About

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It is used to describe a cancerous tumor which involves the mesothelial cells of an organ, usually the lungs or abdominal organs.

The most common type of mesothelioma is the pleural mesothelioma. The pleura is a thin membrane found between the lungs and the chest cavity. It provides a lubricated surface so that the lungs do not chafe against the chest walls. Thus, a pleural mesothelioma is often referred to as a “lung” cancer.

Another form of mesothelioma is the peritoneal mesothelioma. The peritoneum is the membrane that encloses the organs of the abdomen. While peritoneal mesothelioma is less common than pleural mesothelioma, it tends to be more invasive, and may thus result in a shorter life expectancy for the patient. Mesothelioma has also been found in the stomach and other abdominal organs.

Why Me?

A common question posed by persons afflicted with mesothelioma is, “Why did this disease develop in me?” The answer is nearly always the same-exposure to asbestos. When diagnosed in the United States, its onset is typically linked to a history of exposure to asbestos fiber. Asbestos is a mineral that was used for decades as a thermal insulation material. It has been widely known since the 1920’s that asbestos is a carcinogen, which means that it causes cancer in humans. However, asbestos was used as an insulator until the mid-1970’s, andis still present in massive quantities in many buildings today. Unfortunately, in many cases very little exposure is required to set this cancer in motion.

Mesothelioma symptoms can be very general and therefore they are often ignored. In most cases, symptoms for this type of cancer arise 2 to 3 months before the cancer is found.

Management of mesothelioma depends largely on the staging of the tumor. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention may lengthen life expectancy. Depending on the age and physical condition of the patient, however, surgery may not be a viable option. In addition to surgical options, radiation treatment and chemotherapy may be helpful in the overall therapeutic program. Pain management and home care are typical alternatives in the later stages of the disease.

See below to learn about the respective symptoms of each type of mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma symtoms include:

- Wight loss
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Belly pain

Pleural mesothelioma symptoms include:

- Trouble swallowing
- Tireness
- Weight loss
- Progressive loss of appetite’
- Fluid in the ches cavity called “Pleural effusions”
- Pain at the side of the chest or the lower back
- Fever
- Difficulty sleeping
- Cough

Where Do I Go From Here?

After diagnosis, it is important to understand your treatment options. Your doctor or oncologist will provide you with information on the treatments that are available to you.

It is also important to know about your legal rights. If you have mesothelioma, or any other asbestos-related disease, you were most likely exposed to asbestos. Many of the manufacturers of asbestos insulation products knew for decades that asbestos was hazardous, yet made a business decision not to warn people of those hazards. As a result, you may have a right of recovery against those manufacturers, which can help defray the costs of treatment and provide compensation for your pain and suffering.

For information on the legal implications of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, please Contact Us.

Asbestos Related to Most Common Kidney Cancer

Exposure to asbestos may lead to renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, an Italian study shows.

The link to kidney cancer adds to the horrific history of asbestos, a substance definitively recognized as a cause of mesothelioma, lung cancer and a variety of other respiratory illnesses.

In the past, a handful of other cancers were inconclusively linked to asbestos exposure. However, the research team at the University of Pavia in Italy made its case for asbestos as a probable cause of renal cell carcinoma.

“The findings did surprise me. It was something I had not suspected before,” Stefano Candura, Pavia professor and lead author of the study, told Asbestos.com. “This was a case report on a controversial issue. It may imply that asbestos is a multitarget carcinogen.”

Asbestos Causes Both Malignancies

Scientific journal La Medicina del Lavoro published the study earlier this year.

The case involved a 76-year-old man with seven years of occupational exposure in a factory, where his duties included cutting asbestos cement panels with an electric saw.

Doctors diagnosed him with kidney cancer and removed the diseased organ. Fourteen months later, he died of peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer which begins in the lining of the abdomen.

It is a rare, aggressive cancer, and the second most common form of mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is diagnosed in fewer than 500 people annually in the U.S.

“Asbestos might be involved in the causation of both malignancies,” Candura wrote in the study. “A causal role of occupational asbestos exposure in the genesis of kidney cancer is supported by several case-control and cohort studies.”

The Italian study marks the second time scientific literature includes a reported case associating kidney cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma. It’s a rare combination. A Japanese study first noted the relationship in 2007.

Although it is not unusual for peritoneal mesothelioma to metastasize and invade abdominal organs, the study shows there was no evidence of metastasis involving the diseased kidney.

Asbestos Exposure Is Not a Well-Known Risk Factor

Obesity, smoking and genetic predisposition are typical risk factor for kidney cancers.

Some studies have included an association with exposure to several industrial chemicals. Asbestos is mentioned by some epidemiologists.

Many previous patient autopsies have shown the presence of asbestos fibers in the urinary tracts. The kidneys of patients heavily exposed to asbestos contained large amounts of the mineral’s fibers.

“It is conceivable that the two malignancies share some etiologic factors,” the authors of the Italian study wrote. “Asbestos is the most likely candidate. While the role of this agent in the causation of mesothelioma is well established, evidence for a carcinogenic effect on the kidney is conflicting.”

Candura also believes the asbestos and renal carcinoma link could have legal implications withoccupational-related compensation claims and life expectancy predictions.

“There should be greater awareness that peritoneal mesothelioma and renal carcinoma may occur concurrently,” the authors wrote. “The presence of MM [malignant mesothelioma] may in fact prevent accurate recognition of the concomitant kidney neoplasm, and vice versa.”

Researchers Discover New Mesothelioma Blood Biomarker

An international team of scientists recently identified a new blood biomarker for mesotheliomathat should help with early diagnosis, prognosis accuracy and the personalization of treatment.

Researchers identified activin A, a protein complex found in the blood, as a potential target for future therapies.

“Blood derived biomarkers are important because they can be noninvasively measured, even at multiple stages,” Dr. Balazs Hegedus, at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, told Asbestos.com. “They can help make the best personalized therapeutic decisions.”

In addition to Hegedus, cancer specialists from Hungary, Switzerland and Australia participated in the study published in the latest issue of European Journal of Cancer.

They measured the activin A levels of 129 patients in four locations, 16 patients with nonmalignant pleural diseases and 45 healthy people for a comparison.

Researchers found significantly higher activin A levels in patients with mesothelioma and increased tumor volume correlated directly with the higher levels of the circulating protein. They also discovered patients with lower levels of activin A at diagnosis lived significantly longer.

Activin A Helps with Histology

The patients with nonmalignant diseases had only a slight increase in activin A, which also helped determine the histological classification of mesothelioma. Those with sarcomatoid and biphasic mesothelioma — the two toughest types to treat — had significantly higher levels of activin A than the epithelioid type.

Activin A is the first mesothelioma biomarker to better identify histological differences. Other biomarkers, such as fibulin-3, are unable to make the distinction.

Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer, is caused by inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers. It is difficult to diagnose, and it often metastasizes before doctors can positively identify it.

An earlier diagnosis, which is possible with a biomarker like activin A, would make it more treatable and provide a better chance of survival. The majority of patients now live less than 15 months after diagnosis.

Biomarker Could Personalize Mesothelioma Treatment

The most effective treatment approach is a multidisciplinary plan that includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It has led to survival times of two or three years or beyond.

Too often, though, the aggressive treatment approach still leads to a decline in quality of life without significantly extending survival time.

The problem: Accurately advising which patients truly would gain from the aggressive approach. This biomarker should make it easier for physicians to advise their patients.

“The multimodal treatment can be very demanding and should only be offered to patients who can really benefit from it,” Balazs said. “Any marker that can help identify patients with dismal or better prognosis can help with those decisions.”

Study results showed patients diagnosed with lower levels of activin A had an average survival time of 735 days. Those with higher levels survived an average of 365 days, regardless of treatment decisions.

The prognostic benefit of activin A is most effective in patients younger than 66, according to the study. The authors also said the biomarker was more effective for those with the epithelioid histology.

While the diagnostic and prognostic benefits may be immediate, therapeutic gains may take years. Previous preclinical in vitro studies have shown mesothelioma tumor cells potentially use activin A signaling to support growth, but more studies are needed to confirm how.

“If this signaling becomes [treatable] with targeted therapy, it might have therapeutic relevance,” Balazs said. “But we are not there yet.”

ONCOS-102 Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Promises Hope

Scandinavian-based Targovax launched the latest immunotherapy clinical trial for pleural mesothelioma, hoping it delivers a better way to treat patients with asbestos-related diseases.

The randomized phase Ib/II trial evaluates the performance of ONCOS-102, an engineered human adenovirus designed to induce systemic, anti-tumor responses.

Researchers are administering the immunotherapy drug as first-line therapy in combination withchemotherapy using pemetrexed and cisplatin.

“Based on what we’ve seen in our first study of patients with various solid tumor types, which is good tolerance and response in a couple of mesothelioma patients, we’re quite hopeful for something positive from this trial,” Dr. Magnus Jaderberg, chief medical officer at Targovax, told Asbestos.com. “There is a lot of excitement.”

Doctors will inject ONCOS-102 directly into the tumor lesions of the pleura, the thin lining around the lungs. Each patient in the multicenter trial will receive six treatments in a five-month period. The trial involves 30 mesothelioma patients.

How Does ONCOS-102 Work?

The virus is engineered to replicate only in tumor cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

That process breaks down cancer cells, which release specific tumor signals picked up by immune cells. Those immune cells then find and attack the tumor.

Because ONCOS-102 is derived from an adenovirus, it produces minor flu-like symptoms, such as chills and fevers, which may last a few days.

Impressive Tumor Reduction in Early Phase

The clinical trial’s first patient in Barcelona, Spain, received his initial immunotherapy dosage in June. France, Italy and the U.K. also are serving as host sites for the clinical trial.

Optimism about the drug stems partially from an earlier phase I trial in Finland involving various solid tumors and progressive disease that no longer responded to chemotherapy.

ONCOS-102 elicited a 40 percent disease stabilization rate across all tumor types in that trial. The study group included two mesothelioma patients who responded well. One of those patients showed a 47 percent reduction in tumor size.

Also in Finland, a compassionate-use program of ONCOS-102 that allowed access to the yet unapproved drug included 115 patients with various solid tumors such as mesothelioma. Because it was not a controlled study, there were no definitive conclusions, but Jaderberg reported patients exhibited good tolerance and clinical responses to the drug.

Last summer, a preclinical animal study involving mesothelioma tumor cells also demonstrated synergy between ONCOS-102 and the same chemotherapy combination.

“Mesothelioma is known as a highly malignant disease which is usually diagnosed too late for surgery, and as a result, there is very little that patients can be treated with,” Jaderberg said. “New therapies are needed. We hope our immunotherapy can provide additional benefit to standard of care chemotherapy.”

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no approved second-line treatments for mesothelioma patients with unresectable disease.

Immunotherapy Critical to the Future of Cancer Treatment

The phase I study induced tumor specific immune activation at systemic and lesional levels linked to clinical benefit.

Most medical professionals believe the future of cancer care rests in immunotherapy drugs that use a patient’s own immune system to fight off disease. There are dozens of immunotherapy drugs now in the developmental pipeline.

Patients generally tolerate immunotherapy drugs well and without the harsh side effects of typical chemotherapy. These drugs initially complement traditional multidisciplinary treatment that may include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Targovax also is planning to launch trials of ONCOS-102 later this year for melanoma, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. The melanoma and ovarian cancer trials will include sites within the United States.

“Based on data we have generated so far, I would say there is a good chance that we will find solid tumors where we will show enhanced efficacy,” he said. “I hope one of those will be mesothelioma.”

IMPRINT Mesothelioma Treatment Boosts Radiation Therapy

Doctors confirmed a novel radiation procedure can be combined safely and effectively with aggressive lung-sparing surgery to improve survival time and quality of life for patients with mesothelioma.

After a decade of refinement, a small number ofmesothelioma specialty centers now are using intensity-modulated pleural radiation therapy (IMPRINT) as part of the recent advancements in multidisciplinary treatments.

“We’re hoping that all centers with experience in treating mesothelioma will now look at this as another technique to put in their arsenal,” radiation oncologist Dr. Kenneth Rosenzweig of the Mount Sinai Medical Center told Asbestos.com. “It’s exciting that technology has caught up with what we needed to help these patients.”

Rosenzweig has treated mesothelioma for 20 years. He was an early contributor to the recent multicenter, phase II study of IMPRINT that found an acceptably low incidence of radiation pneumonitis (RP), a potential adverse side effect. The Journal of Clinical Oncology published that study in June.

The study included patients at a New York cancer center, where Rosenzweig previously worked, and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Helps Lung-Sparing Surgery

The findings should strengthen the growing belief among mesothelioma specialists that the lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) is a better option for most surgical candidates than theextrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), which removes the entire lung.

Conventional radiation techniques of the past successfully decreased the risk of regional recurrence after an EPP, but it was difficult to safely deliver the same dosage levels without excessive toxicity to the lung after P/D surgery.

“One concern for surgeons was that if they don’t remove the lung, and the patient does need radiation afterward, there isn’t going to be a way to do it effectively. That was the challenge we were trying to overcome,” Rosenzweig said. “But now I think if a surgeon has concerns about doing a more limited resection (P/D), we can allay that at this point.”

The trial started with 45 patients who received pemetrexed, plus cisplatin or carboplatin chemotherapy. Eighteen of those were ineligible because of chemotherapy complications, disease progression or refusal of either surgery or radiation therapy.

Researchers began the IMPRINT stage with the remaining participants.

Manageable Rate of Side Effects

Eight eligible patients developed grade 2 or grade 3 radiation pneumonitis, a condition that creates pneumonia-like symptoms. All eight, though, recovered quickly after corticosteroid treatment. There were no grade 4 or 5 cases of radiation pneumonitis.

Twenty-one patients underwent P/D surgery. The other six were deemed unresectable and did not have surgery between chemotherapy and radiation.

The median progression-free survival and overall survival of all patients was 12.4 months and 23.7 months, respectively. Surgical patients had overall survival rates of 80 percent for one year and 59 percent for two years.

The one-year survival rate was 74 percent for those with unresectable disease, but the two-year survival rate dropped to just 25 percent.

Chemotherapy response played a big role in the survival rate, according to the study authors.

There was a 100 percent one-year survival rate and a 53 percent two-year survival rate for those with at least a partial response to chemotherapy.

“We know that giving radiation after surgery makes it less likely for the tumor to come back, but it’s very challenging to deliver it safely when the lung is still there,” Rosenzweig said. “Over the last 10 to 12 years, we’ve been working on this technique to deliver it safely. This is very encouraging.”

Rosenzweig believes the study results will encourage more cancer centers to embrace the IMPRINT technique.

He also believes the next step is a larger, randomized, multicenter trial that will be even more convincing and ultimately improve the therapeutic options for mesothelioma patients.

“Even if radiation isn’t the ultimate cure, it’s still a good thing if we can get patients a significant amount of quality time with minimal side effects,” he said. “It’s a sign that things are getting better.”

Asbestos Attorneys Newyork

New York Asbestos Attorney Joseph P. Williams

Joseph P. Williams is an accomplished New York-based mesothelioma attorney with a nationwide reach and a proven record of success helping mesothelioma patients and other victims of negligence recover the financial security they need.

Mr. Williams has established a national reputation as a champion for asbestos exposure victims and their families built on more than 15 years of experience as a lead trial attorney for major New York City law firms that represent workplace negligence victims and their family members. He has successfully tried hundreds of cases before juries including over a dozen consolidated trial groups of up to ten mesothelioma cases at a time.  He has been involved in attaining hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for individuals and families coping with the devastating effects of:

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestos-related lung cancer
• Defective drugs and medical devices
• Truck accidents
• Construction accidents
• Defective products

New York asbestos attorney Joseph Williams has represented workers and their families for almost every union in New York State including:

• Painters District Council No. 9
• Pavers and Road Builders District Council No.1
• Plasterers Local 262
• Plumber Local 1
• Roofers Local 8
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 28 and 137
• Steamfitter Local 638
• Teamsters Local 282 and 814
• Tile, Marble & Terrazo B.A.C. Local 7
• Boilermakers Local 5
• Bricklayers Local 1
• Blasters and laborers union - Local 29
• Building Trades Maintenance Division
• Carpenters District Council
• Cement Masons No. 780
• Drywall Tapers 1974
• Electrical Local 3
• Elevator Constructors No. 1
• Engineers Local 14, 15, 30, 94
• Heat & Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local 12 and 12A
• Iron Workers Local 40 and 361
• Laborers Asbestos and Lead Abatement Local 78
• Laborers Local 79, 8A and 731
• Millwright and Machinery Erectors Local 740
• Ornamental Iron Workers Local 580

Mr. Williams earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of Albany in 1989. In 1992, he achieved his juris doctor from the Brooklyn Law School, which is consistently ranked among the nation’s top law schools and where Mr. Williams served as chairman of the Moot Court Honor Society.

Mr. Williams worked as an assistant district attorney from 1992 to 1996 before entering private practice as an aggressive advocate for negligence victims and their families. He is admitted to practice in all New York state courts, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

As part of his commitment to offering clients the most effective and personalized representation possible, Mr. Williams is an active member of several legal organizations including:

• The American Association for Justice
• The New York State Trial Lawyers Association
• The New York State Bar Association
• The New York County Lawyers Association
• The Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Mr. Williams is a contributor to the American Cancer Society and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.

If you or a loved one developed mesothelioma or lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos, or if you or a family member suffered a severe injury due to the negligence of another, Mr. Williams and the team at The Williams Law Firm, P.C. want you to know you do not have to face the challenges alone. At The Williams Law Firm, P.C. , every prospective client receives a free case consultation and a no-fee promise.

Please contact The Williams Law Firm, P.C. online or call 855-955-MESO (6376) to schedule your free consultation. New York mesothelioma attorney Joseph P. Williams serves clients from Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and across the United States.

Mesothelioma causes

For over a hundred years asbestos and united states have been partners in cancer. Most individuals who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma had occupations where these folks were exposed to and breathed asbestos dust particles. Mesothelioma is a term cancer that could be either benign or malignant. It is throughout the mesothelium the thin protective tissue overlaying most bodily organs. The one recognised cause for mesothelioma is a result of being subjected to and breathing of asbestos dust via a flight.

Breathing asbestos dust over extended intervals of energy can lead to asbestosis, a persistent progressive lung disease, in addition to cancer of the lung and mesothelioma. Although asbestos and cancer of the lung have had a unmistakable association for several years, fresh cases of asbestos-triggered cancer carry on and appear yearly.

Asbestos is generally present in the manufacturing, mining, milling, application, or removing of asbestos materials. Although asbestos was banned decades ago still it exists in product which had been produced prior to the ban was passed. The risk of setting up a progressive lung disease, united states, or mesothelioma is a member of the overall lifetime experience of asbestos dust particles.

Asbestos can be a group of naturally sourced minerals that are resistant to fire and chemicals. They are fibrous mineral kinds of impure magnesium silicate and located in fire-proofing materials, electrical insulation, cement, shingles, acoustic and decorative ceiling or wall plaster, as well as other building materials. When removing, fixing, or disturbing asbestos-containing supplies, microscopic asbestos dust particles could be dispersed in the air. Once airborne they could be inhaled in the lungs, producing mesothelioma, cancer, and progressive lung disease.

Asbestos isn’t actual causative factor of cancer, but is really a promoter on the illness. Once asbestos particles are inhaled into your lungs the human body’s immune system cells seek to remove them as well they can. In spite of this, the immune cells die which trigger our bodies to produce keloid surrounding the lifeless cells. The scarring continues to develop until it comes with an adequate quantity to cause the lungs to cease functioning. The risk of getting united states is increased in tobacco users with asbestosis. The possibility of getting united states is tremendously increased in people who are both intense smokers and come across asbestos fibers.

Cancer inside the mesothelium is often a result of abnormal tissue cells dividing out of hand. Cancer cells can metastasize, meaning they will invade tissues which could be close to the part of cancer, and distribute by way from the lymphatic system and bloodstream to several locations from the human body. Mesothelial cancerous tumors usually grow in the mesothelium in the peritoneum or pleura. Pleura will be the skinny membrane overlaying both from the lungs which folds to create a chest cavity lining. The peritoneum surrounds the walls in the abdominal cavity which wrap around the soft bodily organs. Primary mesothelial tumors on the tissue around the heart are rare.

Diseases owing to the inhalation of asbestos dust particles normally don’t present symptoms for countless years after the demonstration of exposure. By the time the illness is found it is usually in its later stages. Because of this, mesotheliomas due to exposure are often deadly into two to 4 years following diagnosis. The National Cancer Institute is constantly sponsor scientific trials, hoping that they may someday create a remedy or at least new and improved therapy.

It is essential to take out or seal any asbestos-containing items which you may become subjected to. The asbestos removal expense is well worth the reassurance you will obtain realizing a person breathing this deadly substance.

If you have already been diagnosed with asbestos cancer, generally known as mesothelioma, you can go to asbestos.com and get a complimentary packet which has details about specific therapies targeted at your explicit diagnosis. The packet also may include top mesothelioma medical professionals and cancer facilities through the entire nation, as well as several choices for monetary assistance that might help buy therapeutic costs.

If asbestos backpacks are in your residence you have to have them removed or sealed right this moment. Discover how much the normal asbestos removal cost ought to be and valuable details regarding asbestos and cancer of the lung.

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