Mesothelioma Cancer Resources Blog

Source: New York Times The New York Times is running an article on Medicare’s announcement that it has expanded its coverage policy to pay for off-label use of cancer drugs. The decision has been welcomed by most oncologists around the country, but there is concern among other physicians, as well as consumer advocates, that the …

Source: HARN report considers health risks of high aspect ratio nanomaterials in relation to asbestos A group of scientists in the United Kingdom have recently published a paper showing that high aspect ratio nanomaterials (HARN) may have toxicological/pathological effects on the human body similar to asbestos. The report looked at certain kinds of these materials, such as carbon nanotubes, that share similar …

Article: Surgery for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most difficult diseases in all of medicine to manage effectively. Median survival time typically averages only 12-14 months. For patients lucky enough to receive a diagnosis in the disease’s earliest stages, median survival can sometimes be extended two or three years, but a …

Source: Hamner Institute for Health Sciences The Hamner Institute for Health Sciences in North Carolina has signed a $2.1 million contract with EPA to conduct a long-term study of the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore that was once mined in Libby, MT. The mine was shut down in 1990 when the asbestos contamination first received public notice. …

Source: Honolulu Advertiser Dr. Haining Yang, MD, PhD, a scientist and mesothelioma specialist affiliated with the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, was recently awarded two research grants to study the manner in which mesothelioma develops in people. Dr. Yang received a $100,000 grant from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation to …

Source: Hamilton College Edward C. Taylor, inventor of pemetrexed (Alimta), has recently donated $1 million to his alma mater, Hamilton College, to establish The Edward and Virginia Taylor Fund for Student/Faculty Research in Chemistry. Long before Mr. Taylor become a Professor of Chemistry at Princeton , he was as student at Hamilton not sure if …

Source: Medical News Today The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has announced the recipients of their yearly awards that recognize individuals for their efforts in increasing awareness about asbestos and for fighting to limit its use. The ADAO is recognizing the following people for this work: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (Tribute of Hope Award) Margaret …

Source: New Scientist New Scientist is running a story on an investigational cancer treatment that cured 90% of the mice who received the therapy. The treatment involved “reprogramming” the mice’s immune system to identify the cancer as an antigen and then attack it as such. The study’s authors claim that variations on the therapy could …

Combination therapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin has been the standard of care for the treatment of mesothelioma since its approval in 2004 by the US FDA. The treatment’s approval was driven by the results of a large Phase III study that demonstrated greater treatment efficacy for patients with malignant mesothelioma than any other chemotherapy treatment …

Source: The Western News The Western News is running an article on the need for continued state funding of many of Montana’s most important asbestos treatment and research agencies. Unless they receive additional state funding, projects funded through the Libby Asbestos Medical Plan (LAMP) and Asbestos-Related Diseases Network (ARD-Net) are in danger of shutting down …