Mesothelioma Research

No matter what type of cancer you have or disease you always want to know that doctors are working on finding a cure.
For Mesothelioma like many other cancers still have no cure.
However doctors are still continuing to find new treatments and hopefully one day a cure.
The downfall with mesothelioma is so many people are diagnosed to late, and unfortunatly is in advanced stages.
Because there has been such an up rise in the disease doctors are starting to take more notice in the cancer.
More researchers are on board now and looking for better treatments and hopefully a cure.

All newly developed drugs are tested in clinics by people who already have mesothelioma.
Of course the sucess of these drugs are found out in these clinics. If they are sucessful they will be approved by the FDA and marketed, or thrown away and have to start all over again.

Chemotherapy is still the most popular treatment for cancer. It is used to relieve symptoms of mesothelioma and to make the patient feel more comfortable.
They are making progress with chemotherapy vs the cancer but still not a cure.
The newest drug is Alimta,when used with another long-used chemo drug called Cisplatin, this is the only FDA approved agent specifically used to fight malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Another drug waiting to be approved by the FDA is called Onconase. Its the first drug in its class that has been shown to target cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone.

There are usually 3 different phases to a clinical trial.
Phase 1-usually they enroll a small group of people and test them on how the new drug is going to react and be abministered.

Phase 2-trials usually give early information whether or not a new drug will work. It also provides information about safety and benefits.

Phase 3-they compare the new drugs with the current treatment. Usually people from all over participate in this phase. They will receive the new treatment or the standard treatment.

It's up to you wheither you want to participate in a clinical trial. Not everyone is up for being experimented on.
There will always be side effect that are not aware of yet, but the doctors are always there.

Not everybody is going to be eligiable to participate in a study, but if you're intrested in finding out more information please call toll-free 1-877-FOR-MESO (367-6376)
Also if your interested in seeing all the current clinical trials available please check it out at my website- www.mesotheliomadiagnosisandinformation.blogspot.com.
It will be under favorite links on the right side of the page.

Mesothelioma Stages

Putting cancer into stages helps the doctors to determine the extent of the cancer.
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of this disease and has been put into a staging system.
A staging system has not yet been in place for Peritoneal and Pericardial, which are not as common as Pleural.

There are three systems that are used to stage Pleural Mesothelioma which are:
Butchart, TNM, and Brigham.
Each of these systems are a little different, your physician will make the decision on which system will be used.

The Butchart System
This system is the oldest one in place and is most commonly used amoung patients.
This system is based on the extent of primary tumor mass

-Stage 1: Mesothelioma is shown in the right or left pleura(the thin, transparent membrane which covers the lungs and lines the inside of the chest walls)
It may also involve the diaphragm

-Stage 2: Mesothelioma has entered the chest wall or involves the esophagus.
Lymph nodes may also be involved in stage 2.

-Stage 3: Mesothelioma has gone through the diaphragm into the lining of the abdominal cavity or peritoneum.
They lymph nodes beyond the chest may also be affected.

Stage 4: There is evidence that th mesothelioma has spread through the bloodstream to other organs.

The TNM System
-Stage 1: Mesothelioma is in the right or left pleura, which may also have spread to the lung, pericardium(the fluid filled sac around the heart),or diaphragm on the same side

Stage 2: Mesothelioma has now spread still on the same side to lymph nodes.
It could also have spread to the lung, pericardium or diaphragm

Stage 3: Mesothelioma has now spread into the chest wall, muscle, ribs, heart, esophagus or other organ in the chest.
These areas are still on the same side where it started

Stage 4: Mesothelioma has now spread to the other side of the chest in the lymph nodes.
It may also extend to the pleura or lung on the opposite side, or directly has gone into organs in the abdominal cavity or neck.

The Brigham System
This system is the least used out of the three for diagnosis. With this system they talk about the ability to surgically remove the tumor and the involvement of the lymph nodes. Most cases of Mesothelioma is diagnosed in later stages where surgery is no longer an option.

Stage 1: Mesothelioma at this point is removed with surgery

Stage 2: Mesothelioma is still removed with surgery at this point, however the lymph nodes are now involved

Stage 3: Mesothelioma in this stage is no longer able to be removed with surgery.
It has spread into the chest wall, heart, or through the diaphragm or peritoneum; and is with or without extra-thoracic lymph node involvement at this time

Stage 4: At this point the cancer has spread through the entire body.

Rare and Serious, Mesothelioma is a Dangerous Disease

Asbestos, a fire-proof material that used to be commonly used, is a cause of mesothelioma. This rare type of lung cancer is difficult to diagnose as the symptoms coincide with symptoms for many other conditions. Mesothelioma usually lies dormant in a body’s system for about 20 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos.

Benign mesothelioma is a non-cancerous tumor of the pleura (lining of the lung and chest cavity). Nonmalignant mesothelioma is usually a localized tumor that affects men more frequently than women. The tumor may grow to a large size and compress the lung, which then causes the following symptoms: chronic cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity).

Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include anemia, blood clotting abnormalities, fever, and bowel obstruction. Symptoms such as trouble swallowing, pain, or swelling of the neck and face can be indications that the cancer has spread beyond the mesotheliom to other parts of the body. Some people experience these symptoms and they may be caused by a less severe condtion, but they are also indications of mesothelioma.

Approximately half of mesothelioma patients are asymptomatic (show no symptoms of disease). An indication of exposure to asbestos and the presence of mesothelioma that can be found by a health care provider is the physically clubbed appearance of the fingers of the patient.The health care professional may run tests that identify mesothelioma. These tests include a chest x-ray, CT scan of the chest and/or and open lung biopsy.

There is no universally accepted protocol for screening people who have been exposed to asbestos. However some research indicates that serum osteopontin levels might be useful in screening asbestos-exposed people for mesothelioma. The level of soluble mesothelin-related protein is elevated in the serum of about 75% of patients at diagnosis, and it has been suggested that assessing soluble mesothelin-related protein levels may be useful for screening.

Surgery is usually generally necessary for a solitary tumor (if found); however, according to current statistics, the outcome of the surgery is expected to be good with prompt treatment. One of the most common complications though is pleural effusion (fluid escaping into the membranes around the lungs), which can be very serious.

People involved in jobs involving construction or other professions that may involve exposure to asbestos are who usually develop mesothelioma. Also, it is possible for people who are exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in more indirect ways, such as washing the clothes of someone who worked with asbestos are at risk of contacting the disease.

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Question to ask your Doctor

After you hear the words cancer, its seems like no matter what the doctor is saying your probably not listening because all you can think about is cancer.
All of the information can be overwhelming and scary. So you want to make sure that you take someone else with you. You don't want to have to obsorb all that information yourself because you will probably miss some things that the doctors will be saying.

After you iniial visit it is best to go home and write down questions you might have for your doctor. Everyone forgets questions when you're sitting there talking to the doctor and then remember it when you get home again.

Here are some of the questions you should ask concerning mesothelioma and the treatment that goes along with it.
Your case is going to be different from another person with the same cancer.
-So ask what the recommended treatment is
-How often do you have to have treatments?
-What kind of side effects are you going to have?
-What are the benefits vs the risks of the treatment?
-Are there different treatment choices?
-Is there anything that you're missing or forgetting to ask?
-Is there anything I can read about this?

Make sure when the doctor is explaining details to you, that if you don't understand you speak up. This is your body and you need to be fully aware of what's going on or you're going to be more uneasy then you already are.

The internet is a great source for information. All you have to do is type in Mesothelioma and tons of information and sites become available to you. So don't hesitate to start reading everything you can. The more information and knowledge you have the more questions you can ask.
This will make you feel a little better knowing you have an idea of whats going on.

Clinical Trials

Pemetrexed Disodium and Either Gemcitabine or Carboplatin in Treating Patients with Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

This is the name of the clinical trial that is occuring at this time in different areas of the United States.
It's being sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

The Purpose:
Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from growing. Hopefully by using more than one drug it will end up killing the cells.

The trial is trying to find out if using pemetrexed disodium with gemcitabine is more effective than giving premetrexed disodium with carboplatin in treating malignant pleural mesothelioma.

For more information on this trial and other trials please check out:
http://www.maacenter.org/clinicaltrials

Protect Against Mesothelioma by Avoiding Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that attacks the body's mesothelial cells around the organs. The mesothelium provides a protective membranous lining for the internal organs and allows moving organs (i.e. the heart and the lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures. The names of the three regions of mesothelial cells that provide protective coating are 1) pleura, the sac which surrounds the lungs; 2) peritoneum, the lining which protects the abdominal cavity; and 3) pericardium, the sac which surrounds the heart. Three different types of mesothelioma cancer attack these three different regions.

Pleural mesothelioma: A type of lung cancer which attacks the pleura surrounding the lungs, this is the most common type of mesothelioma, affecting approximately two-thirds of all mesothelioma patients. Symptoms include horseness, fever, blood in sputum, swollen arms and face, coughing, loss of weight, difficulty breathing, chest pain, weak muscles, and reduced tactile sensitivity.

Peritoneal mesothelioma: A cancer of the abdomen which attacks the peritoneum lining the abdominal cavity. This affects approximately one-third of all mesothelioma patients. Symptoms include abdominal bloating, impaired bowl function, fever, swollen feet, and nausea.

Pericardial mesothelioma: This form of mesothelioma which attacks the pericardium surrounding the heart is extremely rare. Symptoms include chest pain, dyspnea, cough, and palpitations.

Mesothelioma has been linked to asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a type of building material used in thermal insulation products and ceiling tiles. In the United States, asbestos usage peaked during the 1950s - 1970s. During the late 1960s, concerns over the health consequences of asbestos exposure began to arise, thereby decreasing the amount of asbestos manufactured in next two decades. By the 1980s, a new industry of asbestos abatement began to flourish. But according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as many as 733,000 schools and public buildings still contain asbestos.

Small asbestos fibers that enter the air do not evaporate and can remain suspended in the air for a long time. These fibers, when breathed into the body, are toxic. There are three types of asbestos exposure.

Occupational asbestos exposure: People working in factories that manufacure asbestos are likely to have a high exposure to asbestos and are most at risk of developing asbestosis or mesothelioma.

Paraoccupational asbestos exposure: Family members of workers exposed to asbestos in the workplace are susceptible to exposure from asbestos dust brought home by the worker on his clothes or skin.

Neighborhood asbestos exposure: Those who live in the vicinity of an asbestos manufacturing plant are also at risk.

Mesothelioma is still a relatively rare form of cancer. There are an estimated 2,000 - 3,000 new cases per year in the United States. Approximately 7-13 per one million male patients with a history of asbestos exposure contract mesothelioma. Diagnosis usually occurs 20-40 years after initial exposure to asbestos.

About The Author


Jimmy Atkinson writes for the Mesothelioma Reporter at http://www.mesotheliomareporter.org.

L&S Announce Steps to Protect Against Asbestos & Mesothelioma

Lewis and Sholnick have announced the publication of some simple precautionary steps can be taken to avoid high risk situations in regards to asbestos and mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It refers specifically to a cancerous tumor which involves the mesothelial cells of an organ, usually the lungs or abdomen. Despite being classified under the rather broad category of cancer, however, Mesothelioma is unique for a number of reasons. First is the immense devastation of the disease, and the inability for modern medical techniques to significantly slow its onset or offer a cure. Approximately 75% of patients die within 18 months of the first signs of the disease. Second, is the long latency period between exposure to the cause of the disease, asbestos, and its onset. Latency runs the gamut from 15 to 50 years, meaning that a person may have been exposed to asbestos more than a half century before the first serious signs of the disease manifest themselves. The average reported latency, however, is approximately 35-40 years.

Precautionary Steps

Because of the devastating nature of the disease and because we are able to point to a single root source, asbestos exposure, there is significant reason for all individuals to take necessary precautions to avoid contraction of the disease. While certainly no steps taken can fully eliminate all risk of asbestos exposure, some simple precautionary steps can be taken to avoid high risk situations.

For instance, a responsible parent should contact their childrenís local school district. In 1986 Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, which required public and private nonprofit schools to inspect their buildings for asbestos-containing materials. Despite this, an untold number of schools either have not taken the necessary steps to eliminate the potential for asbestos exposure or the work has been done shoddily. In fact, just two years ago a New York school district was found to have high levels of asbestos despite having had a contractor "remove" the threat a mere five years before. Upon further investigation, however, the contractor used had already been cited numerous times for doing work not up to code in similar asbestos removal projects. Consequently, concerned parents should first contact their childrenís school district to receive a copy of documentation stating that indeed, proper steps were taken to remove asbestos from the building. Then, parents should do a bit of their own research via the internet and the Better Business Bureau to ensure that the contractor hired has a stellar record.

About The Author


More information can be found at http://www.lsasbestoslaw.com, a free online resource. See http://www.lsasbestoslaw.com/results.html for more information on mesothelioma and asbestos litigation.