Mesothelioma Cancer Resources Blog

As we ring in 2012, it is worth looking back at 2011 to review the breakthroughs researchers saw in their struggle to find an effective treatment for mesothelioma, as well as revisiting other top stories that impacted mesothelioma patients and their families. Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the lungs, heart or abdomen, caused by …

Dr. David Sugarbaker, Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), is one of the leading authorities on treating mesothelioma.  He focuses on developing the most effective, cutting-edge treatment strategies that can significantly extend mesothelioma patients’ lives. Now, Sugarbaker has access to a one-of-a-kind surgical suite that combines all forms of advanced …

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in response to allegations that the Agency has authorized the use of unapproved methods to demolish buildings containing asbestos, has issued a warning reiterating previous findings that “asbestos is a human carcinogen with no safe level of exposure.”  Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins …

Pinnacle Biologics, an Illinois company that specializes in revitalizing healthcare therapies to fulfill their true potential and to maximize favorable patient outcomes, announced last week that they have obtained approval for an Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for their product PHOTOFRIN® (porfimer sodium) as adjuvant therapy to surgery in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Malignant …

New York City mesothelioma attorney Joseph W. Belluck said last week that reports about suspected asbestos-laden floor tiles in a Queens housing project reflects the ongoing threat of exposure to toxic asbestos fibers that many New Yorkers face. The Queens Tribune reported earlier this month that an exterminator called to treat the 60-year-old Pomonok Houses …

For the fourth year, Richard Mosca, who received a diagnosis of mesothelioma at the age of 54 in 2006, will advocate for mesothelioma patients by supporting the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) acting as a project reviewer.  Mosca, along with Julie Gundlach and David Lerman, who are also mesothelioma patients, were nominated by the …

Currently, the only way to prevent mesothelioma is by avoiding exposure to asbestos.  For the millions of Americans that have already been exposed to the toxic mineral, however, the potential for developing mesothelioma is a lifelong danger.  But, if researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Georgia achieve success in their latest project, …

The head of an Australian lobby group recently warned that the number of victims of asbestos-related diseases within that country could rise in coming years. The same problem exists in the U.S., said New York mesothelioma lawyer Joseph W. Belluck. Belluck is a partner with the New York personal injury law firm of Belluck & …

Determining the appropriate cancer treatment for a patient is a difficult and complex decision for patients and their oncologists.  Finding the appropriate mesothelioma treatment is even more challenging due to the relative rarity of the disease.   However, researchers at the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine now say that with better cancer …

India’s union health minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, told the Rajya Sabha (India’s Council of States, or the upper house of the Parliament of India), that the government will screen all 1.25 billion citizens of India for cancer, heart disease and diabetes, in the next five years.  While this major undertaking is being met with consternation …