Mesothelioma Help Cancer News

Asbestos At Former Naval Base Highlights Health Risk to Navy Vets, Demolition Workers

• Nancy Meredith
• Asbestos Exposure, Veterans

Demolition work at the former Charleston Naval Base was halted after work safety inspectors found asbestos wrap on steam pipes at the site. Exposure to asbestos causes serious respiratory disease including mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen.

Asbestos, a mineral fiber, was widely used in building materials and insulation such as pipe wrap in the decades after World War II. It was used in navy ships, military bases and shipyards such as the Charleston Naval Base, Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York Shipyard and Todd Shipyard. Much asbestos remains in older buildings and houses, posing a health hazard to demolition workers and construction workers during remodeling and demolition projects if the asbestos isn’t handled properly. People who worked in shipyards and served on Navy ships are at elevated risk of developing mesothelioma as a consequence of inhaling asbestos fibers decades ago.

According to The Courier and Post newspaper, South Carolina Health and Environmental Control officials last week visited the work site, a fenced-in yard near the former Charleston Naval Base power plant and found what appeared to be asbestos. They shut down the demolition operation.

The Noisette Company, which currently owns the site, had hired AAA Metal Company to remove obsolete pipes. The company will now need to hire a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove asbestos materials and clean up the site.

Since the 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos, according to the National Cancer Institute. The people most likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers or veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the workplace or military service. Mesothelioma typically takes 20 years to 40 years before sufferers notice symptoms such as pain beneath the ribs and difficulty breathing. The cancer often has reached an advanced stage before doctors diagnose it correctly.

Researchers continue to seek more effective treatments for mesothelioma and more accurate diagnostic tools to determine which patients will respond to which treatments,including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

National Mesothelioma Awareness Day is September 26

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

September 26 has been set aside by Congress as a day to raise the public’s awareness of mesothelioma and to encourage all Americans to help raise funds to combat the deadly disease. Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen closely associated with inhaling microscopic asbestos dust. About 3,000 Americans die each year of mesothelioma and thousands more die of lung cancer related to asbestos.

Recently, scientists and researchers have made great strides in discovering how genetics play into potential mesothelioma therapies, yet bringing a cure to patients is still years away. The research is expensive, and researchers and universities rely on public donations to support projects.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a national organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma and the suffering it causes by funding the highest quality mesothelioma research, advocates for mesothelioma patients and conducts, organizes and coordinates fundraising events across the country. The Foundation’s volunteers are critical for organizing Awareness Day events.

Congress recognizes the dangers of asbestos and the need for new, effective treatments for mesothelioma. In 2010, the National Mesothelioma Awareness Day declaration was developed to address the medical needs of mesothelioma patients.

Following is an excerpt from the Congressional Declaration:

• Whereas mesothelioma is a terminal, asbestos-related cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles;
• Whereas workers exposed on a daily basis over a long period of time are most at risk, but even short-term exposures can cause the disease and an exposure to asbestos for as little as one month can result in mesothelioma 20-50 years later;
• Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
• Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new agents to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
• Whereas for decades, the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked and today, even the best available treatments usually have only a very limited effect and the expected survival time of those diagnosed with the disease is between 8 and 14 months…

Therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives– (1) supports the goals and ideals of Mesothelioma Awareness Day; and (2) urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States, Federal departments and agencies, States, localities, organizations, and media to annually observe a National Mesothelioma Awareness day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is sponsoring the Knowledge is Hope conference to be held in New York City on September 28 to mark National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. For more information on National Mesothelioma Awareness Day and the conference see www.curemeso.org.

Stand Up 2 Cancer Telethon Tonight – Tune In to Donate Funds for Mesothelioma Research

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

All of the major television networks are standing by to broadcast the Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C) Telethon to raise funds for the fight against cancer. The live, one-hour, commercial-free fundraising event will be simulcast at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, E!, Discovery Health, HBO, Showtime, VH1 and other cable channels. The telethon will raise funds that will accelerate innovative cancer research that is critically important for finding a cure for mesothelioma and other incurable cancers.

SU2C announced last week the impressive lineup of actors supporting the event including Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone and SU2C Co-founder Katie Couric. In addition, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw will deliver “one-of-a-kind show performances” as they join celebrities from film, television and sports to engage viewers with powerful stories and a moving call-to-action.

100% of the monies raised during the telethon go directly to grants supporting cancer research.

According to SU2C, more than $180 million has been raised for innovative cancer research. Since 2008, SU2C has made grants to seven multidisciplinary “Dream Teams” of researchers as well as to 26 young innovative scientists who are undertaking the fight to end cancer. Eighty-five institutions are currently involved.

One of the ‘dream teams’ funded in 2008, the Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Chip Dream Team, developed a chip to allow physicians to identify the genetic “fingerprint” of a patient’s cancer cells. This discovery promotes the use of targeted and personalized treatments for cancer patients. As personalized treatment gains popularity, mesothelioma patients can benefit greatly as the disease symptoms, and thus the necessary treatment, can differ dramatically across patients.

FDA Approved Drug For Colon Cancer May Benefit Mesothelioma Patients

• Nancy Meredith
• Asbestos Exposure, Cancer, International News, Mesothelioma

A drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved as a first-line treatment for patients with colorectal cancer may also be effective against mesothelioma, researchers say. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities and is closely linked to inhaling asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma often resists standard treatments including the powerful chemotherapy drugs pemetrexed and cisplatin. Researchers in the United States and other countries continue seeking more effective therapies and ways to diagnose mesothelioma earlier when it is more treatable.

One signal that may alert doctors and medical researchers to the presence of mesothelioma at an early stage is epidermal growth factor receptor, a molecule that is overexpressed in many forms of cancer including mesothelioma, colorectal, breast and lung cancers.

The drug cetuximab, an anti-body, interferes with the function of EGFR and induces the death of cancer cells. Its effectiveness in treating certain types of colorectal cancer led the FDA to approve it as a first-line treatment in July. But cetuximab has not been well researched as a treatment for mesothelioma.

In a new study published online in August in the International Journal of Oncology, Japanese researchers report encouraging preliminary results suggesting that cetuximab may be an alternative therapy for patients who don’t respond to standard treatments. The researchers tested the effectiveness of cetuximab at arresting tumors on five lines of malignant pleural mesothelioma cells implanted into lab mice. They observed that cetuximab significantly impeded tumor growth and when applied directly to the chest cavity also improved the survival of the cancer-stricken mice.

The researchers concluded that the results “underscore the promising potential of cetuximab as a new class of therapeutic agent for use against malignant pleural mesothelioma.”

Approximately 2500 to 3000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are retired workers and veterans who were exposed to asbestos in a workplace or during military service decades ago. The most common form of the cancer is malignant pleural mesothelioma. Disease symptoms typically take 20 years to 50 years to appear.

Mesothelioma is as yet incurable, but there are treatment options  including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage.

Know more about mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

More Hospitals Offer Mesothelioma Patients Palliative Care Options

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

Palliative care has been gaining momentum in the medical community as a critical step for many terminally ill patients. For mesothelioma patients in the advanced stage of their cancer, turning to palliative care, which focuses on relieving symptoms and keeping the patient comfortable, offers them an opportunity to spend more time with their loved ones during their end of life.

Mesothelioma is one of the most aggressive and deadliest forms of cancer, with limited treatment options. Symptoms may not appear until up to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos, the only known cause of the disease. However, once symptoms become apparent, mesothelioma may rapidly progress to cause life-threatening complications. The prognosis for mesothelioma patients is grim with the average survival time varying from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.

Now, according to a new study from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), mesothelioma patients may have more palliative care options available to them. CAPC reports the number of U.S. hospitals with palliative care teams increased for the 10th consecutive year. In 2010, there were 1,635 palliative care teams in hospitals in the United States, for an increase of 4.3% over 2009. CAPC reports palliative care has been one of the fastest growing trends in health care over the last ten years, growing nearly 150% since 2000.

66% of American hospitals now have palliative care teams. Hospitals in the northeast region of the U.S. have the highest percentage at 75.8%. The southern region of the U.S. offers the fewest palliative care options with just 52.7% of the hospitals reporting palliative care teams.

CAPC attributes the growth of palliative care “to the increasing number of Americans living with serious and chronic illnesses and to the caregiving realities faced by their families.”

In a separate study, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers attributed palliative care to increased survival rate among advanced lung cancer patients. The researchers cited improved mood and quality of life, as well as appropriate end-of-life care, for the improved survival rates.

MGH employs palliative care teams consisting of physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains trained to help patients and their families facing terminal illness cope with the psychological and spiritual aspects of their disease, as well as managing symptoms.