Category: Treatment News

With the success of recent research in the area of genetics, doctors have been looking forward to bringing personalized treatment to their mesothelioma patients.  By identifying specific genetic mutations, or biomarkers, within tumors doctors can target treatment according to the patient’s unique characteristics.  For example, crizotinib has been found to be an effective drug for …

On the heels of the TREAT Act introduced by North Carolina Senator (D) Kay Hagan, Congress has introduced another bill aimed at speeding approval and delivery of new drugs to those needing them most – those suffering from serious diseases and disorders, such as mesothelioma.  Pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the mesothelial cells on the …

The Oncology Report has just published its second annual guide to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of new cancer drugs, indications, and devices.  “The Oncology Report Guide to Cancer Drugs and Devices in 2011” includes a listing of over 10 drugs and devices used in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including …

Patients dealing with rare, life-threatening diseases may be able to get promising new drugs and treatments much faster, thanks to a bill introduced by U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC). The legislation targets the 7,000 known rare diseases, such as mesothelioma, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and muscular dystrophy, that do not currently have effective treatments.   Mesothelioma …

In a recent peer review article in the Journal of Supportive Oncology, the authors agree oncologists should spend more time focusing on the symptoms associated with lung cancer and less time on the disease itself.  As with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer caused by breathing asbestos fibers, lung cancer symptoms can be debilitating, leading …

Mesothelioma is a serious and rare cancer that occurs in individuals that have either inhaled or swallowed asbestos fibers.  The cancer is highly aggressive, and is also a very painful disease.  Pain associated with mesothelioma varies from patient to patient and depends on the type of mesothelioma.  The pain typically increases over time and can be …

In a press release earlier this month, a Japanese bio-pharmaceutical company announced it has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its drug CBP501.  The chemotherapy drug by CanBas Co., Ltd has been approved “for use in combination with cisplatin and pemetrexed for treatment of patients with mesothelioma.”  Malignant …

Researchers at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report promising results in a small clinical trial used to assess whether a variation of the modified cold virus may benefit patients with malignant mesothelioma.  In the study led by Steven M. Albelda, MD, William Maul Measey Professor of Medicine, and vice chief, Pulmonary, …

Recent significant breakthroughs by researchers seeking a new mesothelioma treatment have come in the field of genetics.  Many physicians and scientists believe that the answer to finding an effective treatment for mesothelioma lies within each patient’s genetic makeup.  Now, Life Technologies Corp. has launched a desktop tool that can sequence the entire human genome in …

Anne Tsao, M.D., associate professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology and director of its Mesothelioma Program is one of the leading authorities of mesothelioma in the United States.  She has treated hundreds of patients with mesothelioma, but she had never been able to declare success over the disease until last …