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.

Prometheus Laboratories introduces three new cancer diagnostic products

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, today announced the nationwide commercial launch of three new cancer diagnostic products: ProOnc TumorSource Dx, ProOnc Squamous Dx and ProOnc Mesothelioma Dx. Each of these tests is based on recently developed, highly sensitive microRNA technology.

15 Oct 2009

Veterans Affairs establishes service-connection benefits for Vietnam Veterans

Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange.

15 Oct 2009

Study reveals that patients with NSCLC who received maintenance therapy with ALIMTA showed survival benefit

Data published today in The Lancet showed a survival benefit in nonsquamous patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received maintenance therapy with ALIMTA(R) (pemetrexed for injection) plus best supportive care as compared to placebo plus best supportive care.

21 Sep 2009

New interferon/lovastatin treatment to battle cancer

For selected patients, he decided he might have something better. He now has opened NeoPlas Innovation in Nashville to offer the combination "off-label" treatment on an outpatient basis.

21 Sep 2009

Rosetta Genomics and AXA Diagnostics sign exclusive distribution agreement

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, and AXA Diagnostics, a privately owned company that markets specialized diagnostic tests, announced today the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement in Italy for Rosetta Genomics’ three currently available diagnostic tests.

8 Sep 2009

New technique may help clinicians in diagnosing pleural effusion

A new technique may help clinicians hone in on a diagnosis in patients presenting with a pleural effusion of unknown cause.

24 Aug 2009

FDA approves Alimta (pemetrexed) for advanced lung cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Alimta (pemetrexed), the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer.

6 Jul 2009

EPA declares first-ever public health emergency in Montana

The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday declared its first-ever "public health emergency," asbestos contamination near Libby and Troy, Mont., northwestern mining towns, the Associated Press reports.

18 Jun 2009

Discovery of mechanism of cell type-specific signaling in tumor development

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered the mechanisms behind two key checkpoints in cell growth and development - factors that may ultimately allow investigators to benchmark progression of tumor cells or stop them from further development.

8 Apr 2009

New tool in the radiography approach will assist in earlier detection of asbestos-related diseases

Michael Harbut, M.D., MPH, co-director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers (NCVAC) at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, MI, and chief of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wayne State University, announced the use of a new technology to aid in the diagnosis of asbestos-related lung disease.

30 Mar 2009

'Baby boom' carpenters at greatest risk of developing asbestos related cancer

One in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos - according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

3 Mar 2009

New cancer treatment stops aggressive sarcomas

After all standard treatments had failed, a new cancer treatment has stopped the growth of aggressive sarcomas in two recent patients. These results are similar to the new protocol's previous success against several cancers, including melanoma, pancreatic, colon, mesothelioma and other sarcomas.

25 Feb 2009

Targeted immune cells shrink tumors in mice

Researchers have generated altered immune cells that are able to shrink, and in some cases eradicate, large tumors in mice.

10 Feb 2009

Researchers look at processes asbestos fibers use to trigger cancer in human cells

Ohio State University scientists believe they are the first in the world to study the molecular underpinnings of cancer by probing individual bonds between an asbestos fiber and human cells.

18 Dec 2008

HSE launch campaign on asbestos awareness - 20 tradesmen die per week

Figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that every week 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases, and this number is set to increase.

23 Oct 2008

New clinical trial for patients with asbestos-associated lung cancer

The Mesothelioma Center within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center is now recruiting patients for a clinical research study of a new targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol for pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung's lining that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

26 Jun 2008

New support for mesothelioma sufferers in Australia

The Asbestos Research Group, offering hope to sufferers of asbestos-related diseases, was launched at The Wesley Research Institute today.

11 Jun 2008

Asbestos-induced lung cancer patients do not appear to benefit from chemotherapy

Adding chemotherapy to established methods of symptom management does not appear to enhance the quality of life or survival of patients suffering from an asbestos-induced form of lung cancer called malignant plural mesothelioma (MPM). These are the results of MS01, a large UK and Australian study published in the Lancet, which set out to assess the potential benefits of combining active symptom control (ASC) with chemotherapy.

18 May 2008

ACTU says 1.5 million workers are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), exposure to cancer-causing substances at work threatens the health and well being of as many as 1.5 million Australians.

29 Apr 2008

Mouse model for human malignant mesothelioma

Scientists have established a mouse model for human malignant mesothelioma (MM) that will provide valuable insight into cancer development and progression along with new directions for design of therapeutic strategies.

11 Mar 2008