Asbestos & Mesothelioma Studies
Asbestosis, a severe and life threatening disease, is directly linked to the inhalation of asbestos fibers. In asbestosis, these fibers make their way to one’s lungs and become embedded in the inner tissue. The tissue then scars causing “fibrosis.” Once the tissue begins to scar, it then starts to harden which stops the flow of…
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, aggressive asbestos –related cancer that has a poor survival rate due to the fact that the cancer is hard to detect early, and once detected, has usually spread and is hard to control. Surgery is typically an effective option for removing cancerous cells, but in some cases, surgery…
Combining different types of treatment when it comes to treating mesothelioma is common because of how aggressive the cancer can be. While some treatments do prove to be effective, the overall prognosis of an individual with this asbestos-related cancer remains dim. A recent study done in Korea carefully evaluated the combination of cisplatin, a common…
Asbestos is typically thought of as a substance that is no longer in use anymore because it is a well-known carcinogen. Asbestos is fire resistant, strong, cheap, abundant, and absorbs sound. It is no wonder it rose to popularity throughout the 20th century since it was so versatile. While asbestos is solid rock, it is…
It is a well-known fact that the naturally-occurring mineral asbestos is a carcinogen; linked to lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Once industrial workers began to suffer the effects of asbestos years after being exposed, studies began to focus on the toxicity of the substance. Scientists know that exposure alone is the cause for many asbestos…
Peritoneal mesothelioma is an incredibly rare cancer that makes up about 30% of all mesothelioma cases. This type of mesothelioma affects the peritoneum, which is a protective membrane that surrounds the abdomen and allows the surrounding organs to expand and contract easily. When asbestos fibers become ingested or inhaled, the lining of the abdomen could…
Thousands of people each year are diagnosed with and die from asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma in the United States each year. But how does that compare to the rest of the world? Even though asbestos is still legal in the United States, the United States’ incidence rate for mesothelioma is not the highest…
A rare and aggressive malignancy, mesothelioma, is cancer affecting the lining that surrounds various organs and cavities within the body. Mesothelioma gets its name from this lining, which is called the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is strictly caused by asbestos exposure. Victims are typically only given a year, sometimes just months, to live after…
Scientists are continually exploring new opportunities for drugs to combat mesothelioma and recently, scientists have zeroed in on a particular enzyme that is said to be “overexpressed” in pleural mesothelioma. This enzyme, known as orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRT) is believed to curb the development and spread of mesothelioma which would have a huge impact on…
Earlier this month, Ohio legislators approved a bill that would allow patients with malignant mesothelioma to buy and use marijuana for medical purposes – legally. The bill will now move on to the governor, and if that is signed, Ohio will become the 25th state to legalize some form of medical marijuana. This news is…
