Mesothelioma News and Research

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Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers.

Drop in total number of cancer deaths

The American Cancer Society's annual estimate of cancer deaths says 2006 will see a slight decline in the projected number of cancer deaths compared to estimates made for 2005.

13 Feb 2006

Grants bring Mesothelioma research to over $3 million

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has announced thrilling news for all who care about eradicating the vicious disease. MARF has awarded nine new grants of $100,000 each for exciting research projects commencing in late 2005 aimed at curing mesothelioma ("meso").

13 Feb 2006

Asbestos: the iron grip of latency

It happens every day somewhere in Europe: a building from the 1950s is demolished. A few children on their way back from school watch the giant bulldozer at work. The engine has already attacked the ground floor - apparently nobody has noticed the asbestos pads…

10 Jan 2006

Novel therapies for pleural mesothelioma

Researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Wayne State University have found a molecule that reveals the early stages of pleural mesothelioma, a chest cancer caused by asbestos. The finding opens the way to a blood test for the disease, according to a new study published in the Oct. 13 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

12 Oct 2005

Asbestos in rocks cause lung cancer

According to a study by a team at UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences, everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.

14 Jul 2005

Mesothelioma may be caused by exposure to ultramafic rock

Everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, according to a study by UC Davis researchers.

13 Jul 2005

Asbestos bill fails to provide promised solution

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF) has harshly criticized the latest version of the asbestos trust fund proposal, introduced in the Senate by co-sponsors Arlen Specter, (R-Pa.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

23 Apr 2005

SV40 does not have a role in the majority of malignant mesotheliomas

SV40 does not have a role in the majority of malignant mesotheliomas -- a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos – according to a study in this month's Cancer Research. The study, led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers used a scrupulous protocol that eliminated contamination that has likely been the reason previous studies have implicated SV40 in this cancer.

6 Apr 2005

Onconase granted orphan drug status for malignant mesothelioma in Australia

Alfacell Corporation has announced that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has granted Onconase (ranpirnase) Orphan Drug status for the indication of malignant mesothelioma (MM). Onconase is also designated as an Orphan Drug for MM in Europe.

28 Mar 2005

Deaths from mesothelioma will peak within ten years in the UK

Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer, will peak within ten years in the UK and then fall to a much lower level, according to new figures published in this week's British Journal of Cancer.

17 Feb 2005

Solbec announces pre-clinical study to confirm findings into the effect of Coramsine combined with CpG in the treatment of murine mesothelioma

Solbec Pharmaceuticals Ltd has announced the commencement of a pre-clinical study to confirm and extend the findings of an earlier investigation into the effect of Coramsine™ combined with CpG in the treatment of murine mesothelioma.

3 Feb 2005

Psoriasis trial enters final stage

Solbec Pharmaceuticals Ltd today announced the successful completion of the first two stages of the Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound, CoramsineTM (SBP002), for the treatment of psoriasis.

4 Nov 2004

Alimta approved as first treatment for Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos

Lilly UK announced today that Alimta( (pemetrexed) will be available shortly for the treatment of people diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs for which there is no known cure. Pemetrexed is the first licenced treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with cisplatin.

1 Nov 2004

International symposium will focus on curing mesothelioma

A lethal, but long-overlooked cancer will take a major step out of the shadows next week, as The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation convenes the First International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma.

6 Oct 2004

Study presents multiple lines of evidence against the proposed link between SV40 and human mesotheliomas

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the chest cavity that kills about 2000 people a year in the United States.

26 Sep 2004

Exposure to simian virus 40 (SV40) is not associated with cancer in humans

Two upcoming studies by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), provide further evidence that exposure to simian virus 40 (SV40) is not associated with cancer in humans.

23 Aug 2004

Alimta receives positive endorsement for lung cancer approval from FDA Advisory Committee

Eli Lilly and Company have announced that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration positively endorsed Alimta® (pemetrexed), an antifolate, for accelerated approval in the second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

29 Jul 2004

New research shows public health consequences of 9/11 disaster

Longitudinal studies of firefighters, rescue workers and other personnel who responded to the collapse of the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 attacks have confirmed the presence of a positive relationship between the intensity and duration of their exposures to airborne pollutants and the severity of their pulmonary symptoms.

3 May 2004

Michigan opens new center to treat exposure to Vermiculite, Taconite, Asbestos

In response to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) identification of major sources of public asbestos exposure in Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) affiliated with Wayne State University (WSU) have joined forces to establish The National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers.

5 Apr 2004