Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Keep Yourself and Your Paperwork Organized During Mesothelioma Treatments
A diagnosis of mesothelioma brings an overwhelming feeling to every aspect of life… including being bombarded with information, paperwork, and bills. Here are some ways that my parents stayed organized throughout the process that may also help you out.
Small things can make a big difference. One of the first things we did was start writing things down. A notebook can be an invaluable resource to you. Write down everything you can: phone numbers, doctor appointments, information about financial, emotional, and spiritual resources, and anything you think is important. It’s better to have too much information than not enough. If you’re traveling, document hotel information, places to eat, addresses, etc. Keeping all this material in one place can help so much. Don’t worry about keeping it neat and organized. As long as you know what’s in there, you can find it in a pinch.
Make copies of EVERYTHING! When you pay a medical bill, get an appointment card, or receive a report… copy it. Many computer printers are fairly inexpensive and come with a built in copier. It is a worthwhile investment to make when you consider how much easier it will be to have multiples of various types of paperwork.
Try to keep all of your correspondence together as much as you can. Mom and Dad bought a nice size wicker basket that has become the home to everything mesothelioma related. Knowing that all your information is together is a great deal of comfort… as long as you remember to put things in there.
When you are going to an appointment, take as much with you as you can. When Mom and Dad go, they remove the information from the basket I mentioned, and put it in a tote bag that has traveled with them over this past year. It has come in handy so often to be able to immediately hand someone the information they are requesting that could take days to get otherwise. (Again, those copies come in handy!)
It’s easy for things to get lost in the shuffle when so much is happening in your life and the lives of your entire family. It’s not uncommon to forget doctors’ appointments even though the appointment cards are all on the refrigerator (another great tip), and that’s ok. It has happened to my parents, and will most likely happen to you, too. People are very understanding and are there to help you, so don’t beat yourself up if you forget.
Hopefully, these little tips will help you out, or give you some ideas on how to stay organized throughout this journey. If you lose something, don’t panic! Just say a little prayer (Saint Anthony always helps me out), relax, and charge ahead. Best of luck to all of you!
Mesothelin May Play Multiple Roles in Spread of Mesothelioma, Other Cancers
Mesothelin is a protein found on the surface of some cells in the human body. Its biological purpose is a bit of a mystery frankly. But it occurs in overabundance in certain types of cancer cells including ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen. Therefore, it’s on scientists’ radar screen.
Scientists are evaluating the role of mesothelin in the spread of cancer and its potential usefulness as a signal of cancer for doctors who are trying to diagnose a patient’s disease such as mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. There are treatments for mesothelioma, but as yet, there is no known cure. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma each year in the U.S., primarily as a result of asbestos exposure at a workplace or during military service.
In a mesothelioma researcharticle published in February 2013 in the journal Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, medical researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and East China Normal University in Shanghai, say that there are three ways that mesothelin may play a role in the advance of cancer, as previous studies have suggested:
- Implantation — Mesothelin may aid in the implantation of tumors in the abdominal cavity, leading to peritoneal mesothelioma;
- Survival — Mesothelin may play an important role in the survival of cancer cells;
- Resistance — The presence of mesothelin may cause resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs.
As a result of the key role of mesothelin, the researchers say that a drug that neutralizes the functionality of mesothelin may be helpful in cancer treatment, making chemotherapy drugs more effective, for instance. Some antibody drugs that disrupt the function of mesothelin are currently being evaluated in clinical studies.
The researchers say additional research is needed to evaluate the role of mesothelin in the growth and spread of malignant tumors, cancer cell survival and drug resistance. They conclude that studies on mesothelin biology may give opportunities for more effective antibody therapy targeting mesothelin in solid tumors.
Assessing The Risk of Mesothelioma for Car Mechanics and Brake Technicians
A recent study in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health suggests that automobile mechanics and car service technicians may be at risk of developing mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos-containing brake dust. Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer that develops in the lining of the chest cavity and is caused by the presence of asbestos fibers.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University conclude that there is a “net of evidence” favoring a causal relationship between exposure to brake dust containing chrysotile asbestos and mesothelioma. They say that the brake manufacturers’ position that there is an insufficient chain of evidence to link brake dust to mesothelioma is inaccurate. They suggest that further research is needed.
While many brakes and clutches in newer model cars do not contain asbestos, some brakes shoes and pads and clutch linings in use even today in the United States contain asbestos, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If you work at a brake shop or a auto repair garage, you cannot determine whether brake or clutch components contain asbestos just by looking at them. But if the brakes or clutches contain asbestos, then the dust may contain asbestos.
Brake and clutch dust is often visible when a brake disk, drum or clutch cover is removed from a car or truck. The dust may contain asbestos. If you are an auto mechanic, you should not blow dust from brakes or clutches, according to EPA’s current best practices for avoiding asbestos exposure.
Using compressed air, a brush or a dry rag to clean brake assemblages has the potential to expose you to asbestos fibers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Compressed air blows dust into the air. Airborne dust allows the microscopic particles of asbestos to be inhaled.
Mechanics should assume that brakes have asbestos-type shoes and use brake dust control procedures, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If a mechanic assumes a brake does not contain asbestos, they may be exposed to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic scarring of the lungs.
The symptoms of mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease typically take 20 years to 50 years to appear. A mechanic who worked on auto brakes in the 1960s may only recently have begun experiencing symptoms or been diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Sources:
- Study in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
http://www.tandfonline.com/action/cookieAbsent - Portland State University
https://www.pdx.edu
Mesothelioma Patients Have Built-In Support Group in Their Family
There are many wonderful support groups out there for patients and families of those with mesothelioma. You are encouraged to share your experiences and get insight and support from others who have been in a similar situation. However, support groups aren’t for everyone, as some people prefer to keep to themselves or turn to their family.
Family is key in helping mesothelioma patients recover physically as well as mentally and emotionally. Family members should encourage their loved ones and assure them that you’re there to help in any way. A listening ear can be invaluable. Try not to push the person to talk about their diagnosis if they don’t feel up to it. They are going through a huge emotional strain and, although it’s healthy to talk about your problems, you have to let them do it on their own time.
Do your best not to push your family member too much to do things they don’t feel up to doing, or may not be physically ready to perform. As essential as it is for them to move around and exercise, you don’t want them to overexert themselves. It might take them a long time to rebound from a long day at the mall or an extended trip.
I believe that everything has a balance, and this situation is no exception. Supporting a family member with mesothelioma is an honor, but it can be tough at times as well. Hearing about their pain and suffering is a trying experience, but remember, you are there for them, not the other way around in this case.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you are having a hard time coping with the diagnosis of a loved one, there are plenty of external resources and support groups for you, too. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has many different options for caregivers as well as survivors. Take advantage of these services that are so precious.
There are other online support groups such as Cancer Buddies Network. Cancer Buddies Network is an online support network for anyone, anywhere affected by cancer. Share the ups and downs, laughter and tears with someone who knows how it feels because they’ve been there too. You can either chat 1-to-1 by private messaging onsite, or on our lively forum 24/7. Whether you have experienced cancer yourself, or you are family, friend or carer, you can search for your buddy simply and safely on their dedicated website.
Keep your chin up, and continue to pray! Remember, a cure could come at any time!
Penn Researchers Developing Protein ‘Passport’ To Help Deliver Cancer Drugs
The body’s immune system is designed to defend against bacteria, viruses and other perceived “foreign invaders” that assault the body. Unfortunately, the immune system doesn’t distinguish between harmful bacteria and friendly foreign objects such as medical devices implanted in a patient or nanoparticles used to deliver medicine to tumors. That poses complications to doctors trying to administer treatments to people with cancer, including malignant mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Doctors would like to avoid triggering an inflammatory response in cancer patients when they administer medicine or when implanting a pacemaker or artificial joint. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are experimenting with what they describe as “a passport” to allow therapeutic devices to get past the immune system, according to new research published in the journal Science.
The human body’s innate immune system responds to foreign bodies in a generalized way, trying to destroy anything it doesn’t recognize as a part of the body. The team of Penn researchers says the solution is to make the foreign particles seem like part of the body so the immune system doesn’t destroy them.
The researchers reported this week that they had accomplished that feat in lab mice, attaching customized protein fragments to foreign particles that tricked the animals’ immune system. The key was tricking the immune-system “border guards” known as macrophages that are a type of white blood cell that find and eat invaders. Macrophages continually monitor the bloodstream for a type of protein called CD47, a marker of self. If an object such as a red blood cell has CD47 on its membrane, the macrophages let it pass.
The Penn team leader, Dennis E. Discher, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, compared CD47 to a passport that identifies a cell as part of the body rather than a foreign object. The research team attached fragments of CD47 to plastic nanoparticles, then injected them into laboratory mice. Nanoparticles, which are smaller than one-billionth of a meter, are useful in delivering, antibodies, drugs and imaging agents and are being studied for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The researchers said the technique enhanced the performance of nanoparticles carrying tumor-shrinking medicine and other loaded with dye to capture images of the tumors. They observed that the particles carrying a cancer drug Taxol were shrinking tumors in mice.
Discher said in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer that the technique could be useful in overcoming resistance to much larger foreign objects in the body such as pacemakers and joint replacements.
Researchers not involved in the research called it a promising advance, though it will take some years before the technique is ready to use with human cancer patients.
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