Asbestos & Mesothelioma Studies
Despite the known dangers of asbestos exposure, asbestos is still legal in the United States. However, it is heavily regulated within different organizations in the government. Different agencies have their own laws and regulations for asbestos control to maintain exposure levels in the workplace, home, and environment. OSHA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)…
Researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are collaborating with Pfizer to study the effects of immunotherapy treatment Avelumab when combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, for those suffering from mesothelioma. SBRT treatments use a device called a linear accelerator that delivers precise and intense doses of radiation to target cancer cells…
Chemotherapy for mesothelioma patients has been notoriously difficult and the cancer continues to be overwhelmingly unresponsive to such treatment in many cases. However, researchers and scientists have been continually investigating new techniques that involve adjusting how chemotherapy reacts on a cellular level. A study published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology examines a specific enzyme that…
Cancer is the second most leading cause of death in the United States affecting over 500,000 people. However, is estimated that 1/3 of all cancers could be prevented through daily activities such as eating healthy, exercising, or simply applying sunscreen on a sunny day. Cancers caused by asbestos exposure are life-threatening, but perhaps the most…
Testing and developing new drugs and treatments for an illness is a costly endeavor, but drug companies thrive in this business by being able to sell medication to the sick – especially those suffering from common conditions. The more common a condition, the more profits drug companies will make selling their product. The more potential…
Even though there is no cure for mesothelioma, there are many different treatment options for those suffering from this almost always fatal cancer. Palliative therapy has been successful in lessening symptoms and making the patient more comfortable. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are treatment methods that can be successful on their own, but in the…
Mesothelioma is not easy to diagnose. Symptoms often mimic other ailments and patients often do not make the connection between asbestos exposure and their illness. Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, patients are often given a poor prognosis – typically less than one year. However, with recent advancements in treatments and immunotherapies, those suffering from mesothelioma are…
Diagnosing mesothelioma in the early stages has proven to be difficult. Biomarkers and diagnostic procedures are the most common way of determining this cancer’s existence, but if mesothelioma could be identified through cancer screenings, the chances of survival could increase. Cancer screenings intend to identify cancer before symptoms appear, and in cancers like breast, cervical,…
Peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare form of mesothelioma that affects the abdominal lining, or peritoneum. Caused by asbestos exposure, peritoneal mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are not entirely unique to the disease, so a diagnosis has to be more than just what symptoms are observed. Through MRIs, CAT scans, biopsies, and…
