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Even though palliative care is only for pain management and symptoms of an illness and not curative, it’s still an important part of the treatment regimen for those suffering from any illness, especially mesothelioma. Pain associated with mesothelioma increases as the disease increases with severity. The most common pain experienced chest pain, which are often…
Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy, is a type of cancer treatment that uses ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging the cell’s DNA. It can be used as either a curative or palliative treatment and is often used alongside chemotherapy, either before, during, or after. Radiotherapy can be especially successful in some cancer…
According to GLOBOCAN 2018 statistics, each year there are 30,443 mesothelioma cases worldwide, and of those 30,443, 25,576 pass away. With close to 85 percent of those diagnosed succumbing to the disease, mesothelioma remains one of the most deadly cancers as there is no cure. However, surviving a mesothelioma diagnosis is not entirely impossible as…
A Phase III clinical trial is now underway in the pivotal study of interferon alfa-2b gene therapy in pleural mesothelioma. After promising results from the Phase II clinical trial, scientists and researchers are hopeful they are just one step away from FDA approval for this cancer treatment that is over 20 years in the making.…
Predicting pleural mesothelioma survival is a difficult task, as a number of factors are needed to make an accurate calculation. Currently, the TNM Staging system in place as one of the ways to predict life-expectancy and survival after a mesothelioma patient has had surgery. However, researchers from Peking University in China have recently discovered what…
Asbestos Awareness Week starts today. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is kicking off this global campaign of education and awareness about the risks of asbestos and the need for a ban with a candlelight vigil. Throughout the week, they’ll be presenting information from doctors, activists, and victims of asbestos diseases. Asbestos Awareness Week was…
Surgical techniques for those suffering from mesothelioma depend on how far the cancer has spread and if the patient is healthy enough to withstand such an invasive procedure. In many cases, the cancer has already spread too far and quickly, so surgery is not an option. For those able to treat their cancer with surgery,…
In early 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that despite the decline of asbestos use once the product became regulated in the United States, mesothelioma rates continue to rise, with a total of 45,221 deaths in the United States alone from 1999 to 2015. Scientists and researchers struggle to pinpoint reasoning…
Late last month, the Clinical Respiratory Journal released their findings on the efficacy of intrapleural immunotherapy, which is a highly targeted approach of receiving immunotherapy treatment for those suffering from mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer caused only by asbestos exposure. Since asbestos is the only known cause, mesothelioma is sometimes referred to as “asbestos cancer.”…
Asbestos was once considered something of a wonder material for its durability and its resistance to heat and corrosion. There was a time when it could be found in textiles, drywall, clothing, gaskets, insulation, cement, pumps, brakes, machinery and other building materials. That changed years ago when it was discovered that asbestos exposure could be linked to…
