Category: For Your Family

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) announced yesterday that Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., chair of MSKCC’s Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, has been selected as the president-elect for 2012-2013 of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).  Sawyers is renowned for his clinical and translational research, and he is currently investigating the signaling pathways that …

For the sixth year in a row, Senator Baucus of Montana proposed legislation designating the first week of April as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Baucus continues to introduce the resolution to honor the nearly 300 people who died in Libby, Montana from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Libby, Montana is the site of the W.R. …

An empowered mesothelioma patient is often the best patient for a medical team.  When patients are empowered it means they are informed of their disease and their treatment options, and they are willing to take an active role in their treatment.  Knowing what questions to ask of your physician when diagnosed with mesothelioma is an …

CURE magazine will be closing nominations for their 2012 “Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing” on March 21.  The award gives cancer patients, survivors, caregivers or peers an opportunity to honor an “extraordinary oncology nurse whose compassion, expertise and helpfulness made all the difference in your or your loved one’s cancer journey.”  An oncology nurse supports …

Once again, the number of deaths from mesothelioma among former workers of the Minnesota Iron Range Taconite mine has been updated.  Researchers at the University of Minnesota revised the count that was initially reported to the Minnesota legislature in October.  Fortunately, this update saw the number decline by two.   Mesothelioma is a rare form of …

Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, affects nearly 3,000 Americans each year.  However, over one-third of the victims are military veterans.  Due to the extended latency period of the disease some veterans exposed to asbestos between the 1950s and 1970s are just now exhibiting symptoms, and are dealing with their mounting medical bills. …

In November, President Obama issued an executive order to address the drug shortage that has affected mesothelioma and other cancer patients.  Now, the EPA is taking action to bring relief to some patients that have not been able to receive critical treatments for their cancers due to the lack of two key drugs, doxorubicin and …

The results of a recent survey of doctors found that an alarming number of them believe it is okay to tell a patient an “untruth” or to put a positive spin on a patient’s prognosis.  This is counter to the trust that patients place in their physicians to act in their best interest.  When facing …

While most cases of mesothelioma affect individuals who were directly exposed to asbestos in the workplace, men who worked around asbestos, and brought the fibers home on their clothing, shoes and in their hair, may have inadvertently exposed their children and spouses to the hazards of the deadly toxin.  One family in England is now …

When someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer, 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? Where do I go for treatment?  Now, through a partnership formed last year between Livestrong and NavigateCancer …