Mesothelioma Cancer Resources Blog

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) responded to the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) regarding an article they recently published claiming that orphan disease clinical trials may not be managed as rigorously as those for other illnesses.  There are close to 7,000 rare diseases in the United States, and many …

A recently released study shines light on the devastating effect of mesothelioma on veterans who served from World War II through the Vietnam era, New York asbestos exposure attorney Joseph W. Belluck said. The study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology analyzed 928 veterans. …

When someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma, more than likely there are hundreds of questions running through their mind such as, “What does this mean?” “What will happen next?” “What kind of treatment will I need?”  The most burning question, however, is usually “How will my family and I get through this?”  The patient and his …

Michele Carbone, MD, PhD, the country’s premier authority on mesothelioma and director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, now has the benefit of a $3.6 million donation to boost his mesothelioma research budget.  The donation, given anonymously last week, is the second largest gift ever given to the University.  The dollars are designated specifically …

By Nancy Meredith When researchers on the U.S. Human Genome Project completed mapping the entire spectrum of genetic materials that can be found in humans, they moved medicine beyond the traditional trial-and-error method of treating and diagnosing diseases to an approach where a person’s genetic makeup can be used to tailor their medical care.   Patient-centric …

In a new study from the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, researchers found that eating a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein may slow the growth of tumors.  Although the study was conducted on mice, the scientists involved believe that the findings are “definitive enough that an effect in humans can be considered.” …

Typically, lung cancer is diagnosed through a lung biopsy which requires an often painful procedure of removing a small piece of lung tissue surgically, through a long needle or with a bronchoscope.  Now, Boston University Medical Center researchers say through a simple, minimally-invasive technique that takes a scraping from the interior of the nose, they …

“The treatment is worse than the disease” has been said countless times by mesothelioma patients forced to undergo extensive tests and therapies for the painful, and sometimes debilitating, illness.  Although, patients will typically relent and endure surgery, chemotherapy or radiation to remove the cancerous tissue once they realize the treatments will ultimately improve their quality …

While experts in the medical field continue to debate the best surgical procedure for extending the lives of malignant pleural mesothelioma patients, another study has been published in favor of the lung-sparing radical pleurectomy/decortication (P/D).  In a study published in the June issue of Annals of Thoracic Surgery, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania report …

Researchers at Cornell University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-in-human clinical trial of a new technology.  Known as “Cornell Dots,” the unique nanoparticles glow brightly and can light up cancer cells in PET-optical imaging.  This technology is a breakthrough for cancer diagnostic …