Mesothelioma

Diagnosis of any cancer, especially malignant pleural mesothelioma in any family member can cause depression in whole family. As malignant pleural mesothelioma is not curable, it should be managed with holistic approach (use of all types of treatment modalities such as homeopathy, naturopathy, herbal or any alternative form of medicine if required) along with conventional therapy. A holistic approach in management of pleural mesothelioma can at least give some hope to the patient and family members, if it can not alter the course of the disease. Use of alternative medicine deserves at least a try for management of incurable diseases such as pleural mesothelioma.

An increasing number of doctors (oncologists) are using CAM (Complimentary and Alternative Medicine) for management of cancers including pleural mesothelioma. Use of holistic approach in management of cancer can be called “integrative oncology”, where not only conventional therapy, but also other alternative therapies used. Commonly used Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) include acupuncture, massage, and reflexology.

Use of CAM such as acupuncture, massage, and reflexology can help better management of anxiety, restless, pain etc. due to pleural mesothelioma. Use of these CAM approaches can help to the increase the overall effectiveness of their treatment program for pleural mesothelioma. CAM approaches can also help to reduce the side effects of chemotherapeutic agents.

The overall mesothelioma prognosis is better if Complimentary and Alternative Medicine is used in management. But the use of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine for management of pleural mesothelioma should be decided by the patient and family members in consultation with their oncologist, taking into account the overall health condition of the patient.

Categories: Mesothelioma  Tags:

All patients diagnosed to have pleural mesothelioma should receive some form of treatment, which can extend the lifespan and survival with latest treatment modalities that are available, although there is no cure for pleural mesothelioma, as is the case for most of the cancers. At present treatment modalities for pleural mesothelioma include, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the treatment option depends on many factors such as the stage of pleural mesothelioma, spread to other organs of the body, age of the patient and general health of the patient.

Surgery (resection of part of lung) should be performed in all cases of pleural mesothelioma, if diagnose at early stage. If at the time of diagnosis, the pleural mesothelioma is in late stage surgical modality may not yield result as the disease most like has already metastatized to other organs of body and surgery will not help much. If surgical resection is performed at an early stage of the disease, it can slow down the spread of the disease.

The common surgical procedures for treatment of pleural mesothelioma include pneumonectomy (removal of a part or entire lung which is also used in treatment of lung cancer), extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy (removal of part or whole of pleura). Extrapleural pneumonectomy involves removal of entire lung with removal of the pleura of affected lung, diaphragm and pericardium (the mesothelial lining which covers heart). Extrapleural pneumonectomy is best suited for treatment of pleural mesothelioma patients.

Categories: Mesothelioma  Tags:

Chronic exposure to asbestos cause serious medical disorders such as asbestosis and exposure even for short duration can lead to mesothelioma, sometime as late as 30 years after exposure.

Millions of Americans have served in the armed forces and most of them are at risk of exposure to asbestos, which is the only known and proven cause of mesothelioma. Armed forces veterans face health hazards such as exposure to asbestos, during their service to nation. The risk of development of mesothelioma remains for as long as 30 years after retiring from service.

Some studies show as much as 30% of the mesothelioma (mesothelioma and asbestosis) suffers in America are veterans; both of these are incurable disease. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer and asbestosis is a lung disease where the disease progress despite treatment and removal of causative factor.

Most of the branches in the armed forces of United States use asbestos in the equipments and veterans handling these equipments are at great risk of mesothelioma. The reason of the rampant use of asbestos in the military equipments is the incredible heat- and fire-resistant property. So for decades asbestos was used rampantly, before the discovery of asbestos as the major causative factor in asbestosis and the only known cause of mesothelioma cancer. In most of the countries the use of asbestos is banned now and the banning came in slowly and step by step.

Military hard wares as well as many types of military equipments such as planes, ships were built using asbestos for its incredible heat- and fire-resistant property, to prevent potential fires as these equipments have to endure high temperature. In ships (war ships) the use of asbestos was highest in the engine and boiler rooms, but unfortunately asbestos was also used in other locations where heat exposure is not a factor such as sleeping cabins and mess halls and due to these indiscriminate use of asbestos in ships the veterans from navy and marines are the worst hit by the deadly disease of mesotheliom and asbestos, as compare to other services such as army and air force.

On Monday, December 28, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) will continue a longstanding tradition of lighting a candle in memory of those loved ones lost to mesothelioma. This is actually the first of two candlelighting ceremonies. The second will be held Monday, January 4, 2010, in honor of all the mesothelioma “warriors” still battling and conquering this devastating disease.

You are invited to add the name of your loved one to ADAO’s master list, either in memory or in honor of someone you love. This project is conducted in conjunction with the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). View the list, or email acor@AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org to add a name to the list.

Linda Reinstein, ADAO’s co-founder, says, “Since founding ADAO in March 2004, thanks to the efforts for our all-volunteer organization, we have grown beyond our initial expectations. Our passion and commitment to preventing asbestos exposure, offering support and resources and remaining unwaveringly committed to banning asbestos and funding research for a cure has gained momentum and recognition on The Hill. You have been heard! Thank you for your continued support of ADAO, ‘the voice of the victims,’ as together, change is possible.”

Please join the mesothelioma community on Monday and light your candle in memory of those whose battle has sadly ended, and make plans to celebrate the life of a meso warrior on January 4.

Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 9:10 am and is filed under Events, News, Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

As 2009 draws to a close, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation would like to remind those of us in the meso community that there is still much work to be done in the quest for a cure. The Meso Foundation has created a powerful two-minute video featuring the testimonies of mesothelioma victims and their families, including heartbreaking stories of loss, but also triumphant declarations of success against this dreaded cancer.

Please share the following video with your family and friends, and fellow mesothelioma warriors, and help raise awareness about the many lives touched by mesothelioma.

You can visit the Meso Foundation online to make a donation to help this organization fund mesothelioma reserach and continue providing patient services, or mail your contribution to:

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
P.O. Box 91840
Santa Barbara, CA 93190-1840

You may specify a loved one in whose memory the contribution is made, which will be acknowledged on the Tribute Wall, displayed at the annual International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma in June 2010. Contributions over $100 also will be acknowledged in the Meso Foundation Annual Report. There is much more information online about how you can help. Please visit them today!

Tags: Meso Foundation, mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under News, Organizations, Research/Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Representatives from the City of Detroit, Michigan, meant well, but nearly put lives in danger recently with plans to demolish around 3,000 dilapidated homes and other buildings in a blighted area. The project, whose ultimate goal was to remove 10,000 dangerous abandoned buildings over the next four years and eliminate risks like collapse, fire and disease, was featured in the local newspaper, the Detroit Free Press. As it turned out, someone from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment was reading, and the story raised a red flag.

After a quick investigation, DNRE spokesman Robert McCann told the Free Press the agency discovered the City had not completed required asbestos inspections on the properties scheduled for demolition. The City also had not notified the state – which is required by law – of the planned demolition. The planned project was halted April 5, and City officials met with DNRE representatives to learn what they should do.

According to the Free Press, representatives from the City said they were unaware they were violating any federal regulations, and said the City has not had a history of inspecting buildings for the presence of asbestos before demolition under past administrations. The current Mayor is Dave Bing.

Some demolition occurred before DNRE officials were able to call a halt; however, subsequent asbestos testing did not find any asbestos present. The project is under the direction of the City’s Buildings and Safety Engineering Department. The houses planned for demolition are located in southwest Detroit. The City still plans to demolish 3,000 structures by the end of this year, and 10,000 structures during the next four years.

Federal regulations require that businesses or individuals planning demolition first test the structure for the presence of asbestos, remove any asbestos that is found using approved abatement procedures to ensure the safety of workers and the public, and provide a 10-day notice to the DNRE before beginning demolition. Violations could incur fines of up to $27,500 per day, and jail time. It was not noted in the Free Press story if the City is in danger of being prosecuted for its violations.

However, public interest in the story did raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure, which can result in mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the chest and lungs, the lining of the abdomen, or the lining of the heart. As a result of reader interest, the newspaper published a helpful Q&A about asbestos exposure the following day.

Tags: asbestos, asbestos abatement, City of Detroit, Dave Bing, demolition, Department of natural Resources and Environment, Detroit, DNRE, mesothelioma, Michigan, Robert McCann

This entry was posted on Monday, April 12th, 2010 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Legal, News, Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization has announced registration is now open for its Sixth Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference. The conference is scheduled for April 9-11, 2010 in Chicago, Ill. This annual event brings together renowned doctors, scientists, researchers and asbestos victims and their families in a united forum for asbestos awareness, education and collaboration. Each year the event coincides with national Asbestos Awareness Day, April 1.

In addition to providing educational information, advocacy support, a special remembrance ceremony and networking opportunities, each year the conference honors individuals or organizations that have demonstrated outstanding work and dedication to asbestos awareness related activities. ADAO has announced this year’s honorees:

The Honorable Richard Durbin, United States Senator – Tribute of Hope AwardDr. Hedy Kindler – Selikoff Lifetime Achievement AwardCenter for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD), Libby, Montana – Tribute of Unity AwardFernanda Giannasi – Tribute of Inspiration AwardJune Breit (posthumous) – The Alan Reinstein Memorial Award

At the conference, the ADAO also will announce the recipient of the Warren Zevon “Keep Me in Your Heart” Memorial Tribute.

“I’ve received countless requests for my father’s song, ‘Keep Me in Your Heart,’ to be used at memorials for asbestos victims,” said ADAO Spokesperson Jordan Zevon. Jordan is the son of Warren Zevon, acclaimed singer and songwriter, who died of mesothelioma in 2003. “You can imagine how proud it makes me to know that my father’s Grammy winning song has touched so many families, but it is bittersweet because of the nature of those requests. In his honor, I will continue to work with ADAO to ban asbestos to spare future generations from the same fate.”

“As we get closer to a full asbestos ban, we are encouraged, yet simultaneously reminded that the reverberations of asbestos exposure can last decades,” said Linda Reinstein, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ADAO. “Our annual conferences drive home the importance of the need for increased awareness, education and research.”

Additional conference details are available on the ADAO web site, and online registration is available at http://www.adao.eventbrite.com.

The International Asbestos Awareness Conference is made possible with the support and collaborative efforts of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS).

Tags: ADAO, asbestos, Asbestos Awareness Day, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, CARD, Center for Asbestos Related Diseases, Chicago, Dr. Hedy Kindler, Dr. Irving Selikoff, Fernanda Giannasi, International Asbestos Awareness Conference, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Jordan Zevon, June Breit, Libby, Linda Reinstein, mesothelioma, Montana, Richard Durbin, Tribute of Hope Award, Warren Zevon

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under Events, News, Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Early last year, we asked folks reading this site to rally around lung cancer survivor John Atkinson, who had entered a contest sponsored by Golf Digest to play in a celebrity foursome at the US Open Golf Tournament. John won that contest, and last June he joined celebrities Matt Lauer of The Today Show, entertainer Justin Timberlake, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on the links. We are sad to announce today that yesteray Atkinson lost his battle with lung cancer, and passed away at age 40.

John’s story touched a lot of people, and did so much to help raise awareness about lung cancer, which is the leading cancer killer. His strength and determination to fight this disease, and his evident love for his family, his friends, and life itself, touched so many people.

While mesothelioma is not usually considered traditional “lung cancer,” as it most often affects the lining of the lungs but can also affect the lining of the stomach or, more rarely, the heart, we still rally around the lung cancer community in its call for more research, more funding and more awareness. Today, we join the Lung Cancer Alliance in remembering this remarkable man who, as he fought his own personal battle, also dedicated himself to fighting the stigma of lung cancer, and fighting for a cure.

This morning Matt Lauer presented a tribute to John Atkinson on The Today Show. Take a moment to watch this short video tribute to a remarkable man. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Tags: Dallas, Golf Digest, John Atkinson, Justin Timberlake, Lung Cancer Alliance, Matt Lauer, mesothelioma, Tony Romo, US Open Golf Tournament

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 9:39 am and is filed under News, Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange presented a proclamation today declaring April 1-7 as Asbestos Awareness Week in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. The proclamation supports National Asbestos Awareness Week, as established by Senate Resolution 427.

It is the purpose of Asbestos Awareness Week to raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos and the dangers of asbestos exposure in the United States and around the world. Microscopic asbestos fibers can be inhaled or ingested, and imbed themselves in the body where they can cause diseases such as asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that can affect the chest and lungs, the abdomen or the heart.

The U.S. Congress has recognized a National Asbestos Awareness Day or Week for the past six years. The awareness effort is a project of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which is the largest organization in the United States serving as the voice of asbestos victims. The ADAO lobbies for the complete ban of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the U.S. It is estimated that within the next decade 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos-related disease. That equals 30 deaths each day.

For more information, visit ADAO online.

Tags: ADAO, Alabama, asbestos, Asbestos Awareness Week, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, asbestosis, mesothelioma, Montgomery, National Asbestos Awareness Week, Senate Resolution 427

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 9:58 am and is filed under Events, News, Organizations, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has issued a news release announcing the resolution introduced last week in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Patty Murray to designate September 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day has passed! The resolution introduced simultaneously in the House of Representatives by Rep. Betty McCollum, designated as H.Res. 771, is still pending.

The Meso Foundation is urging the mesothelioma community to contact their House Representative to urge him or her to co-sponsor the bill. Representative McCollum still needs 13 more co-sponsors to complete the passage of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day in both the House and the Senate.

The news release quotes Chris Hahn, Executive Director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, “Thanks to the concern of Sen. Murray and Congresswoman McCollum, and their introduction of the federal ‘National Mesothelioma Awareness Day’ resolution, we hope that mesothelioma will finally become part of a broad national conversation about its tragic impact in our society and the critical need to fund reserch to develop treatments and, ultimately, find a cure for mesothelioma.”

Your help is urgently needed to encourage House Representatives to co-sponsor this resolution. Visit the Meso Foundation’s “Action Center” at www.curemeso.org/action to send an email to your congressional representative.

Tags: Betty McCollum, Chris Hahn, Congress, House of Representatives, Meso Foundation, mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Mesothelioma Awareness Day, National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, Patty Murray, U.S. Senate

This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm and is filed under Events, Legal, News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

When Linda van Amerongen remembers her father, Lloyd Harloff, certainly there is sadness, and anger, at the mesothelioma that took his life. But what shines through beyond and above all that is joy, and appreciation, and celebration of a life well lived and well loved. She and her family will gather this Saturday, April 25, to celebrate Lloyd’s life on the first anniversary of his death, just four days after what would have been his 80th birthday.

“It’s a family event,” Linda explains. “We’re just going to get together and play cards, play his favorite music, just remember him. You hear a lot of times that after someone dies, their funeral should celebrate their life, and I used to think that was sort of just something people said. But with my dad, we really did. And that’s what this weekend is about. We’re going to re-celebrate him Saturday.”

In December 2007, her dad was plagued by a bad cough and cold that he couldn’t seem to shake, Linda remembers. He had suffered a few bouts of pneumonia in previous months, and had several chest x-rays during that time. When he visited the doctor in December, he had another chest x-ray, and doctors were concerned about some notable differences. They ordered further tests, and after a pleural effusion they confirmed a diagnosis of mesothelioma in January 2008.

“Even now when I talk to people, nine out of 10 people have no idea what it is,” Linda says. “I probably didn’t know before my dad was diagnosed, but afterward I felt like the airwaves were inundated with ‘mesothelioma.’ It was on TV, on the backs of busses. Still, every little bit people can do to raise awareness helps.”

Despite his advanced age, her dad never thought of giving up, despite mesothelioma’s bleak prognosis, Linda says. He consulted with his oncologist and immediately began the first round of chemotherapy. His family and his love of his favorite sport, golf, motivated him to fight, Linda said.

“My dad loved golf,” she says. “He played 18 holes regularly, and he actually got a hole-in-one the year before his death. Golf was always something he used to motivate himself. He had a stroke a few years ago, and golf was a big motivator for his recovery, to get through rehab and get back out on the course. So this time, he said he wanted to do the chemo and be well enough come spring to be back on the golf course with his buddies. It was something he could use as a goal.”

Unfortunately, the first round of chemotherapy proved ineffective. Despite dwindling hopes for a positive outcome, he decided to do a second round with a different drug. But his body was weakening.

“He began to really not feel well. Between January and April – he really wasn’t feeling good a lot of that time. And yet he persevered,” Linda says.

There was a series of family events in April – she calls it the “month of Sundays” because each special activity was on a Sunday – of which her dad was determined to be a part. The first Sunday, the family had a big card party at her house, then the next week a surprise 50th birthday party for Linda’s sister and Lloyd’s middle daughter, Pam.

“He was on oxygen at this point, but he was there,” Linda remembers. “Family was so important to him, and he wanted to do everything that we had planned.”

The following Sunday, the family visited their parents, Lloyd and Maryann, for Lloyd’s 79th birthday party. Linda had noticed her dad had not been eating much for a while, and that he seemed weaker at his birthday party.

“He was in a fair amount of pain, and I don’t think we even really knew how much,” she says.

As she left her parents’ house, Linda says her mom asked her to keep her phone nearby, as she thought they might have to go to the hospital soon. That night, Lloyd was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He passed away four days later, on April 25, 2008.

“This is a sucky disease,” Linda says, a bit of her anger peeking through. “It robs you, sort of unsuspectingly. And the fact that they can’t make it better at this point, for the most part … well, I know there are more and more stories of people who do survive, and I’d have loved for him to be one of those.”

Her father’s funeral truly was a celebration of his life, she says. Her dad was dressed in his favorite Chicago Cubs t-shirt, with his golf shoes on his feet. Her brother, Keith, wrote a speech about time, which he read at the event.

“He wrote this piece about how you always think you have time,” Linda says. “My dad made time for everything – to go to a kid’s ballgame, to help you paint your house. He led by example, which I think is something we’ve all discovered since he died. He was a quiet man who loved to be around his family and friends, and we’ve all learned in the past year what a big part of our lives he was.”

The family also will host a memorial mass and brunch in honor of their father on Sunday, April 26.

Tags: asbestos, Chicago, Illinois, Linda van Amerongen, Lloyd Harloff, mesothelioma

This entry was posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under Events, News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

A study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that Fire Department of New York (FDNY) firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) workers who responded to the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center have suffered significant, persistent declines in lung functions. According to the report, exposure to World Trade Center dust created when the towers collapsed led to “large declines” in lung functions for FDNY rescue workers during the first year, and that “the declines were persistent, without recovery over the next 6 years, leaving a substantial proportion of workers with abnormal lung function.”

The study included 12,781 workers who were present at the WTC site between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 24, 2001, which is 91.6 percent of the workers that were present. The report notes that the event exposed the workers – as well as those living and working in the surrounding area – to a dense cloud of pulverized building materials and chemical byproducts, including pulverized glass and cement, insulation fibers including asbestos, and toxic chemicals.

According to a report in The New York Times that summarizes the study findings, this is the first study to document long-term harm in a large group of firefighters and emergency medical workers who worked at Ground Zero. All of the subjects of the study had had previous lung function tests, providing a baseline for the study.

The study was authored by Dr. David J. Prezant, chief medical officer in the Office of Medical Affairs at the New York City Fire Department. The study was approved by the institutional review board at Montefiore Medical Center.

Results of the study revealed that firefighters, who had heavier exposure to dust by the nature of their work had greater first-year declines than EMS personnel, especially for firefighters who were present in the morning on 9/11, when the dust cloud was most intense after the buildings fell. However, researchers noted they were surprised to see “little or no recovery of average lung function during the 6-year follow-up period.” In fact, they noted continued decline in lung function among the study groups.

Normally, the study notes, “smoke inhalation during firefighting causes relatively mild and reversible respiratory impairment.” Additionally, according to the report, long-term effects of firefighting on pulmonary function also are normally mild.

The average loss of lung function for 9/11 rescue workers is about 10 percent. Most of the loss occurred within the first year after 9/11 exposure, with little or no subsequent recovery.

Thousands of workers injured at Ground Zero have been fighting for compensation from the City of New York. Last month about 10,000 plaintiffs reached a settlement agreement totaling $657.5 million, but a judge rejected the settlement shortly afterward, saying it did not provide enough compensation for the plaintiffs. The matter is now back in negotiations, and a new hearing is set for Monday, according to the Times.

Tags: 9/11, asbestos, FDNY, Fire Department of New York, Ground Zero, New York, New York City, World Trade Center, WTC

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 2:03 pm and is filed under Events, Legal, News, Research/Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Today I heard from Debbie Brewer, our friend in the UK. She is just returned from another visit to Dr. Thomas Vogl in Germany, where she had wonderful success with the clinical trial for chemoembolization. She first visited Vogl for the treatment in May 2008. In March 2009, she found that her tumor had shrunk an amazing 73 percent since her first treatment. This week, she reports that even Dr. Vogl was surprised to see that Theo – as she nicknamed the tumor – had shrunk an additional 10 percent! That’s a total reduction of 83 PERCENT for those of you keeping score!

This is truly wonderful and amazing news, particularly for a cancer like mesothelioma, which has no known cure. This sounds pretty darn close for Debbie, who is considered in remission with this amount of tumor gone.

Those who have been following Debbie’s story and have read the Q&A with Dr. Vogl we posted on this site know that chemoembolization is a procedure currently in clinical trials. The process involves introducing chemotherapy directly to the tumor, and basically trapping it there, concentrating it where it is most needed. Dr. Vogl is head of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at J.W. Goethe University Hospital at Frankfurt University.

The clinical trial is currently treating between 300 and 400 patients with primary and secondary lung cancer annually, and about 20 mesothelioma patients.

For more information, see the Q&A with Dr. Vogl.

Read more of Debbie’s story at her blog, Mesothelioma & Me.

Tags: chemoembolization, clinical trials, Debbie Brewer, Dr. Thomas Vogl, mesothelioma, UK

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 3:31 pm and is filed under News, People, Research/Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2009 Mesothelioma Research Grant Awards. Through the generous contributions of its supporters, the Foundation was able to fund eight promising research projects. Executive Director Christopher E. Hahn reports that this is 60 percent more than the organization funded in 2008, when the Foundation, along with many charitable endeavors were beset by budget cuts resulting from the tough economic climate. In an email to Meso Foundation supporters, Hahn said he is hopeful the organization will soon be able to return to its target goal of funding 10 mesothelioma research projects per year.

Projects funded by the 2009 Grant Awards include vaccine studies offering hope of targeted treatment without drastic side effects; a novel investigation of the role of hormones in mesothelioma treatment; developing pathway targets synergistic with current first-line therapy Alimta/Cisplatin; and a study specifically focusing on improved detection and treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma (affecting the lining of the abdomen). Visit the Meso Foundation online for details of each study.

Each year, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation funds critically needed research to develop more effective treatments and ultimately, a cure. The Foundation has provided more than $6 million in grant funding, advancing mesothelioma science through promising studies around the world. The Meso Foundation’s funding objectives are to directly fund basic research and support clinical trials in worthy, peer-reviewed projects as well as to stimulate additional federal research funding opportunities.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a nonprofit collaboration of patients and families, physicians, advocates, and researchers dedicated to eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma.

You can help! There are many ways to get involved with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. These include signing up to receive and respond to Action Alerts, which are specific campaigns for particular aspects of mesothelioma advocacy efforts; visiting your government officials to lobby for mesothelioma funding and awareness; volunteering in the meso community both locally and nationally; education; sharing your meso story; and donating to mesothelioma research.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the How You Can Help page at www.curemeso.org. The Meso Foundation is the recipient of the Charity Navigator “Four Star Charity” award and is recognized as the 2009 Great Nonprofits winner in the category of Cancer Fighters.

Tags: Meso Foundation, mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Mesothelioma Research Grant Awards, peritoneal mesothelioma

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 12:20 pm and is filed under News, Organizations, Research/Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

A friend recently forwarded me a link to a web site that features an ad touting the wonders of asbestos for fire protection, highlighted by a photo of the World Trade Center’s twin towers. The ad was produced in 1981, so it’s not a matter of bad taste, just creepy in light of the September 11 disaster, and ironic because the presence of asbestos in the towers has been a source of health problems for the disaster’s first responders, among the many dangerous toxins released when the buildings collapsed.

The ad references fire alarms, most likely referring to a Feb. 13, 1975 fire that broke out on the 11th floor of the North Tower. But it hits a little too close to home after the events that would take place a little over 25 years later.

On the anniversary of the 2001 tragedy last year, we discussed the ongoing studies being conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygeine on the effects of exposure to the dust released in the catastrophe. The study included close to 5,000 samples of airborne asbestos collected by the EPA in lower Manhattan between Sept. 11, 2001 and Jan. 22, 2002, many of which exceeded “safety” standards.

It is ironic that the ad for asbestos prominently features the tag line “when life depends on it, you use asbestos.”

In 1981, the asbestos industry was already under scrutiny for the link between asbestos and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, and sometimes the stomach and/or heart. Most recent studies by the National Cancer Institute show that people with even brief exposure to asbestos are at risk. There is no “safe” level of asbestos exposure.

We recently have added a petition to this site urging the U.S. Congress to finally support a total ban of asbestos in the United States, and to provide funding for mesothelioma research. Please sign the petition, and add your voice to this fight.

The New York State Department of Health has been collecting information about deaths among World Trade Center responders, recovery workers and volunteers since shortly after the tragedy.

As of June 2008, the program had identified 382 people who worked at the WTC site who had passed away, and confirmed 204 causes of death, including 30 deaths resulting from respiratory and intrathoracic organ disease. In an updated report released in December 2008, the number of deaths of people who worked at the WTC had jumped to 713 people, with 548 confirmed causes of death. The number of deaths attributed to respiratory and intrathoracic organ disease is noted at 56, accounting for 14.1 percent of the deaths.

Of course, these numbers are general, and not specifically linked to asbestos inhalation, but the report does note that 30.2 percent of the confirmed causes of death of people who worked at the WTC are releated to “exposure to harmful substances or environments,” and 27.3 percent specifically related to “ingestion of substance.”

Tags: 9-11, asbestos, mesothelioma, New York, New York City, September 11, World Trade Center

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 8:25 am and is filed under Events, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.