Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Childhood Exposure to Asbestos Increases Disease Risk Broadly, Including Mesothelioma
Australian researchers offer additional evidence that exposure to asbestos early in life may lead to a variety of serious health issues in addition to mesothelioma and lung cancer.
A new study, published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, reports that adults who were exposed to crocidolite asbestos in early childhood have an elevated risk of a range of cancers and heart disease. All forms of asbestos cause cancer in humans, according to the World Health Organization. But this is the first study to investigate cancer incidence among adults exposed as children to crocidolite, also known as blue asbestos.
The researchers at Western Australia Institute for Medical Research analyzed the health data of approximately 2,500 people who grew up in Wittenoom, a now-abandoned mining town in Western Australia where crocidolite asbestos was mined for nearly 20 years.
The researchers observed that women raised in Wittenoom had a 70 to 113 times greater risk of developing mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung and abdominal cavity, than among the overall population. Men also showed an increased risk of developing mesothelioma as well as an increased risk of brain, colorectal and prostate cancer and leukemia.
The research also suggests a slightly elevated risk of heart disease. Another study from the United Kingdom also recently reported an increased risk of heart disease among those exposed to asbestos.
New York cancer researchers at Mt. Sinai Medical Center are conducting an ambitious study of thousands of people who grew up between 1950 and 1999 in Libby, Montana, then moved away. Lung function develops until a child reaches age 18. Examining the lungs of people who spent their childhoods in Libby and then left may have reveal how much damage occurs from asbestos in childhood, the New York mesothelioma researchers have said.
The federal government has declared a health emergency in Libby, where asbestos contamination was widespread from a vermiculite mine and hundreds have died from asbestos related disease.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer and a signature disease of asbestos exposure. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with the disease and a similar number die. The disease is incurable, though there are treatments including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers or veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the workplace or military service. Microscopic asbestos fibers when inhaled can lodge in the lungs and remain there a lifetime causing inflammation that eventually leads to asbestos related disease.
Daily Aspirin May Reduce Cancer Deaths, American Cancer Society Says
A daily aspirin may help prevent cancer, according to American Cancer Society researchers.
A large new study, published online this month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, offers more evidence of a positive association between taking an aspirin and modestly lower cancer mortality. Still, questions remain about the size of the health benefit, the authors of the study say. No one should start an aspirin regimen without consulting a doctor first because even low dose aspirin does cause stomach bleeding in some patients.
American Cancer Society researchers analyzed health information from more than 100,000 predominantly elderly participants who reported taking a daily aspirin and did not have cancer at the start of the study. The researchers tracked the study participants for up to 11 years.
They found daily aspirin use was associated with a 16 percent lower overall risk of dying of cancer, among people who reported taking aspirin daily for at least five years and among those who reported shorter-term daily use.
The reduction in cancer mortality reported in the current study is notably smaller than the 37 percent reduction suggested in a recent pooled analysis of 51 randomized trials published in The Lancet, a British medical journal. But the large size of the current study is a strength in determining how much daily aspirin use might lower cancer mortality.
“Although recent evidence about aspirin use and cancer is encouraging, it is still premature to recommend that people start taking aspirin specifically to prevent cancer,” American Cancer Society researcher Eric J. Jacobs, Ph.D., who led the study, said in a prepared statement. “Even low dose aspirin can substantially increase the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeding. Decisions about aspirin use should be made by balancing the risks against the benefits in the context of each individual’s medical history.”
Earlier this year, researchers at The City College of New York reported in the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters that they had developed a new aspirin compound that curbed the growth of 11 different types of human cancer cells in the laboratory. Some of the cancers controlled included pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and leukemia. Lung cancer and mesothelioma are cancers caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity and abdominal cavity.
In the United States, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. The disease is incurable, though there are standard treatments to manage the disease including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers or veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the workplace or military service. Microscopic asbestos fibers when inhaled can lodge in the lungs and remain there a lifetime causing inflammation that eventually leads to asbestos related disease.
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Risk of Asbestos Exposure for Auto Mechanics of Recalled Chinese Cars
Auto mechanics and auto repair technicians have an elevated risk of developing mesothelioma, a form of cancer, because of exposure to asbestos during car repairs. A mineral fiber, asbestos is a recognized cause of cancer in humans caused by inhaling or swallowing asbestos fibers.
The use of asbestos is banned in some countries, but is still allowed in the United States for certain purposes. According to the National Cancer Institute, the automotive industry uses asbestos in vehicle brake shoes and clutches pads.
In Australia, an automotive importer recalled 23,000 Chinese-made cars this week after customs inspectors found asbestos in engine and exhaust gaskets, Australia’s consumer protection agency announced. Australia has prohibited the importation of asbestos since 2004.
According to a statement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, customs and border protection officers detected asbestos in imported spare parts from China, prompting a safety investigation. Ateco Automotive, which imports cars made by Great Wall Motor Co., and Chery Automobile, ordered dealers to stop selling the affected vehicles and recalled gaskets that were distributed as spare parts.
The asbestos is bound into gaskets in the engine and exhaust system and does not present a risk to consumers using the vehicles, the consumer watchdog agency said. But consumers should not perform do-it-yourself maintenance that might disturb the gaskets, the agent warned.
“Asbestos is a prohibited hazardous substance and these engines and exhaust systems should only be worked on by qualified personnel using appropriate safety procedures,” said Della Richard, deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
While Australia now bans importation of asbestos, the widespread use of asbestos in more than 3000 products since the 1940s means that asbestos is present in many older buildings, houses and vehicles. Asbestos was used in kitchen tiles, roofing materials, and insulation around pipes and boilers. Cars sold in Australia before 2004 often had gaskets made of asbestos.
A Work Safe Australia report released last year found 660 new cases of mesothelioma were diagnosed in Australia and 551 deaths were attributed to the disease, in the most recent year of complete data.
In the United States, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, and a similar number die of the disease annually. The disease is incurable, though there are treatments for mesothelioma including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older workers, retired workers or veterans who were exposed to asbestos fibers in the workplace or military service decades ago. Microscopic asbestos fibers when inhaled can lodge in the lungs and remain there a lifetime causing inflammation that eventually leads to asbestos related disease.
“Like” MesotheliomaHelp on Facebook to Make a Donation to Mesothelioma Research
Each year, 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer typically affecting the lining of the lungs. The rare cancer is highly aggressive and is resistant to many cancer treatments, leading researchers throughout the world to spend countless hours searching for a new, effective treatment. Now, MesotheliomaHelp.org is hoping to make a difference for mesothelioma research by donating $1 to the NYU Langone Medical Center for cancer research for each “like” it receives on its Facebook page.
The NYU Cancer Institute of the NYU Langone Medical Center is dedicated to “defeating cancer.” However, the cost to do that can be high, and private donations can help keep NYU’s research efforts on track.
The NYU Cancer Institute offers innovative treatments for mesothelioma and lung cancer patients in addition to comprehensive cancer care. Renowned mesothelioma expert Dr. Harvey Pass, Chief division of Thoracic Surgery NYU Langone Medical Center and Chief Thoracic Oncology NYU Cancer Center, leads the team of thoracic surgeons. Services offered to mesothelioma patients include clinical trials, minimally invasive surgery, state-of-the-art chemotherapy regimens, targeted radiation therapy and radiofrequency ablation and photodynamic therapy.
Dr. Pass is co-author of “100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma” and has dedicated his career to mesothelioma research and to raising awareness of the hazards of asbestos exposure. Dr. Pass is previous winner of the Pioneer Award from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation for his dedication to mesothelioma research.
MesotheliomaHelp.org is one of the web’s primary resources for information on malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, and is dedicated to bringing the latest mesothelioma information to the hands of patients, families and caregivers.
Know more information about the NYU Langone Medical Center.
Every dollar makes a difference for cancer research. To help the fight against mesothelioma, visit MesotheliomaHelp on Facebook.
Sources:
- NYU Cancer Institute
http://cancer.med.nyu.edu/how-you-can-help
Insulators Face Workplace Exposure to Asbestos, Declare War On Mesothelioma
Labor leaders for the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators have declared war on mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer that affects many workers employed in the insulation industry. Insulators are at much greater risk of developing mesothelioma because of the long-time use of asbestos in many insulation products.
Nearly one out of every 10 insulators dies of mesothelioma, according to Dr. Andrew Todd, a professor of preventive medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Todd said the incidence of mesothelioma among insulation workers is about 1,000-fold higher than among the public at-large, based on 2008 statistics. Dr. Todd said the diagnosis of mesothelioma among insulators has remained very high for more than two decades, so the prevalence of asbestos disease is not decreasing.
At the International Insulators’ national convention in Las Vegas this month, convention delegates voted for every insulator in the U.S. and Canada to contribute four cents of each hourly wage they receive to fund research to find a cure for mesothelioma and to support a new Insulators’ Tissue Bank. The tissue bank will be a repository for asbestos-related tumor tissue donated by insulators affected by mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease. The Insulators’ Tissue Bank will be located and administered by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.
James A. Grogan, general president of the union, has advocated for increased attention on mesothelioma. According to a union press release, Grogan told delegates that the union now had a well-funded plan of attack against mesothelioma that emphasizes prevention and early detection and better medical care for insulators and their families. Grogan called upon insulators to donate tissue to the bank if they are treated for mesothelioma.
Asbestos was widely used as an insulation material for much of the 20th century and much of it remains in older houses and buildings. When the old insulation is torn out and replaced, workers may be exposed to asbestos dust. Therefore, insulators have an increased risk of occupational exposure to asbestos and of developing mesothelioma.When inhaled, microscopic asbestos fibers can penetrate deep in the chest cavity, remaining there for decades, causing inflammation, scarring and eventually disease.
Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people die of mesothelioma each year in the United States. Symptoms of asbestos disease typically appear 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
More information about mesothelioma here.
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