Mesothelioma Cancer

A History of Corporate Abuse: Mesothelioma

2008-10-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

“My answer to the problem is: if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products why not die from it. There’s got to be some cause.”

This quote came from a purchasing director for Johns Manville corporation in 1966. Years later the company would face bankruptcy from being overwhelmed by nearly 16,500 asbestos lawsuits in what would become an important moment in the history of asbestos litigation.

For years large corporations like Johns Manville operated their asbestos manufacturing operations with internal knowledge of health problems and tried their best to control any information that hinted to the safety risks of asbestos.

It is a sad corporate legacy and one that continues to haunt the numerous dying and diagnosed men and women who seek compensation for their exposure. Some estimates put the number of exposed patients to nearly 27.5 million between 1940 and 1979.

It wasn't until the mid-1970s that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began to regulate asbestos exposure. By then however it was all too late. New cases of asbestos related health problems will continue to be diagnosed every year at a rate of nearly 3,000 cases for mesothelioma alone. The reason is that asbestos related illnesses have long latency periods of up to 40 years before exposure can lead to cancerous formations.

According to Adam Raphael, "the best estimate of what lies ahead is a study published by the Yale School of Organization and Management in 1992. It predicts that there will be 200,000 asbestos-related deaths over the next quarter of a century at a cost to asbestos manufacturers and their insurers of $50 billion.”

With such liability it is easy to see why since 1985, nearly 16 major asbestos manufacturing firms have gone out of business. When they go out, it makes it nearly impossible for families to collect compensation.

A Guide to Asbestos Attorneys

2008-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Asbestos attorneys help victims of asbestos-related ailments win multi-million dollar compensations. Over exposure to asbestos can result in life-threatening diseases. Medical expenses related to these diseases are often very high, and treatment may extend over a lifetime. Most of the victims are former construction workers. Very often, workers are not informed about the ill-effects of asbestos by their employers. Asbestos attorneys help these victims obtain damages from their former employers.

Asbestos lawsuits involve many complexities and usually take about six months to one year to resolve. These lawsuits require special knowledge and expertise. General practitioners would not suffice for such cases. Only attorneys who have ample experience in asbestos lawsuits can help you through the case. Asbestos attorneys have, therefore, emerged as a specialized lot. These attorneys can recover appropriate damages to cover medical expenses and rehabilitation costs for the victims. Asbestos attorneys usually charge their fees on a contingency basis, in which certain percentage of the compensation amount is given as fee. If the lawsuit fails, attorneys usually do not charge any fee.

A lot of asbestos attorneys have their own networks spanning over many states. Many of them even have their own websites, too. Most law firms specializing in asbestos lawsuits maintain a team of asbestos attorneys and investigators. This team is often backed by huge databases of records and depositions. Asbestos attorneys usually have to deal with all sorts of companies that do businesses involving asbestos in one form or other. Among the commonly litigated companies are mining companies, distributors, insulation contractors, brokers, and numerous other contractors where workers handle asbestos products. Contractors and site owners are held responsible for any lack of safety standards implemented for their workers.

A Brief Overview of Mesothelioma

2008-10-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the tissue which surrounds and protects various organs in the body. This tissue is called the Mesothelium, and Mesothelioma causes it to become abnormal, divide without control, and invade and damage nearby organs. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma which affects the sac that lines the chest cavity and protects the lungs (the pleura). Other forms are peritoneum mesothelioma (which affects the abdominal cavity) and pericardium mesothelioma (affecting the lining around the heart). The tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) although they are most often malignant.

Causes

Mesothelioma is caused by the inhalation of asbestos, a fibrous carcinogenic. These fibres lodge themselves in the lining of the lung affecting the mesothelial cells. Sometimes they cause scarring of the lungs (which is called asbestosis) but this is not cancerous. They can, however, trigger tumour growth between 20 to 50 years after they are inhaled (the average is 35 to 40 years). Asbestos fibres which are swallowed can reach the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing peritoneal mesothelioma.

It is generally the case that the longer or more intense the exposure to asbestos the more likely Mesothelioma is to occur. However, there are cases of people getting Mesothelioma years after having worked with it for just a few months. The families of asbestos workers are also at risk as they would possibly have been exposed to asbestos fibres on the clothing of their loved ones.

The dangers of asbestos are now well known, but this was not always the case. Before the 1970s asbestos was a primary insulating material with little or no control in its use or handling. The resulting increase in cases of Mesothelioma is a direct cause of these past practices.

Symptoms

Mesothelioma is often advanced before symptoms occur. This means that the prognosis is not usually very good, with the average survival time for all stages of Malignant Mesothelioma being about one year. Symptoms resemble pneumonia, which coughs, breathing difficulties and abdominal pain being common.

Treatments

Mesothelioma can be treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, or a combination of the three.

Surgery

Extra pleural pneumonectomy is where the entire lung and a portion of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm, and some or the entire sac which surrounds the heart is removed.

Wide local excision targets and removes the cancer and a limited amount of the healthy tissue surrounding the cancerous region.

Pleurectomy and decortication removes part of the covering of the lungs, as well as the lining of the chest and portions of the outside covering of the lungs.

Pleurodesis uses a blend of chemicals and/or drugs to create an intentional scar between the layers of the pleura. Post surgery, the space created by the scar must be drained, using either a catheter or chest tube, and is then filled with a chemical which inhibits the accumulation of fluid in the pleura cavity.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells.

In External radiation therapy a machine emits radiation in a targeted stream at a certain portion of the body

Internal radiation therapy uses needles, seeds and catheters to place radioactive substance directly on or near the cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses cancer targeting drugs to stop the cells them from dividing and thus prevent their growth.

2006 Lung Cancer Stats for California - Good News or Bad?

2008-10-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

The California Cancer Registry and the American Cancer Society have just released a new booklet "California Cancer Facts and Figures, 2006". For those of you living in California with any form of cancer, I urge you to get this informative booklet.

For this report, I will just be focusing on the stats for Lung Cancer in California. California is a leader in tobacco tax initiatives. Following the cancer trends in California will determine what measures the rest of the country must take to decrease the lung cancer rates overall.

Good News! - Basically

Basically, the news is very good. From the period of 1988 - 2002, all types of incidences of cancer in California went down by 12%. Cancer mortality declined by 19%. Thanks to Proposition 99 - the California tobacco control initiative passed in 1988, tobacco-related cancers sharply declined, much more than any other state. Tobacco-related cancers include cancers of the lung, larynx, mouth, pancreas, stomach and bladder. However, lung cancer still causes more deaths than any other cancer.

What About New Cases?

Out of all Californians alive today, about 15 million will eventually get some form of cancer, that is about two in five. Over the years, cancer will strike around three out of every four families. This year alone, there will be more than 15 new cases diagnosed every hour of every day. For men, of all the new cases diagnosed, 13% of them will have lung cancer. For women, that number is 12%.

Tobacco-Related Cancers

Presently, about 85% of lung cancer is caused by cigarette smoking. However, many other cancers are caused by tobacco as well. Overall, one of every three cancer deaths is due to tobacco. The incidence of lung cancer decreased by 26% in the time period mentioned above. Needless to say, for those smokers who have quit smoking, your chances of getting lung cancer decreases over time. After 15 years, the risk is only slightly higher than among people who have never smoked.

Secondhand Smoke

I think we all know by now that secondhand smoke has been determined to cause cancer in humans. But did you know that every year in the U.S., about 3,000 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer directly as a result of secondhand smoke? The most recent high-profile example is Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve. It is believed she may have contracted it from secondhand smoke as a result of her years as an entertainer in music clubs.

Secondhand smoke is particularly harmful to children. The good news is in 2004, more than 80% of California households with children younger than 5 completely stopped smoking in the home.

Alarming Smoking Trends

Given that lung cancer rates in California have dropped significantly, it would be logical to assume that the smoking rates have also dropped, wouldn't it? And in fact they have, among most adults and teenagers. In 2004, 15% of California adults still smoked.

The alarming trend is the increase in 18-24 year old smokers. They are the fastest growing rate of smokers in California and the tobacco companies are targeting them as the "smokers of the future". The smoking rate for 18-24 year olds was 18% in 2004.

What Can Be Done?

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in California. All cancers caused by tobacco and heavy use of alcohol can be prevented completely. In 2006, 18,000 Californians will die because of tobacco use.

Early diagnosis can save lives by identifying cancer when it is in the curable stage. The five year survival rate for most cancers is very good if it's caught early. Unfortunately, the statistics for lung cancer are not so good, mostly because it is difficult to diagnose early enough.

The California tobacco control initiative has helped to put a dent in the lung cancer rate. Californians need to stay informed and aware. More cigarette tax legislation is on the way.

By GiGi Konwin

10 Options in Treating Mesothelioma

2008-10-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

As with any cancer, treatment for Mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer, the progression of the disease, the age as well as state of health of the patient.

It is the oncologist who specializes in the disease who will decide on the line of treatment. The disease is difficult to treat and in most cases the prognosis is poor. Treatment options include:

1. If the diagnosis is done in the early stages surgery may be recommended to remove all cancerous tissues. This means thoracoscopy, VATS or video assisted thoracic surgery, mediastinoscopy (used for staging), or laproscopy. Often, doctors will advise palliative procedures like chest tube drainage and pleurodesis, thoracoscopy and pleurodesis, pleuroperitonial shunt, or pleurectomy, which treat the symptoms of mesothelioma rather than the disease.

2. Radiation is prescribed aggressively for mesothelioma patients and is often given in combination with surgery or in order to control symptoms, palliatively. Research on using radiation therapy using implants or UV light therapy is in progress as traditional radiation therapy damages surrounding healthy tissue.

3. Chemotherapy is an option and around 12-20% of patients respond to the drugs. Anti-cancer drugs destroy cancer cells and prevent their spread. In mesothelioma, chemotherapy is not considered to be curative. The aim is to prevent spread of the disease; shrink the tumor prior to surgery, known as neoadjuvant therapy; to annihilate any remains of the tumor in the body post surgery; and to relieve pain and other discomfort, palliative chemotherapy. Experts recommend prescribing premetrexed along with cisplastin. These drugs have shown positive results and this is now standard care for Mesothelioma not treatable by surgery.

4. Biological therapy using interleukin 2.

5. Immunotherapy where the body’s own immune system is stimulated to fight the disease. Biological response modifiers, BRMs, are used in treatment. These enhance the functions of the immune system; regulate metabolic reactions that promote growth of cancers; alter cancer cell division; block or reverse processes that lead to formation of cancers; and prevent spread of cancer.

6. Gene therapy, where attempts are made to correct the gene sequence that causes the cancer. This is of two kinds, replacement gene therapy and knockout gene therapy.

7. Administration of lovastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug.

8. Photodynamic treatment where a photosensitive medication is activated using a laser. This is done during the surgical removal of cancerous tissues.

9. Draining of fluid in the chest or abdominal cavity followed by introduction of medications into the cavity to prevent fluid accumulation is done for patients who have uncontrolled fluid accumulation and intense discomfort stemming from it.

10. Combination therapy or Trimodal therapy which means surgery accompanied by radiation and chemotherapy.

Often, complementary medicines are also used. Termed to be holistic this kind of treatment focuses on a patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being.

In the case of Mesothelioma which is untreatable one can opt for clinical trials of new treatments that are in progress in several research laboratories and centers. The best advice on the line of treatment would be that recommended by the oncologist or physician.

by: Paul Wilson

9/11 Impact On Mesothelioma: Researchers Worry

2008-10-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Researchers and experts are concerned about the possible impact of the 9/11 disaster on mesothelioma in the coming years and decades.

It is generally agreed that the large amounts of asbestos released during the 9/11 disaster will have a substantial impact on the number of new mesothelioma cases in the United States in years to come.

9/11 concerns over new mesothelioma cases are further complicated by the fact that it usually takes 20 to 40 years after asbestos exposure for mesothelioma cases to start developing. Currently there are about 3,500 mesothelioma cases being treated annually in the country.

And even where mesothelioma does occur, it is not known exactly how many of these patients will be actually treated because there is usually a large number who are misdiagnosed as having metastatic adenocarcinoma which is another different form of cancer. This could further worsen the impact of 9/11 on new mesothelioma cases over the next couple of decades.

Then there are the usual problems that hinder treatment of mesothelioma like the medical community not bothering to refer patients to centers where potentially curative treatment can be given because it is generally believed that the disease has no known cure. The truth is that although mesothelioma experts are far from having a cure for all patients, recent developments of more effective treatments including radical surgery and advanced radiotherapeutic modalities now offer much better odds for longer survival to patients suffering from mesothelioma.

Before 9/11, researchers had expected the number of new mesothelioma cases to peak in the next few years and probably begin to fall. More so because of the major asbestos control initiatives of the 1970s.

By Chris Kavila

Mesothelioma Symptoms Information

2008-10-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma can be described as a rare type of cancer which is caused due to the exposure of humans to asbestos. In more clear words, mesothelioma occurs when asbestos are inhaled and absorbed into the individuals bloodstream which results in the formation of a cancerous coating on the internal body organs of patients.

Pleural Mesothelioma is considered as the most common type of mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma creates a tumor on the pleura - the sac which lines the chest cavity protecting the human lungs. Peritoneal Mesothelioma is another type of mesothelioma which affects the peritoneum of the human abdominal cavity. There are also several other forms which effect various areas such as the lining of the heart and abdomen.

Causes of Mesothelioma

As mentioned earlier, exposure to asbestos is the main reason for mesothelioma cancer. Asbestos is a heat resistant fibrous mineral which is commonly used for various industrial purposes. Asbestos is widely used as the main object in creating gasket compounds, roofing, patching compounds, and floor tiles. Asbestos dust is injurious to the human body, and may invariably lead to this cancerous condition if exposed to for a longer period of time.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

According to physicians, mesothelioma is common with people working with asbestos. It is reported that the effect of a couple of weeks or even less can result in the risk of mesothelioma. The effect is not immediate and to say an average it takes around 35 to 45 years to develop a malignant tumor. Mesothelioma cancer is mostly seen in miners, factory workers, railroad laborers, ship builders, insulation workers, and gas mask makers.

Some of the main symptoms of mesothelioma cancer include breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, bowel obstruction, and continuous coughing causing chest and stomach pains.

Treatments

With the advancement in science and technology, newer treatment techniques have been introduced, and some of it is looking promising as well.

Today, there are several procedures used for mesothelioma treatment. The type of mesothelioma treatment purely depends on several factors such as the health and age of the patient, location of the cancer, and the stage of the disease.

The main form of treatment for mesothelioma is surgery to remove the tumor and some of the tissue around the infected part. For cancer of the pleura, an operation known as pneumonectomy is usually done to remove a lung. In certain cases, the diaphragm, the muscle just below the lungs which aids in breathing is removed.

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, is another method of mesothelioma treatment. In this treatment high energy rays are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumor affected cells.