Mesothelioma Cancer Resources Blog

As University of Minnesota researchers continue to try to get to the cause of the high incidence of mesothelioma cases among the Iron Range, Minnesota taconite miners, they have found an additional 4 cases of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer typically affecting the lining of the lungs. Primarily caused by exposure to …

Co-chaired by renowned physicians Samuel Hammar, MD, Director of Diagnostic Specialty Laboratories, Bremerton, WA and Victor L. Roggli, MD, Professor of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, the Conference on Asbestos and Mesothelioma brings together some of the world’s best known asbestos researchers, physicians, and scientists. Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive …

Bionomics, an Australian drug company focused on new treatments for cancer and serious disorders of the central nervous system, has announced they will initiate a phase II trial of BNC105 as second line chemotherapy for advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Bionomics has already commenced Phase II testing of the anti-cancer properties of BNC105 in renal …

Cure magazine’s “Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing” will be accepting nominations until April 5th. The nominations can be “from patients, survivors, caregivers, and peers describing the compassion, expertise, and helpfulness that a special oncology nurse has exhibited.” Cure will honor three nurse finalists, as well as the individuals who nominated them, with round-trip airfare …

ast year the FDA gave approval for Alimta, a chemotherapy used in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma, to be used in maintenance treatment in patients with advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has not progressed after four cycles of platinum-based first line chemotherapy. Mesothelioma is a cancer …

A study led by Dr. David Sugarbaker, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a mesothelioma specialist, is exploring whether Cisplatin can be used safely in combination with another anti-cancer drug, Gemcitabine to treat mesothelioma patients. Specifically the team is testing the effectiveness of using a combination of the chemotherapy drugs after …

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese manufacturer and supplier of branded generic pharmaceuticals and manufacturer of the patented anti-cancer biotech product Endostar, announced this week the successful completion of Endostar Phase IV clinical trial. Since September 2005, Endostar has been approved to treat Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in China. Endostar is a modified version of recombinant …

Attorney Joseph W. Belluck applauded news that an investigational vaccine created by researchers in the Netherlands may be able to use matter from mesothelioma tumors to provoke the immune system into generating antibodies to fight the mesothelioma cells. This vaccine has proven to be safe in studies to date. Belluck, of Belluck & Fox, a …

Virginia senators voted 13-2 to defeat the bill that would limit asbestos-related liability for Philadelphia-based Crown Cork & Seal. The company, a beverage packaging firm that invented the bottle cap, has faced hundreds of lawsuits for asbestos-related illnesses, such as mesothelioma, related to Mundet, a business Crown Cork purchased in 1963. The special bill would …

Pleural effusions are found in 95% of all pleural mesothelioma cases. When a patient presents to a doctor with pleural effusion, however, there are many other diseases which could cause the fluid buildup. There are multiple medical tests that should be conducted by the physician to determine the cause, but when exudative pleural effusion is …