Mesothelioma Empowerment Update - March 4, 2010
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March 4, 2010
Beware of "Madison Avenue" Meso Lawyers
It's late at night, you're dozing off with the TV on, the screen goes dark and is soon filled with words in white lettering, as an all too serious narrator begins reading: "If you or a loved one was diagnosed with mesothelioma, call the number on your screen now..." Now it's morning, you're settling in with a cup of coffee, your eyes are on the newspaper but you're listening to CNN when, once again, the all too familiar voice beckons: "If you or a loved one was diagnosed with mesothelioma, call the number on your screen now..." More... |
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Mesothelioma Research Update from the Pacific Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute (PHLBI)
Pacific Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute is nearing the launch of a new mesothelioma databank that will allow mesothelioma patients to safely store and share pertinent medical information with other mesothelioma patients and researchers alike. Ultimately, this internet databank will be translated into many different languages to serve as an international mesothelioma registry. . It will also be combined with a mesothelioma tissue bank to make it a true global resource. Information from this international registry and tissue bank will be used to help initiate the first large scale mesothelioma “prevention” study. Prevention of this disease by reducing the chronic inflammation associated with asbestos exposure is far more likely to be beneficial than other approaches. More... |
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Personal Profiles: Courage, Grit, Gratitude: Diagnosed in July of 2007, 73 years old. When she is not enjoying her updated home, she is jet-setting from one state to another visiting her growing family across the U.S. Her whole family is constantly vying for her company, "They're hard to keep up with, but even harder saying 'no' too!" More... |
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Surgery:
Second surgery efficacy for recurrence of malignant pleural mesothelioma after EPP.
The second surgery did not offer the expected survival benefit of curative treatment strategies and should therefore be considered palliative. Second surgery may be a treatment option in a subset of patients who experience a solid recurrence of mesothelioma that is symptomatic or near vital organs and who cannot undergo additional radiotherapy. More...
Therapeutic Surgery for Nonepithelioid Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Is it Really Worthwhile?
The extremely poor prognosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma is independent of the extent of surgery unlike other cell types. The surgical treatment of biphasic pleural mesothelioma remains debatable. More...
Immunotherapy:
Consolidative Dendritic Cell-Based Immunotherapy Elicits Cytotoxicity Against Malignant Mesothelioma
Clinical trial administering antigen-pulsed dendritic cell vaccination in mesothelioma patients shows promising results at inducing immunological response to tumor cells. More...
What's the place of immunotherapy in malignant mesothelioma treatments?
Mesothelioma immunotherapy is undoubtedly a highly promising but also very challenging approach to the treatment of this disease that has slipped through the defense lines of the immune system. This article reviews past and recent developments of the clinical strategies that concern immunotherapy of mesothelioma. More...
Diagnosis / staging:
Novel clinical role of angiopoietin-1 in malignant pleural mesothelioma.
There is a significant correlation between serum Ang-1 levels (originating from mesenchymal lung cells) and survival. Study proposes the possibility that Ang-1 plays an important role in mesothelioma tumor growth and data suggests that the serum concentration of Ang-1 could be useful as prognostic factor. More...
Hsa-miR-29c* is linked to the prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The inability to forecast outcomes for mesothelioma prevents clinicians from providing aggressive multimodality therapy to the most appropriate individuals who may benefit from such an approach. Hsa-miR-29c* has the potential to be a prognostic biomarker in mesothelioma and further investigation of these findings may give insight for potential therapies in the future. More...
Natural and Alternative Remedies:
Natural Remedy Oncolyn Claims to be Effective in Mesothelioma Treatment.
The makers of Oncolyn, a plant-derived natural anticancer remedy, claim that taking the tablets "caused objective and subjective improvement of patients with different types of cancers," including mesothelioma. More...
High dose of ascorbic acid induces cell death in mesothelioma cells.
Intravenous administration of ascorbic acid significantly decreased the growth rate of mesothelioma tumor inoculated in mice. This data suggests that ascorbic acid may have benefits for patients with mesothelioma. More...
Awareness:
Canada playing a dirty game: exporting asbestos
Somewhere between a national shame and a national scandal lies Canada's export of asbestos to developing countries. The reason the federal government will not stop defending asbestos is politics - Quebec politics, in fact. The asbestos produced in Canada comes from Quebec, from the Jeffrey and LAB Chrysotile mines that employ about 700 people. A large town in Quebec is even called Asbestos. More...