layer of tissue known as the pleura. It is one of the major curative procedures performed on patients with mesothelioma, but not all patients are healthy enough to undergo the invasive surgery.

According to federal statistics compiled by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 14,598 men and 3,485 women died of malignant pleural mesothelioma between 1999 and 2005 in the United States.

Researchers Report Clearer Understanding of How Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

The paradox of how asbestos kills cells and yet spurs growth of cancerous tumors has perplexed scientists for decades. A group of scientists led by researchers at the University of Hawaii claim to have new insights into the process. Their research may offer new tools to identify people at risk of developing mesothelioma and to prevent or slow tumor growth in people already diagnosed with asbestos-related disease.

Thousands of Americans have been exposed to asbestos and are at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people die of mesothelioma each year in the United States and tens of thousands more worldwide. In addition, asbestos exposure raises the risks that smokers will develop lung cancer.

But the long latency period of 30 to 50 years from asbestos exposure to the appearance of tumors may offer a window of opportunity to block the trigger mechanism that causes asbestos-related cancer.

People often unknowingly inhale microscopic asbestos fibers at workplaces and the fibers can permanently lodge in the lung, causing inflammation. Most human cells exposed to asbestos die within 24 to 48 hours. Dead cells should not be able to multiply and form tumors. So how do cancerous tumors eventually form?

In an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe how asbestos kills cells through a process called programmed cell necrosis that leads to the release of a molecule called mobility group box 1 protein or HMGB1. The protein begins an inflammatory chain reaction in tissue that causes the release of mutagens that promote tumor growth. Cancer often occurs in the presence of chronic inflammation.

Asbestos exposure leads to elevated levels of HMGB1 in the blood, the researchers note. In the study, people with a history of asbestos exposure had HMGB1 levels that were more than four times higher than those of healthy people who had not been exposed.

The researchers say that mesothelial cell death and release of HMGB1 function as triggers in mechanism that leads to asbestos-related cancers. Based on that, they suggest it may be possible eventually to target HMGB1 to treat mesothelioma and identify groups of people who have been exposed to asbestos by simple blood tests to measure HMGB1 levels. By interfering with the inflammatory reaction prompted by asbestos, it may be possible to decrease the occurrence of mesothelioma and reduce the rate of tumor growth among people already diagnosed with mesothelioma.

In the future, therapeutic approaches aimed at blocking chronic inflammation and in particular the protein HMGB1 could reduce the risk of malignant mesothelioma among workers exposed to asbestos.

To test their theory, the lead researchers, Drs. Haining Yang and Michele Carbone of the University of Hawaii plan to conduct a clinical trial in Cappadocia, Turkey, where more than 50 percent of the population of two rural villages dies of mesothelioma from exposure to mineral fibers used in building materials. If the trial produces positive results, they plan to try a similar approach on groups of people exposed to asbestos in the U.S.

From Spinach to Butterflies, Scientist Finds Common Structure to Develop Mesothelioma Drug

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Edward C. Taylor’s name appears nowhere on the packaging of the anti-cancer medication Alimta as its inventor. But the Princeton University professor still receives thank you letters and emails from grateful mesothelioma patients who have survived well beyond their projected lifespans after starting a course of chemotherapy treatment.

Today, Alimta (known as permetrexed in injectable form) is an anti-cancer medication approved  to treat malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen associated with asbestos, and non-small cell cancers. About 85 percent to 90 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Even though the drug was developed and marketed by Eli Lilly, people find out that I am the inventor and send me personal notes of thanks,” Taylor told the Times of Trenton (N.J.) in a profile article. “One man from Australia, which has a lot of asbestos because it was a center of asbestos mining, was given two months to live. That was five years ago, and all traces of cancer have disappeared. He’s fit and full and vim and vigor and he wants me to know it. I have a stack of emails from him.”

The development of the drug followed decades of research and a scientific odyssey of discovery by Prof. Taylor that included fascinations with the human liver, spinach and even butterflies.

Early in his career, Taylor grew intrigued with a compound that had been identified in the human liver and that also was found in spinach leaves and was considered an essential growth factor of micro-organisms. He set out to discover the chemical connection. His scientific inquiry expanded to include butterflies after he read an article about the ring system found in the pigments in the wings of white English cabbage butterflies. As it turned out, the material from liver and spinach possessed a structure that contained as a key element, the butterfly wing pigment structure.

Scientists eventually identified the compound as folic acid, which our bodies use to make new cells and which is essential to healthy growth and development. Taylor was further intrigued that modifying the structure of folic acid slightly could change it into an anti-bacterial compound that not only stopped the growth of micro-organisms, but also caused the remission of a type of lethal leukemia. But the compound was toxic to healthy cells as well.

Taylor’s lab in the late 1970s developed a compound that functioned as an antitumor agent that was less toxic toward normal cells. Any compound that works to kill tumors and is less toxic to normal cells is of special interest to drug manufacturers. In 1985, Taylor collaborated with Eli Lilly to try to develop the compound into an anti-cancer drug. Taylor and his collaborators synthesized more than 800  potential anti-cancer compounds that didn’t work before hitting upon Alimta.

Taylor’s dogged persistence paid off. After decades of research, an estimated $2 billion in costs and 11 years of clinical trial, Alimta was approved from the Food and Drug Administration. Alimta is given in combination with cisplatin for treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, when surgery is not an option.

Prof. Taylor is still doing research and the royalties paid to Princeton Univesrity by Eli Lilly for Alimta are paying for construction of a new 263,000-square-foot building to house the Department of Chemistry.

Source: Times of Trenton:

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2010/05/his_find_became_tumors_nemesis.html

Drug Used to Treat Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

The chemotherapy drug ALIMTA, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., has received a recommendation from the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as an ongoing treatment option for patients with locally advanced or mestastic non-small cell lung cancer.

The recommendation is the second step in a three-step process toward approval for funding by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Without approval by the National Institute, patients struggle to have government health insurers pay for the drugs.

ALIMTA has previously received a positive final recommendation from the National Institute as a treatment for pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity linked to asbestos exposure. ALIMTA is given in combination with cisplatin, another anti-cancer medication, when surgery is not an option.

The National Institute’s recommendation was based on data that indicated ALIMTA improved overall survival for non squamous cell, non small cell lung cancer patients in a maintenance setting. Maintenance therapy represents a new approach to treating advanced non squamous cell lung cancer. In maintenance therapy, patients whose first line therapy controlled the disease, undergo additional treatment immediately with a maintenance regiment rather than waiting for the disease to recur before receiving additional treatment.

Being exposed to asbestos increases the risk of developing lung cancer and other serious respiratory diseases including mesothelioma and asbestosis.

In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ALIMTA for treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer to maintain the effect of the initial treatment.

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Sheet Metal Production Linked to Mesothelioma

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

In the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, a new study was published showing that sheet metal workers have an increased risk of dying from mesothelioma. The study which involved 17,345 sheet metal workers confirms that workers with 20 or more years in the industry run a significantly higher risk of dying from the asbestos-related disease.

New York injury attorney, Joe Belluck, of Belluck & Fox, LLP states,”We have represented many sheet metal workers and it is clear, both anecdotally and now through scientific data, they have an increased risk of dying from mesothelioma.” Belluck also went to add that it was not surprising that sheet metal workers would be at risk since their job involves using many asbestos-containing materials.

Belluck & Fox, LLP is a New York personal injury law firm that handles many types of work-related injury cases including mesothelioma. The firm has helped numerous victims and their families through their hard times battling mesothelioma.

Read the article

Brother and Sister Skydive for Mesothelioma Research

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Paul and Claire Rawlinson from the UK will skydive in memory of their father and to raise money for the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund (MKMRF), reports the North-West Evening News.

Paul credits his sister with the idea of a organizing a sponsored skydive. While she’s not into participating in extreme sports, he said his sister wanted to do something out of the ordinary to show their commitment to the cause. Paul will fall 3,500 feet in a solo jump and his sister will fall 14,000 feet in a tandem jump. They hope to raise ₤2,000 which is over $3,200 in U. S. currency.

Their father died at the age of 64 of mesothelioma, the deadliest form of lung cancer.

MKMRF raises money to improve awareness about mesothelioma, to fund research for treatment, and to provide support to the people who suffer from this deadly disease.

UK Siblings Skydive for Mesothelioma

Iron Range Meeting to Plan Mesothelioma Study

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

52 miners working at Minnesota’s Iron Range have been found to have mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer. Mesothelioma has been traditionally associated with asbestos exposure; however, there is no known asbestos in the iron ore deposit. When asbestos fibers become airborne, they are breathed into the lungs where serious illness can develop up to 40 years after exposure.

The Minnesota Department of Health will be conducting studies on the miners to determine if they have been exposed to asbestos at any time in their lives, prior to working at Iron Range. Some of the mine workers believe that the taconite dust in the mines is the cause of their illness. No studies to date have proven that mesothelioma can be caused by airborne particles other than asbestos.

Mine officials want to know whether iron ore mining can be linked to mesothelioma. The company is planning an expansion at its Northshore mine, and they want answers so they can move forward with the plan. The mining representatives support the health study, but they don’t believe the taconite dust is dangerous.

A meeting will be held June 25th as the next step in the effort to determine the cause of the high rate of mesothelioma in the Iron Range workers. The meeting will lay out the plans for conducting a major survey of taconite workers’ lung health. Participants will get an x-ray, blood test, and breathing test. The study gets underway this summer.

Taconite Potential Cause of Mesothelioma
Iron Range Study Underway

Argentina Plant Workers Bring Lawsuit Against DuPont Co. Over Alleged Abestos Exposure

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

A lawsuit has been filed against Dupont Co. by three former workers at the DuPont plant in Mercedes, Argentina. The three allege that their asbestosis was caused by decades of exposure to asbestos in the plant. The suit has been filed in the state of Delaware.

The asbestos was found in the insulation covering the pipes, where significant heat passed through during production of nylon. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, claims that DuPont identified and cleared up the asbestos at a nylon plant in Delaware in the early 1970s. However, asbestos was still present in 2004 in the Argentina plant, at which time the plant was sold.

The lawsuit alleges DuPont applied a double standard when protecting workers from the asbestos. The suit also alleges that DuPont protected American workers but failed to ensure that the Argentina workers were protected and working in a safe environment. DuPont had been aware of the asbestos in the plant for several decades, according to the complaint.

The Delaware location was selected for filing of the lawsuit since the Delaware courts have experience handling international asbestos cases. All three of the men have asbestosis while two of them also have asbestos-related cancers.

Workers Sue DuPont

Asbestos Still Used in the United States

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Asbestos exposure has been associated to the risk of developing many diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. While the dangers of this substance have been known since the early 1920’s, the United States has not yet totally banned its use.

Michelle J. White, an economics professor at UC San Diego, stated in her study “Asbestos and the Future of Mass Torts,” that claims for injuries from asbestos “involve more plaintiffs, more defendants and higher costs than any other type of personal injury litigation in U.S. history.”

Although it can take up to 40 years after initial exposure of asbestos for a person to exhibit symptoms of asbestos-related cancer such as mesothelioma, which affects the membranes lining the abdomen or lungs, the patient and their family can often tie the exposure to a specific job.

Victims of asbestos-related diseases can bring suit against the companies or manufacturers of products, and the awards often run into the millions. Much of the award is attributed to the pain and suffering associated with the disease.

While the EPA proposed a ban on asbestos use in 1989 it was overturned by a federal circuit court of appeals in 1991. The Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 was proposed but never signed into law. The most current ban proposal is the Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act of 2008.

Asbestos Not Banned in U.S.

Senator Calls for Help to Clean Up Town of Libby

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Montana Sen. Jon Testor asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to team up with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work together to clean up asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana and make the community safe again. More than 200 residents of Libby have died and thousands more are still suffering from asbestos diseases. Residents were poisoned by asbestos from a now-defunct vermiculite mine, and the entire community of Libby is now an EPA Superfund site.

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