Category Archives: Stories & News

MesoRFA.org also provides current news and feature stories regarding activity in the medical field about malignant mesothelioma lung cancer.

Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Mesothelioma Treatment Options – asbestos causes mesothelioma cancer

Mesothelioma Treatment Option – cancer mesothelioma asbestos

Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the tissue which surrounds and protects various organs in the body. This tissue is called the Mesothelium, and Mesothelioma causes it to become abnormal, divide without control, and invade and damage nearby organs.

The most common form is pleural mesothelioma which affects the sac that lines the chest cavity and protects the lungs (the pleura). Other forms are peritoneum mesothelioma (which affects the abdominal cavity) and pericardium mesothelioma (affecting the lining around the heart). The tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) although they are most often malignant.

Mesothelioma Causes

Mesothelioma is caused by the inhalation of asbestos, a fibrous carcinogenic.

These fibres lodge themselves in the lining of the lung affecting the mesothelial cells. Sometimes they cause scarring of the lungs (which is called asbestosis) but this is not cancerous. They can, however, trigger tumour growth between 20 to 50 years after they are inhaled (the average is 35 to 40 years). Asbestos fibres which are swallowed can reach the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing peritoneal mesothelioma.

It is generally the case that the longer or more intense the exposure to asbestos the more likely Mesothelioma is to occur. However, there are cases of people getting Mesothelioma years after having worked with it for just a few months. The families of asbestos workers are also at risk as they would possibly have been exposed to asbestos fibres on the clothing of their loved ones.

The dangers of asbestos have not always been as well known as they are today.  Before the 1970s asbestos was a primary insulating material with little or no control in its use or handling. The resulting increase in cases of Mesothelioma is a direct cause of these past practices.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Mesothelioma is often well advanced before symptoms are recognized.   Consequently, the prognosis for the disease is usually poor with the common survival time for all stages of Malignant Mesothelioma being about one year.  Mesothelioma symptoms resemble pneumonia, which coughs, breathing difficulties and abdominal pain being common.

Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma can be treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, or a combination of the three.

  • Mesothelioma Surgery Treatment

Extra pleural pneumonectomy is where the entire lung and a portion of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm, and some or the entire sac which surrounds the heart is removed.

Wide local excision targets and removes the cancer and a limited amount of the healthy tissue surrounding the cancerous region.

Pleurectomy and decortication removes part of the covering of the lungs, as well as the lining of the chest and portions of the outside covering of the lungs.

  • Mesothelioma Chemotherapy Treatment

Pleurodesis uses a blend of chemicals and/or drugs to create an intentional scar between the layers of the pleura. Post surgery, the space created by the scar must be drained, using either a catheter or chest tube, and is then filled with a chemical which inhibits the accumulation of fluid in the pleura cavity.

  • Mesothelioma Radiation Treatment

Radiation therapy is used to treat Mesothelioma patients with the goal of controlling the spread of cancer in combination with surgery and chemotherapy. Radiation emanates from high energy X-rays, photons, neutrons, cobalt, or other radiation sources. Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments are useful ways to combat other types of cancers but, used alone, have not been very helpful for treating Mesothelioma.

Research continues as the medical field looks for a cure.  Different combinations of drugs and surgery, studies of newly developed drugs, gene therapy, and more are being studied, with clinical trials in the United States and abroad.

Prognosis for mesothelioma is difficult to estimate consistently when looking at different research studies because there are often large differences in the time before diagnosis and the rate of disease progression.  Many factors affect a person’s prognosis, including the type of disease, a person’s age and general health, when the disease was found, and a person’s response to treatment.

 Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.

For some patients, taking part in a mesothelioma clinical trial may be the best treatment choice.  Mesothelioma clinical trials are part of the cancer research process.  Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.

Many of today’s standard treatments for mesothelioma cancer are based on previous, earlier clinical trials.  Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new mesothelioma treatment.

Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.

Learn more about Mesothelioma, Asbestos, Symptoms and Treatments

Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Cisplatin Treatment for Mesothelioma May Prove to be a Safe Alternative

Dr. Chris Carter, a scientist in Europe is working to develop a treatment for mesothelioma that would perhaps be more effective than traditional methods of treatment.  Currently, patients with mesothelioma cancer receive medication through intravenous injections.  But, the new method of treatment would be delivered in the form of an inhaler.  Using an inhaler would bring the Cisplatin medication directly to the cancer cells in the lungs.

As a result of direct and prolonged contact with asbestos, a person will contract a form of lung caner called Mesothelioma.  Because the disease forms in and affects the lungs, treating it directly at the source could be a much more effective way than traditional needles. This new treatment will use a nebulizer to deliver medication directly to the lungs in a vaporized form. Researchers believe that this method could be more effective and could also help to eliminate the commonly felt side effects of mesothelioma treatment which can include kidney disease as well as other complications.

Each year, mesothelioma causes thousands of patients to suffer from this deadly disease but might benefit by the development of this new treatment method.  Mesothelioma cancer brings 2,000 to 3,000 deaths in the United States every year, as well as thousands mores each year in Scotland where research on the new treatment method using Cisplatin nebulizer is being conducted.  Scientists are working on this method with Dr. Chris Carter through the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.   The treatment method  should be released relatively soon for clinical trial, and they are very optimistic that their treatment will work.

Dr. Chris Carter, senior lecturer leading the research team states:

By delivering Cisplatin, one of the most widely used drugs for lung cancer, in a vaporized form, we would be able to get it to the cancerous cells and avoid the damage to healthy cells which can be hugely debilitating to patients. It would make the treatment far less onerous for them and we hope it would help them to live longer.

The new treatment would provide effective dosage to patients who are limited by the type of treatment that they can receive and will help to eliminate harmful side effects of Cisplatin which patients normally feel after intravenous injection of the drug. The nebulizer will target the lungs with the medication, and  allow the drug to be administered into the patients system much faster than traditional treatment.  This too could help to alleviate discomfort from the disease much more quickly.

This research shows that scientists and many health organizations continue in the fight to help patients with this deadly disease. Treatments are constantly being researched as scientists work to find an overall cure for mesothelioma which some doctors considered incurable.

Find More Mesothelioma Treatment Treatments

Stories & News

Studies on Mesothelioma and Chromosomal Abberrations

 

Article Reviews

 

Mesothelioma Cancer Research Study #1:

 

“Specificity of asbestos-induced chromosomal aberrations in short-term cultured human mesothelial cells”

Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics Volume 41, Issue 1, August 1989, Pages 33-39

by Kenth Olofssona and Joachim Mark, a Department of Pathology and Cytogenetics, Central Hospital, Skövde, Sweden.

Abstract – Short-term cultured normal human mesothelial cells were exposed for 48 hours to three different asbestos compounds, crocidiolite, chrysotile, and amosite. In the concentration used (0.01 mg/ml) all three asbestiform minerals caused, within a few days, a significant increase of cells showing numerical and/or structural abnormalities. The abnormalities were analyzed in detail using banding techniques. The results were compared with the cytogenetic observations in 52 published cases of mesotheliomas.

This comparison revealed only a few similarities as regards numerical deviations. The structural rearrangements in asbestos-exposed cultures, however, in many instances involved chromosome types and chromosome regions preferentially affected in mesotheliomas.”

 

Mesothelioma Cancer Research Study #2:

“Recovery of ingested asbestos fibers from the gastrointestinal lymph in rats”

Environmental Research Volume 22, Issue 1, June 1980, Pages 201-216

by P. Sebastien, c, R. Masse†, d and J. Bignon.

Abstract – Using the transmission electron microscope, asbestos fibers have been assessed in lymph fluid collected from the thoracic lymph duct in five groups of rats previously exposed to asbestos fibers (by ingestion). Ten rats were gavaged a single dose weighing approximately 20 mg. Five were given pure UICC chrysotile A while another group of five had pure UICC crocidolite.

All the rats of the chrysotile group were positive animals with recovery rate values ranging from 6.9 × 10−7 to 3 × 10−5 (90% of the fibers being recovered during the first 16 hr following the gavage). The crocidolite group had only three positive animals and lower recovery rate values of 5.7 × 10−8 to 5.6 × 10−7. A third group was fed a synthetic diet containing 1%, by weight, chrysotile with a majority of short fibers (90% below 4 μm). Of the 15 rats comprising this group, 13 were positive with maximum daily recovery rates ranging from 2.1 × 10−7 to 2.1 × 10−6. A group of eight rats fed the same kind of diet but containing a higher proportion of long fibers, showed only four positive animals, however, they had higher daily recovery rates ranging from 1.9 × 10−5 to 2.1 × 10−4. No fibers were encountered in the samples of the two control rats. This study demonstrates the passage of chrysotile and crocidolite fibers across the gastrointestinal wall, with the passage rate being higher for long fibers than short ones.”

 

Mesothelioma Cancer Research Study #3:

“Penetration of cells by asbestos fibers”

 Environ Health Perspect. 1974 December; 9: 255–260

by J. M. G. Davis, R. E. Bolton, and J. Garrett

Abstract – Studies on the behavior of asbestos fibers within tissues have shown that the only cells that regularly contain asbestos are macrophages and their derivatives. However, these cells actively incorporate the asbestos fibers by the process of phagocytosis, and there is little evidence of direct penetration. Examination of the gut lining after prolonged asbestos ingestion has shown no evidence of dust penetration either through or between the epithelial cells. The structure and arrangement of these cells is discussed, and it is suggested that they are exceptionally well adapted to prevent penetration by any solid material.

 

Mesothelioma Cancer Research Study #4:

“Static electrification of airborne asbestos: A study of its causes, assessment and effects on deposition in the lungs of rats”

American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, Volume 42, Issue 10 October 1981, pages 711 – 721

by J. H. Vincent; W. B. Johnston; A. D. Jones; A. M. Johnston

Abstract – The paper describes a series of experiments carried out in the laboratory to investigate how asbestos fibres might become electrostatically charged during the process of being made airborne, the magnitude and polarity of the charge per fibre, and the effect on lung deposition in rats. Measurements of the penetration of fibres through an electrostatic elutriator enabled the magnitude and distribution of charge in a cloud of fibres to be quantitatively assessed. Thus it was found that a typical fibre of UICC amosite, as dispersed in a typical animal exposure chamber, carried a net charge of magnitude equivalent to about 60 electrons. The distribution of charge was bimodal, suggesting that two charging mechanisms were taking place, the main one producing net negative charge and the lesser one producing net positive charge. These were attributed to materials in the dust dispenser used and with which the fibres came into contact during dispersal. It was found that the magnitude of charge on a typical fibre could be significantly reduced by the introduction of equal numbers of positive and negative gaseous ions from an a.c. corona discharge ioniser. Finally it was found that enhancement by up to 40% of the dust deposited into the slowest clearing part of the respiratory tract of experimental rats was brought about by the electrostatic charge on the airborne fibres. The implications of this finding in the field of occupational hygiene are briefly discussed.

 

Stories & News

Burglar Inhaled Asbestos Fibers During Theft Leading To Mesothelioma Cancer

symptoms of asbestos exposureA burglar may have gotten more than he bargained for when he entered a building that was under renovation, intent on stealing tools left behind by the contractors doing the renovation work. What the bandit didn’t realize, however, was that the house on James Street in Syracuse, NY was filled with airborne asbestos.

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard New York Newspaper, the criminal – whose name was not released – gained access to the building by knocking a 3 foot by 3 foot hole in a brick wall. A police report stated that he most likely didn’t observe the warning signs that were placed around the structure noting that asbestos removal was taking place inside. The doors and windows were all boarded up with plywood.

Bill McHale, foreman for Conifer-LeChase Construction of Syracuse, NY, the company performing the asbestos abatement, told the media that there are safe areas and containment areas within the building, and it was evident that the robber had entered into a containment area after breaking into the house through the wall.  The police were told by Mr. McHale that the containment area is “extremely dangerous” and full of asbestos dust, and that the burglar has put his health at serious risk for having entered the asbestos dust part of the building.

While the burglar has escaped with several pieces of electric equipment, gas-powered equipment, ladders, scrap wire and copper, he probably inhaled significant portions of dangerous, sharp asbestos fibers, that may very well become imbedded in his lungs which eventually will cause mesothelioma cancer. Many people develop this cancer after years of exposure to the toxic mineral in the workplace, such as in factories and shipyards, but doctors and researchers have determined that even the smallest amount of asbestos exposure can lead to the development of cancerous tumors.

Stories & News

A List of Studies on Mesothelioma and Chromosomal Abberrations

Study #1

Specificity of asbestos-induced chromosomal aberrations in short-term cultured human mesothelial cells

Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics
Volume 41, Issue 1, August 1989, Pages 33-39
by Kenth Olofssona and Joachim Mark
Department of Pathology and Cytogenetics, Central Hospital, Skvde, Sweden

Abstract – Short-term cultured normal human mesothelial cells were exposed for 48 hours to three different asbestos compounds, crocidiolite, chrysotile, and amosite. In the concentration used (0.01 mg/ml) all three asbestiform minerals caused, within a few days, a significant increase of cells showing numerical and/or structural abnormalities. The abnormalities were analyzed in detail using banding techniques. The results were compared with the cytogenetic observations in 52 published cases of mesotheliomas. This comparison revealed only a few similarities as regards numerical deviations. The structural rearrangements in asbestos-exposed cultures, however, in many instances involved chromosome types and chromosome regions preferentially affected in mesotheliomas.

Study #2

Recovery of ingested asbestos fibers from the gastrointestinal lymph in rats

Environmental Research Volume 22, Issue 1, June 1980, Pages 201-216
by P. Sebastien, c, R. Masse, d and J. Bignon.

Abstract – Using the transmission electron microscope, asbestos fibers have been assessed in lymph fluid collected from the thoracic lymph duct in five groups of rats previously exposed to asbestos fibers (by ingestion). Ten rats were gavaged a single dose weighing approximately 20 mg. Five were given pure UICC chrysotile A while another group of five had pure UICC crocidolite. All the rats of the chrysotile group were positive animals with recovery rate values ranging from 6.9 107 to 3 105 (90% of the fibers being recovered during the first 16 hr following the gavage). The crocidolite group had only three positive animals and lower recovery rate values of 5.7 108 to 5.6 107. A third group was fed a synthetic diet containing 1%, by weight, chrysotile with a majority of short fibers (90% below 4 m). Of the 15 rats comprising this group, 13 were positive with maximum daily recovery rates ranging from 2.1 107 to 2.1 106. A group of eight rats fed the same kind of diet but containing a higher proportion of long fibers, showed only four positive animals, however, they had higher daily recovery rates ranging from 1.9 105 to 2.1 104. No fibers were encountered in the samples of the two control rats. This study demonstrates the passage of chrysotile and crocidolite fibers across the gastrointestinal wall, with the passage rate being higher for long fibers than short ones.

Study #3

Penetration of cells by asbestos fibers

Environ Health Perspect. 1974 December; 9: 255260
by J. M. G. Davis, R. E. Bolton, and J. Garrett

Abstract – Studies on the behavior of asbestos fibers within tissues have shown that the only cells that regularly contain asbestos are macrophages and their derivatives. However, these cells actively incorporate the asbestos fibers by the process of phagocytosis, and there is little evidence of direct penetration. Examination of the gut lining after prolonged asbestos ingestion has shown no evidence of dust penetration either through or between the epithelial cells. The structure and arrangement of these cells is discussed, and it is suggested that they are exceptionally well adapted to prevent penetration by any solid material.

Study #4

Static electrification of airborne asbestos: A study of its causes, assessment and effects on deposition in the lungs of rats

American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, Volume 42, Issue 10 October 1981, pages 711 – 721
by J. H. Vincent; W. B. Johnston; A. D. Jones; A. M. Johnston

Abstract – The paper describes a series of experiments carried out in the laboratory to investigate how asbestos fibers might become electrostatically charged during the process of being made airborne, the magnitude and polarity of the charge per fiber, and the effect on lung deposition in rats. Measurements of the penetration of fibers through an electrostatic elutriator enabled the magnitude and distribution of charge in a cloud of fibers to be quantitatively assessed. Thus it was found that a typical fiber of UICC amosite, as dispersed in a typical animal exposure chamber, carried a net charge of magnitude equivalent to about 60 electrons. The distribution of charge was bimodal, suggesting that two charging mechanisms were taking place, the main one producing net negative charge and the lesser one producing net positive charge. These were attributed to materials in the dust dispenser used and with which the fibers came into contact during dispersal. It was found that the magnitude of charge on a typical fiber could be significantly reduced by the introduction of equal numbers of positive and negative gaseous ions from an a.c. corona discharge ionizer. Finally it was found that enhancement by up to 40% of the dust deposited into the slowest clearing part of the respiratory tract of experimental rats was brought about by the electrostatic charge on the airborne fibers. The implications of this finding in the field of occupational hygiene are briefly discussed.

Meso Cancer, Meso Causes, Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Aggressive Mesothelioma Cancer: Some Characteristics

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer currently without a cure. Exposure to free-floating asbestos dust particles is the primary cause for getting this disease.  Generally, no amount of asbestos exposure is considered safe, and the disease almost always develops in persons that have had extensive, recurring exposure.   Once the exposure has taken hold with asbestos particles stuck in the lining of the lung(s), the detection of mesothelioma cancer may take 20 to 50 years.  The type of asbestos, fiber particle size as well as the duration of recurring exposure are decisive in the development of the mesothelioma cancer.  Today, asbestos is banned in most countries from all industries, particularly the construction industry, which only a few decades ago used it in many building materials.  Asbestos is still being consumed and used by lesser developed nations, and some nations like Canada still mine the ore and ship it to these user nations.

Mesothelioma is frequently mistaken as a lung cancer, which it is not, simply because it affects the thoracic cavity (pleura) most often as well as other thin membranes that cover the body’s organs.

Body organ membranes where mesothelioma can also develop include the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum);  the fibroserous sac which encloses the heart (the pericardium); and the serous membrane that covers the testis and epididymis (the tunica vaginalis).

Generally, symptoms of having mesothelioma include: a cough, husky voice, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, difficult swallowing, chest pain, abdominal swelling with pain, fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, weight loss, fluid in the chest or abdomen, lack of sleep, and other characteristics.  Obviously, to diagnose mesothelioma is challenging and to connect the symptoms with the cancer because so many of its symptoms are easily mistaken for more common diseases that are not life threatening such as flu, pneumonia or bronchitis.

So, there are three main types of mesothelioma cancers:

  • malignant pleural mesothelioma
  • malignant pericardial mesothelioma
  • malignant peritoneal mesothelioma

And less common types of this disease include:

  • testicular mesothelioma
  • epithelial mesothelioma
  • biphasic mesothelioma
  • cystic mesothelioma
  • liver mesothelioma
  • brain mesothelioma
  • papillary mesothelioma
  • adenocarcinoma mesothelioma
  • sarcomatoid mesothelioma
  • desmoplastic mesothelioma

There are several primary options for the treatment of mesothelioma cancer:

  • mesothelioma surgery
  • mesothelioma chemotherapy
  • mesothelioma radiation

These treatments can be combined for a best-results treatment.  During surgery, the cancer cells are removed and post-surgery mesothelioma doctors usually use radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Treating mesothelioma cancer with these methods will give the patients a possible extension of five years to their lives. Additional treatments used by mesothelioma doctors are anti-angiogenesis drugs, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and intraoperative photodynamic therapy.

Special research and clinical trials are being conducted by the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America on a cure for mesothelioma with good results on the early Phase I and Phase II trials.  This work is done as a collaborative effort for a mesothelioma cancer patient by a team of general practitioners, epidemiologists, pathologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation therapists, oncologists, rehabilitation specialists and psychotherapists.

Contact a mesothelioma doctor in your area with the help of our support staff.

Find out more about mesothelioma victims.

Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Mesothelioma FDG-PET/CT Scan Results Affected by Talc Pleurodesis

Mesothelioma patients who undergo a procedure called talc pleurodesis (TP) for excess lung fluid may be harder to monitor with FDG-PET/CT scans afterward.

Mesothelioma and FDG-PET/CT scanTalc pleurodesis is a procedure used to manage pleura effusions, the build-up of fluid around the lungs that causes many of the most uncomfortable symptoms of malignant pleural mesothelioma. As a mesothelioma tumor spreads across the pleural lining, the body often produces fluid in response.  As this fluid fills up the pleural cavity between the mesothelial lining and the lungs it can cause pain and make it hard for the mesothelioma patient to breath. Draining the fluid and filling the space with medical-grade talc is one way to deal with the problem.

But a new study suggests that talc pleurodesis may interfere with the primary means doctors use to monitor a mesothelioma patient’s disease progression and treatment response. FDG-PET scanning involves injecting the patient with a radioactive tracer and then using PET/CT (positron emission tomography and computerized tomography) to measure how much of the tracer is absorbed by cancer cells. The mesothelioma cells’ ‘uptake’ of tracer can be used to determine how well chemotherapy is working.

But when a team of Italian researchers compared the radiologic and metabolic treatment responses in eight mesothelioma patients who had undergone chemotherapy and talc pleurodesis, they found a problem. Eight patients were evaluated – 7 who had the epithelioid subtype of mesothelioma and 1 who had biphasic. After their TP treatment, they underwent FDG-PET/CT scans twice, once around 14 days and a second time around 125 days. The researchers found that, by increasing the amount of tracer absorbed by cancer cells, TP treatment can make it look as though a patient’s disease is progressing more rapidly than it is.

“TP produces an increased FDG-PET uptake which may interfere with the post-chemotherapy disease evaluation,” observe the researchers. To compensate, they recommend a slightly modified way of interpreting the FDG-PET scan results in these patients.

Sources:

Genestreti, G et al, “FDG PET/CT Response Evaluation in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Patients Treated with Talc Pleurodesis and Chemotherapy”, June 1, 2012, Journal of Cancer, Epub head of print.
Meso Causes, Stories & News

Mesothelioma Risk Increases Along With Consumption of Asbestos Products

Asbestos is proven to cause deadly respiratory illnesses including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and countless other pulmonary diseases. For years, medical professionals, environmentalists, private interest groups, and others affected by the tragedy of mesothelioma have  tracked the continued use of asbestos products known to cause this disease.

The United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) has released its findings in their report Mineral Commodity Summaries 2012 and the results has caused mesothelioma advocates to be shocked.  This report indicates that the U.S. continues to increase the quantity of asbestos imported into the country.  An increase to importing this mineral is a serious offense because Asbestos is renown and proven to cause deadly respiratory illnesses including many pulmonary diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

For years there has been an outcry from the public calling for a ban on asbestos.  Many people understand that the only way to eliminate mesothelioma as well as other deadly diseases caused by asbestos is to eliminate exposure to this mineral.  On December 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a warning saying, “asbestos is a human carcinogen with no safe level of exposure.”

Linda Reinstein, co-founder and president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), has prepared a  statement in which she states she “was appalled and shocked to discover”  a 34 percent increase in asbestos consumption from the years 2010 to 2011.  The Geological Survey Report states that industries in the United States consumed 820 metric tons of asbestos in 2010 from January through July, and then consumed 1,100 metric tons of asbestos for the same period in 2011 . This clearly a 34 percent increase in asbestos consumption.

The U.S.G.S. report indicates that the use of asbestos in 2011 and the preceding 5 years is the lowest it has been in the United States since 1909.  Additionally, the report shows that in 2011, U.S. apparent consumption increased by 6%, but it is unlikely to represent any resurgence in the asbestos industry.  According to the report and based on current trends, the consumption of asbestos within the United States is scheduled to remain near the 1,000-ton level into the future.

The U.S. depends 100% on asbestos imports rather than mining locally, with the primary sources coming from Canada (92%) and Zimbabwe (6%).  This means that miners in these countries also must be exposed to the deadly mineral in order to service the U.S. demand for asbestos import!

Reinstein issued an appeal to Congress and President Obama, saying:

On behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), I am calling on Congress and the President to immediately prohibit the importation of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing products from crossing our borders to protect public health. I have lost my husband, Alan, to Mesothelioma, a disease caused from asbestos exposure. Nothing can bring him or the hundreds of thousands of other victims back to life, but we can begin by aggressively preventing exposure thus eliminating deadly diseases.

Mesothelioma is a deadly disease caused by exposure to asbestos dust and fibers.  The Symptoms of mesothelioma often do not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos and include shortness of breath, pain in the chest, and a persistent cough.  Most cases of mesothelioma are not diagnosed until symptoms appear and the disease has progressed to an advanced stage leaving the patient with life-threatening complications.  Once the disease has reached an advanced stage, median survival is often less than one year.

ADAO was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004.   ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is the largest independent organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases.

The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America was founded in 2001 with a mission: fund research that leads to the quickest and surest cure for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure. This cancer disease had few treatment options until this MesoRFA.org and Dr. Parkash Gill’s work created better treatment options. Today, the future looks more hopeful for additional improved treatment options available to those stricken by this cancer.

Submit your mesothelioma questions to Ask Dr. Parkash Gill to receive the oncologist’s Free response and opinion.

Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Jeff Davis- Lung Cancer Mesothelioma Remission with the use of Marine Phytoplankton

The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America and our staff are constantly looking for news of recent trials and methods being attempted to find a cure to mesothelioma cancer. During a recent study, we came across these two (2) videos on YouTube regarding mesothelioma treatments. We have not tested or tried these methods, and we do NOT endorse nor do we prescribe these methods, but rather bring them to your attention that you may ask your oncologist and other medical advisers about these options.

Mesothelioma Remission When Using Marine Phytoplankton

Jeff Davis receives a surprise phone call asking him about his use of Marine Phytoplankton (which he refers to as “medicine”). He had Mesothelioma lung cancer to the point of spitting up blood every night and could hardly walk a short distance with out running out of breath.  After eight days of taking Marine Phytoplankton he said he no longer was spitting up blood, could breathe much easier and could work construction all day again without stopping. We too thought this was too good to be true, but the following conversation sounds very real and convincing!

More information on how to Win The Fight Against Cancer Naturally at the website:

www.winthefightagainstcancernaturally.org

Urgent need to identify new drugs to face peak of cases in 10 years

The next video is an interview with Dr. Fortunato Ciardiello, MD, PhD about the use of Vorinostat in patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma (VANTAGE 014).

This interview by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).

The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America was founded in 2001 with a mission: fund research that leads to the quickest and surest cure for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure. This cancer disease had few treatment options until this MesoRFA.org and Dr. Parkash Gill’s work created better treatment options. Today, the future looks more hopeful for additional improved treatment options available to those stricken by this cancer.

Submit your mesothelioma questions to Ask Dr. Parkash Gill to receive the oncologist’s Free response and opinion.

 

Meso Treatments, Press Releases, Stories & News

Treatments for Pericardial Mesothelioma including Veglin

Pericardial Mesothelioma Introduction

Pericardial Mesothelioma is an extremely difficult cancer to treat and presently, all treatment methods used have a poor success rate.  The chances of a patient’s survival depend largely on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated.  If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully matured and developed then the chances of survival are very slim and the prognosis for a patient could be only a couple of months.  The latency period of pericardial mesothelioma (20 – 50 years), and its symptoms which are ordinary of other more common diseases such as pneumonia, make it extremely difficult to diagnose and therefore difficult to treat in its early stages.  In this way, a lot of pericardial mesothelioma treatments do not aim to cure patients but instead focus on reducing the symptoms.

Before a patient is treated, a doctor will evaluate him or her, and afterwards decide which treatment method is most suitable for the patient’s situation.  The patient’s age, medical history, general well being and even weight are taken into account before the doctor will decide which of the three treatments are most appropriate.  These treatments are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Surgery

There are two different types of surgery that can be used one of which is called aggressive surgery.  This is the most dangerous of all the treatment methods available and only the fittest of people are deemed strong enough to undergo this.  Aggressive surgery consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells from inside the patient.  This is extremely dangerous in the case of pericardial mesothelioma seeing as the cancerous cells are in extremely close proximity to vital organs such as the heart and lungs.  Extremely skilled surgeons are needed to perform this operation.

The second type of surgery is palliative procedures and this type of surgery is used only for the purpose of reducing the symptoms of the cancer.  Palliative procedures are performed when pericardial mesothelioma is in its latest stages and is practically impossible to cure.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the most well known cure of cancers and involves using drugs to kill of cancerous cells.  However, many of the drugs used do not have a high success rate although researchers are discovering new combinations of drugs that work more effectively.  Many pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to find new drugs.  Researchers predict that they will soon discover a drug with a significantly improved success rate.

Radiation Therapy

This form of treatment uses doses of radiation to kill cancerous cells.  However, in the case of pericardial mesothelioma this is extremely difficult because as well as damaging cancerous cells, the radiation also damages vital organs such as the heart and lungs.  This makes using radiation therapy most effectively extremely difficult.  The dose of radiation is usually too weak to make a significant impact on curing pericardial mesothelioma.

Dual Therapy

Dual therapy is just a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  This consists of using surgery to remove the majority of the cancer cells and then using chemotherapy and radiation therapy to kill off any remaining cells.  This has proved to be an effective treatment method however also very dangerous.  Only the fittest young people are able to undergo this treatment.

Non-Chemotherapy Veglin Drug: Clinical Trials

Veglin is an anti-angiogenesis non-chemotherapy drug (angiogenesis inhibitor) that was developed by Dr. Parkash S. Gill, Oncologist and Lead Contributor for the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, for the treatment of a variety of malignancies including mesothelioma. Veglin is one of several newly developed non-chemotherapy drugs being tested for possible utilization in the ongoing struggle to combat malignant mesothelioma.

About Veglin as an Angiogenesis Drug

Angiogenesis refers to the physiological process by which new blood vessels are formed from existing blood vessels. Angiogenesis is a natural process of cellular growth and development; however, it also fuels tumor metastasis (spread and growth of cancer). Tumors have a limited capacity to grow unaided. In order to continue to grow and metastasize, tumors require a continuous flow of oxygen and essential nutrients. In order for tumors to receive such a continuous flow, they require blood vessel growth into the cancerous mass. Tumors induce the required blood vessel growth by secreting a variety of growth factors (VEGF). It is believed (and proven effective in early clinical trials) that preventing the formation of new blood vessels can prevent the growth and spread of tumors.

Conclusion

Individuals who were exposed to asbestos and have developed symptoms of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis or another asbestos-related disease should seek a  professional medical opinion.  The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America (a not-for-profit research organization) provides free access to our mesothelioma research team for answers to your medical questions.  Simply Ask Dr