Not knowing quickly whether a mesothelioma treatment is working can be bad for you. Being in the dark causes delays in getting you switched to a treatment that might be more effective. And the longer the delay in making such a switch, the more time there is for mesothelioma to grow. Ultimately, that makes it
Monthly Archives: December 2015
In a victory-snatched-from-the-jaws-of-defeat moment, Congress voted in mid-December to reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to benefit mesothelioma patients and others who had their health affected. Just months earlier, the Zadroga Act seemed like a sure bet for reauthorization. It turned out not to be, much to the disappointment — and frustration — of
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition is an easier and more reliable way to diagnose peritoneal mesothelioma than are invasive procedures such as laparoscopy, say researchers in Japan. In a letter to the editor of the journal Endoscopic Ultrasound, the researchers described their success at acquiring suspect abdominal cavity tissues by use of endoscopic ultrasound. This was
The big question you and your doctors have after you complete mesothelioma chemotherapy is whether it did the trick. And, if it did, you want to know by how much it will extend your mesothelioma survival. One way to predict how many extra months or years the treatment bought you is to take measurements of
A late-stage cancer immunotherapy vaccine that targets the WT1 antigen appears to have worked well for mesothelioma patients enrolled in a Phase 2 clinical trial. They experienced a median overall survival rate of 21.4 months. This WT1 cancer vaccine also allowed the enrolled mesothelioma patients to enjoy a median progression-free survival of 11.4 months — double
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy has been shown to extend mesothelioma survival for many patients who undergo an extrapleural pneumonectomy. However, radiation has a drawback — it can result in pulmonary toxicity. The consequences of this toxicity can be serious, death being the most serious. The risk of pulmonary toxicity causes many mesothelioma doctors who perform extrapleural pneumonectomies
Mesothelioma surgery is usually quite effective. Unfortunately, the viciously aggressive asbestos cancer often returns — and often in the same spot. However, going under the knife a second time may increase your chances for longer survival, scientists now say. Researchers from University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland assert that surgical removal of a mesothelioma tumor that returned
The experimental mesothelioma cell killer known as CRS-207 has received orphan drug status in Europe. This will help researchers speed up development of the Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapy. Orphan drug status in Europe gives therapy developers there access to protocol assistance and invaluable scientific advice. It also gives the company involved in a drug’s development important
Therapy based on CAR T cells may prove helpful not only to mesothelioma patients but also to patients with other types of cancers. Research involving the use of CAR T cells has been underway for quite some time now at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Scientists involved in the project recently
You discovered just how vile asbestos is the minute your doctor handed you a mesothelioma diagnosis. But it turns out that mesothelioma is not the only cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Researchers from France have linked at least four other cancers to the deceptively toxic mineral once hailed as an essential ingredient for safer
