The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has announced the opening of a docket to obtain information on the feasibility of a registry designed to track mesothelioma cases in the United States, as well as recommendations on enrollment, data collection, confidentiality, and registry maintenance. The purpose of such a registry would be to collect information that could be used to develop and improve standards of care and to identify gaps in mesothelioma prevention and treatment.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query mesothelioma. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query mesothelioma. Sort by date Show all posts
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Friday, July 20, 2012
Asbestos Cement Factories Pose High Risk Mesothelioma
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Mesothelioma of the left lower lung. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
An increased risk of developing asbestos related disease, including mesothelioma, was identified in a recent study. Asbestos exposure has caused an epidemic of claims for workers' compensation benefits in the United States decades following exposure because of the long latency period between exposure to asbestos fiber and the manifestation of disease.
To provide information on the intensity of environmental asbestos exposure, in the general population living around these factories, through the evaluation of the lung fibre
burden in mesothelioma patients.
A analysed by a scanning electron microscope equipped with X-ray microanalysis wet (formalin-fixed) lung tissue samples from eight mesothelioma patients who lived in Casale Monferrato or Bari and underwent surgery. Their occupational and residential history was obtained during face-to-face interviews. Semi-quantitative and quantitative indices of cumulative environmental exposure to asbestos were computed, based on residential distance from the AC plants and duration of stay.
The lung fibre burden ranged from 110 000 to 4 300 000 fibres per gram of dry lung (f/g) and was >1 000 000 f/g in three subjects. In four cases, only amphibole fibres were detected. Environmental exposures had ceased at least 10 years before samples were taken. No patient had other definite or probable asbestos exposures. A linear relationship was observed between the lung fibre burden and all three indices of environmental cumulative exposure to asbestos.
Environmental exposure to a mixture of asbestos fibres may lead to a high lung fibre burden of amphiboles years after exposure cessation. The epidemiological evidence of an increased mesothelioma risk for the general population of Casale Monferrato and Bari, associated with asbestos contamination of the living environment, is corroborated.
....
For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
More Blog Article on Mesothelioma
For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
More Blog Article on Mesothelioma
Oct 06, 2011
"In conclusion, malignant mesothelioma remains a rare form of cancer but the disease is on the rise, probably due to the spread of asbestos use over past decades. Our analysis shows that the disease burden is still ...
Aug 29, 2011
Scientists have found that individuals who carry a mutation in a gene called BAP1 are susceptible to developing two forms of cancer – mesothelioma, and melanoma of the eye. Additionally, when these individuals are ...
Sep 19, 2010
National Mesothelioma Awareness Day September 26. A "National Mesothelioma Awareness Day" will be commemorated on September 26, 2010. Nearly 3000 individuals are afflicted yearly with this fatal disease associated...
Apr 06, 2010
The court held that the standard of causation in a mesothelioma case permitted recovery where there was infrequent exposure to a small amount of fiber. History. "Mark Buttitta was born in December 1952. He worked as a ...
Friday, September 19, 2014
How asbestos exposure leads to mesothelioma
 SALT LAKE CITY — Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral fiber the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says was once "added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance." While treatments for mesothelioma are improving, it remains a very difficult cancer to treat, and it has no cure. Who is at risk?The unfortunate fact is short-term and one-time exposures to asbestos are known to cause mesothelioma cancer.If you've worked in shipyards and auto repair shops, or frequented homes and public buildings built prior to 1977, you may be at risk of developing the cancer. There are also several products that contain asbestos that you may have not thought of: adhesives, cements, sealers, mill board, automotive materials, paints, plasters, clay, mechanical products (like heating ducts), flooring, packing materials, fire-proofing materials, roofing, rope. According to Mesothelioma.com, other risk factors that increase the likelihood that a person will develop mesothelioma include exposure to radiation, exposure to zeolite and exposure to SV40. While smoking does not cause mesothelioma, it does not help the problem. How mesothelioma developsMesothelioma usually affects the thin protective membrane that surrounds the lungs, heart and abdominal area.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2016
New staging of mesothelioma tumors may predict outcome
A recent study indicates that a new physician staging processes by weight and volume of mesothelioma tumors may be helpful in predicting outcome. Mesothelioma is a fatal rare tumor and almost always associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. The development of mesothelioma commonly is diagnosed decades after the initial exposure to asbestos fiber.
Friday, December 3, 2010
National Mesothelioma Awareness Day Resolution Approved by Congress
The US House of Representative has passed a resolution designating September 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. The action came as the US House of Representatives unanimously, by roll call vote, approved the passage of a resolution (H. Res. 771). Representative Betty McCollum introduced the resolution that was supported by 58 co-sponsors.
The action by the House of Representatives follows prior approval of an identical resolution passed by the U.S. Senate (S. Res. 288) previously. The Senate resolution was sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (WA) and had 5 co-sponsors and was also approved by unanimous consent.
The test of the resolution is:
Whereas mesothelioma is a terminal, asbestos-related cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles;
Whereas workers exposed on a daily basis over a long period of time are most at risk, but even short-term exposures can cause the disease and an exposure to asbestos for as little as one month can result in mesothelioma 20-50 years later;
Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of virtually all office buildings, public schools, and homes built before 1975 and asbestos is still on the United States market in over 3,000 products;
Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos;
Whereas millions of workers in the United States have been, and continue to be, exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new agents to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas for decades, the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked and today, even the best available treatments usually have only a very limited effect and the expected survival time of those diagnosed with the disease is between 8 and 14 months;
Whereas mesothelioma has claimed the lives of such heroes and public servants as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., and Congressman Bruce F. Vento, and a high percentage of today's mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the United States Navy;
Whereas it is believed that many of the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers from Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, may be at increased risk of contracting mesothelioma in the future;
Whereas the establishment of a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day would raise public awareness of the disease and of the need to develop treatments and enhance public awareness for it; and
Whereas cities and localities across the country are recognizing September 26 as Mesothelioma Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
Related articles
The action by the House of Representatives follows prior approval of an identical resolution passed by the U.S. Senate (S. Res. 288) previously. The Senate resolution was sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (WA) and had 5 co-sponsors and was also approved by unanimous consent.
The test of the resolution is:
Whereas mesothelioma is a terminal, asbestos-related cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles;
Whereas workers exposed on a daily basis over a long period of time are most at risk, but even short-term exposures can cause the disease and an exposure to asbestos for as little as one month can result in mesothelioma 20-50 years later;
Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of virtually all office buildings, public schools, and homes built before 1975 and asbestos is still on the United States market in over 3,000 products;
Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos;
Whereas millions of workers in the United States have been, and continue to be, exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new agents to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas for decades, the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked and today, even the best available treatments usually have only a very limited effect and the expected survival time of those diagnosed with the disease is between 8 and 14 months;
Whereas mesothelioma has claimed the lives of such heroes and public servants as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., and Congressman Bruce F. Vento, and a high percentage of today's mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the United States Navy;
Whereas it is believed that many of the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers from Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, may be at increased risk of contracting mesothelioma in the future;
Whereas the establishment of a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day would raise public awareness of the disease and of the need to develop treatments and enhance public awareness for it; and
Whereas cities and localities across the country are recognizing September 26 as Mesothelioma Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
- Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
- (1) supports the goals and ideals of Mesothelioma Awareness Day; and
- (2) urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States, Federal departments and agencies, States, localities, organizations, and media to annually observe a National Mesothelioma Awareness day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Related articles
Friday, June 29, 2012
Mesothelioma Rates Continue to be High
Mesothelioma is a rare but highly fatal cancer of the thin membranes surrounding the chest cavity or abdominal cavity. The only well-established risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers. Prior asbestos exposure, primarily in the workplace, has been reported in 62 to 85 percent of all mesothelioma cases. Mesothelioma is a disease of long latency, typically with 20-40 years between exposure and onset of disease.
Rates of mesothelioma continue to hold steady. Use of asbestos in the United States continues to be permitted despite the fact asbestos is banned in many other countries.
More information about Mesothelioma
Related articles
More information about Mesothelioma
Mar 01, 2012
US Supreme Court Rules State Mesothelioma Claim Preempted By Federal Locomotive Statute. The US Supreme Court ruled yesterday in Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corp.that a claim can not be brought under state...
Dec 11, 2011
This week a New York state jury awarded $2 Million dolars to a former plastic compounder who was exposed to asbestos fiber and was subsequently diagnosed with mesothelioma. The employee worked in a plastic factory in ...
Nov 23, 2011
Dr. Yasunosuke Suzuki, A Pioneer of Mesothelioma Medical Research. I am saddened to report the passing of Dr. Yasunosuke Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki partnered with the late, Irving J. Selikoff MD at Environmental Sciences ...
Oct 06, 2011
"In conclusion, malignant mesothelioma remains a rare form of cancer but the disease is on the rise, probably due to the spread of asbestos use over past decades. Our analysis shows that the disease burden is still ...
....
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos exposures and illnesses.
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos exposures and illnesses.
Related articles
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
An Increase Predicted of Reported Mesothelioma Cases
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral which was widely used in the manufacture of a variety of products beginning in the late nineteenth century. Although the majority of exposure to asbestos occurred between 1940 and 1980, in occupations such as construction, shipyards, railroads, insulation, sheet metal, automobile repair, and other related fields, exposure continues to this day.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
National Mesothelioma Awareness Day September 26
A "National Mesothelioma Awareness Day" will be commemorated on September 26, 2010. Nearly 3,000 individuals are afflicted yearly with this fatal disease associated with exposure to asbestos fiber.
Last year, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced Senate Resolution 288 to commemorate September 26th as "National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. " A similar resolution is now pending in the US House of Representatives. It was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Whereas mesothelioma is a terminal cancer related to exposure to asbestos that affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles;
- Whereas workers who are exposed to asbestos on a daily basis over a long period of time are most at risk, but even short-term exposures to asbestos can cause the disease;
- Whereas exposure to asbestos for as little as 1 month can cause mesothelioma 20 to 50 years later;
- Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of virtually all office buildings, public schools, and homes built before 1975, and more than 3,000 products sold in the United States contain asbestos;
- Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos;
- Whereas millions of workers in the United States have been, and continue to be, exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos;
- Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
- Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new treatments to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
- Whereas the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked for decades;
- Whereas even the best available treatments for mesothelioma typically have only a very limited effect, and a person diagnosed with mesothelioma is expected to survive between 8 and 14 months;
- Whereas mesothelioma has claimed the lives of such heroes and public servants as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., and Congressman Bruce F. Vento;
- Whereas many mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the Navy;
- Whereas it is believed that many of the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers who served at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, may be at increased risk of contracting mesothelioma in the future; and
- Whereas cities and localities throughout the United States will recognize September 26, 2009, as `Mesothelioma Awareness Day'
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related disease.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Lung-sparing surgery for patients with advanced mesothelioma results in prolonged survival, new study shows
Patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) treated with a combination of surgery to remove the cancer but save their lung, plus photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy, had a median survival of nearly three years, with a subset of patients living longer than seven years, according to new research published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Novel cancer vaccine holds promise against ovarian cancer, mesothelioma
Today's post is shared from the Massachusetts General Hospital and sciencedaily.com.
A novel approach to cancer immunotherapy may provide a new and cost-effective weapon against some of the most deadly tumors, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Investigators report that a protein engineered to combine a molecule targeting a tumor-cell-surface antigen with another protein that stimulates several immune functions prolonged survival in animal models of both tumor.
A novel approach to cancer immunotherapy -- strategies designed to induce the immune system to attack cancer cells -- may provide a new and cost-effective weapon against some of the most deadly tumors, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center report in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology that a protein engineered to combine a molecule targeting a tumor-cell-surface antigen with another protein that stimulates several immune functions prolonged survival in animal models of both tumors.
"Some approaches to creating cancer vaccines begin by extracting a patient's own immune cells, priming them with tumor antigens and returning them to the patient, a process that is complex and expensive," says Mark Poznansky, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center and senior author of the report. "Our study describes a very practical, potentially broadly applicable and low-cost approach that could be used by oncologists everywhere, not just in facilities able to harvest and handle patient's cells.
The MGH team's vaccine stimulates the patient's own dendritic cells, a type of immune cell that monitors an organism's internal environment for the presence of viruses or bacteria, ingests and digests pathogens encountered, and displays antigens from those pathogens on their surface to direct the activity of other immune cells. As noted above, existing cancer vaccines that use dendritic cells require extracting cells from a patient's blood, treating them with an engineered protein or nucleic acid that combines tumor antigens with immune-stimulating molecules, and returning the activated dendritic cells to the patient.
The approach developed by the MGH team starts with the engineered protein, which in this case fuses an antibody fragment targeting a protein called mesothelin -- expressed on the surface of such tumors as mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer -- to a protein from the tuberculosis bacteria that stimulates the activity of dendritic and other immune cells. In this system, the dendritic cells are activated and targeted against tumor cells while remaining inside the patient's body.
In the experiments described in the paper, the MGH team confirmed that their mesothelin-targeting fusion protein binds to mesothelin on either ovarian cancer or mesothelioma cells, activates dendritic cells, and enhances the cells' processing and presentation of several different tumor antigens, inducing a number of T-cell-based immune responses. In mouse models of both tumors, treatment with the fusion protein significantly slowed tumor growth and extended survival, probably through the activity of cytotoxic CD8 T cells.
"Many patients with advanced cancers don't have enough functioning immune cells to be harvested to make a vaccine, but our protein can be made in unlimited amounts to work with the immune cells patients have remaining," explains study co-author Jeffrey Gelfand, MD, senior scientist at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center. "We have created a potentially much less expensive approach to making a therapeutic cancer vaccine that, while targeting a single tumor antigen, generates an immune response against multiple antigens. Now if we can combine this with newly-described ways to remove the immune system's "brakes" -- regulatory functions that normally suppress persistent T-cell activity -- the combination could dramatically enhance cancer immunotherapy."
Poznansky adds that the tumors that might be treated with the mesothelin-targeting vaccine -- ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma -- all have poor survival rates. "Immunotherapy is generally nontoxic, so this vaccine has the potential of safely extending survival and reducing the effects of these tumors, possibly even cutting the risk of recurrence. We believe that this approach could ultimately be used to target any type of cancer and are currently investigating an improved targeting approach using personalized antigens." The MGH team just received a two-year grant from the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to continue their research.
Journal Reference:
Jianping Yuan, Satoshi Kashiwagi, Patrick Reeves, Jean Nezivar, Yuan Yang, Nadiah Arrifin, Mai Nguyen, Gilberte Jean-Mary, Xiaoyun Tong, Paramjit Uppal, Svetlana Korochkina, Ben Forbes, Tao Chen, Elda Righi, Roderick Bronson, Huabiao Chen, Sandra Orsulic, Timothy Brauns, Pierre Leblanc, Nathalie Scholler, Glenn Dranoff, Jeffrey Gelfand, Mark C Poznansky. A novel mycobacterial Hsp70-containing fusion protein targeting mesothelin augments antitumor immunity and prolongs survival in murine models of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 2014; 7 (1): 15 DOI:10.1186/1756-8722-7-15
Related Stories:
Workers' Compensation: Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment (PDQ®)
Nov 13, 2013
Malignant mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the pleura (the thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs) or the peritoneum (the thin layer of tissue that lines the ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Workers' Compensation: Mesothelioma, Other Cancers Higher ...
Oct 19, 2013
The firefighters had a rate of mesothelioma two times greater than the rate in the U.S. population as a whole. The researchers said it was likely that the findings were associated with exposure to asbestos, and NIOSH noted ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Petition Aims to Build First Federally Funded Mesothelioma Program
Dec 13, 2013
If the efforts to become the first federally funded mesothelioma program are successful, the Elmo Zumwalt Treatment & Research Center in Los Angeles is expected to blossom and become a premier destination for veterans ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Mesothelioma Asbestos Cancer Claims the Life of Ed Lauter, Prolific
Oct 19, 2013
The tragic loss of well-known actor Ed Lauter to mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer, reverberated around the world. Mesothelioma strikes celebrities like Lauter, Steve McQueen and Warren Zevon, but also countless ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
A novel approach to cancer immunotherapy -- strategies designed to induce the immune system to attack cancer cells -- may provide a new and cost-effective weapon against some of the most deadly tumors, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center report in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology that a protein engineered to combine a molecule targeting a tumor-cell-surface antigen with another protein that stimulates several immune functions prolonged survival in animal models of both tumors.
"Some approaches to creating cancer vaccines begin by extracting a patient's own immune cells, priming them with tumor antigens and returning them to the patient, a process that is complex and expensive," says Mark Poznansky, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center and senior author of the report. "Our study describes a very practical, potentially broadly applicable and low-cost approach that could be used by oncologists everywhere, not just in facilities able to harvest and handle patient's cells.
The MGH team's vaccine stimulates the patient's own dendritic cells, a type of immune cell that monitors an organism's internal environment for the presence of viruses or bacteria, ingests and digests pathogens encountered, and displays antigens from those pathogens on their surface to direct the activity of other immune cells. As noted above, existing cancer vaccines that use dendritic cells require extracting cells from a patient's blood, treating them with an engineered protein or nucleic acid that combines tumor antigens with immune-stimulating molecules, and returning the activated dendritic cells to the patient.
The approach developed by the MGH team starts with the engineered protein, which in this case fuses an antibody fragment targeting a protein called mesothelin -- expressed on the surface of such tumors as mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer -- to a protein from the tuberculosis bacteria that stimulates the activity of dendritic and other immune cells. In this system, the dendritic cells are activated and targeted against tumor cells while remaining inside the patient's body.
In the experiments described in the paper, the MGH team confirmed that their mesothelin-targeting fusion protein binds to mesothelin on either ovarian cancer or mesothelioma cells, activates dendritic cells, and enhances the cells' processing and presentation of several different tumor antigens, inducing a number of T-cell-based immune responses. In mouse models of both tumors, treatment with the fusion protein significantly slowed tumor growth and extended survival, probably through the activity of cytotoxic CD8 T cells.
"Many patients with advanced cancers don't have enough functioning immune cells to be harvested to make a vaccine, but our protein can be made in unlimited amounts to work with the immune cells patients have remaining," explains study co-author Jeffrey Gelfand, MD, senior scientist at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center. "We have created a potentially much less expensive approach to making a therapeutic cancer vaccine that, while targeting a single tumor antigen, generates an immune response against multiple antigens. Now if we can combine this with newly-described ways to remove the immune system's "brakes" -- regulatory functions that normally suppress persistent T-cell activity -- the combination could dramatically enhance cancer immunotherapy."
Poznansky adds that the tumors that might be treated with the mesothelin-targeting vaccine -- ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma -- all have poor survival rates. "Immunotherapy is generally nontoxic, so this vaccine has the potential of safely extending survival and reducing the effects of these tumors, possibly even cutting the risk of recurrence. We believe that this approach could ultimately be used to target any type of cancer and are currently investigating an improved targeting approach using personalized antigens." The MGH team just received a two-year grant from the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to continue their research.
Journal Reference:
Jianping Yuan, Satoshi Kashiwagi, Patrick Reeves, Jean Nezivar, Yuan Yang, Nadiah Arrifin, Mai Nguyen, Gilberte Jean-Mary, Xiaoyun Tong, Paramjit Uppal, Svetlana Korochkina, Ben Forbes, Tao Chen, Elda Righi, Roderick Bronson, Huabiao Chen, Sandra Orsulic, Timothy Brauns, Pierre Leblanc, Nathalie Scholler, Glenn Dranoff, Jeffrey Gelfand, Mark C Poznansky. A novel mycobacterial Hsp70-containing fusion protein targeting mesothelin augments antitumor immunity and prolongs survival in murine models of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 2014; 7 (1): 15 DOI:10.1186/1756-8722-7-15
Related Stories:
Workers' Compensation: Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment (PDQ®)
Nov 13, 2013
Malignant mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the pleura (the thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs) or the peritoneum (the thin layer of tissue that lines the ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Workers' Compensation: Mesothelioma, Other Cancers Higher ...
Oct 19, 2013
The firefighters had a rate of mesothelioma two times greater than the rate in the U.S. population as a whole. The researchers said it was likely that the findings were associated with exposure to asbestos, and NIOSH noted ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Petition Aims to Build First Federally Funded Mesothelioma Program
Dec 13, 2013
If the efforts to become the first federally funded mesothelioma program are successful, the Elmo Zumwalt Treatment & Research Center in Los Angeles is expected to blossom and become a premier destination for veterans ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Mesothelioma Asbestos Cancer Claims the Life of Ed Lauter, Prolific
Oct 19, 2013
The tragic loss of well-known actor Ed Lauter to mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer, reverberated around the world. Mesothelioma strikes celebrities like Lauter, Steve McQueen and Warren Zevon, but also countless ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 29, 2011
Genetic Pre-Disposition to Mesothelioma
The workers' compensation system has struggled with asbestos related claims for decades. The serious and sometimes fatal occupational malignancies that asbestos exposure has been responsible for have resulted in an unabated epidemic surge of claims for which he system was unable to handle efficiently. The recent findings of a genetic predisposition to mesothelioma is a hopeful beginning that positive research efforts will yield both prevention and cure of asbestos related disease.
"Because only a small fraction of asbestos-exposed individuals develop malignant mesothelioma1, and because mesothelioma clustering is observed in some families, we searched for genetic predisposing factors. We discovered germline mutations in the gene encoding BRCA1 associated protein-1 (BAP1) in two families with a high incidence of mesothelioma, and we observed somatic alterations affecting BAP1 in familial mesotheliomas, indicating biallelic inactivation. In addition to mesothelioma, some BAP1 mutation carriers developed uveal melanoma. We also found germline BAP1 mutations in 2 of 26 sporadic mesotheliomas; both individuals with mutant BAP1 were previously diagnosed with uveal melanoma. We also observed somatic truncating BAP1mutations and aberrant BAP1 expression in sporadic mesotheliomas without germline mutations. These results identify a BAP1-related cancer syndrome that is characterized by mesothelioma and uveal melanoma. We hypothesize that other cancers may also be involved and that mesothelioma predominates upon asbestos exposure. These findings will help to identify individuals at high risk of mesothelioma who could be targeted for early intervention."
"Germline BAP1 mutations predispose to malignant mesothelioma," Nature Genetics (2011) doi:10.1038/ng.912Received 06 May 2011 Accepted 27 July 2011 Published online 28 August 2011
Also see NIH Press Release: NIH-funded researchers discover genetic link to mesothelioma; Identified gene mutation may underlie other cancer types
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Trump Administration May Bring a Surge in Occupational Disease Claims
Mesothelioma death rates remain high in the US even on the eve of an anticipated national ban of the asbestos fiber. Things may radically change for the worse as the Trump Administration goes forward with its announced intention to dismantle environmental regulation now in place and placed on-track for enactment during the former Obama Administration. With anticipated less EPA and OSHA regulation under the Trump administration, there is the potential for a serious surge of future occupational disease claims in the United States.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The Need For New Blood and Effusion Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma
 |
| Malignant Mesothelioma, coronal CT scan. Legend: the malignant mesothelioma is indicated by yellow arrows, the central pleural effusion is marked with a yellow star. (1) right lung, (2) spine, (3) left lung, (4) ribs, (5) aorta, (6) spleen, (7) left kidney, (8) right kidney, (9) liver. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
"Despite advances in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical management for malignant pleural mesothelioma, the median survival remains 12 months. Early detection is limited by the long latency period, an inability of imaging to detect the disease at an early stage even when it is used as a screening strategy, and the lack of sensitive and specific blood-based markers. Moreover, in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion, the ability to diagnose mesothelioma is delayed by failure to include the disease in the differential diagnosis and by the lack of noninvasive mesothelioma-specific blood-based markers."
"Future investigations should also explore why fibulin-3 is selectively elevated in mesothelioma as compared with other cancers and should address the question of whether this is an epigenetic-based phenomenon either through methylation or microRNA control. These studies could potentially clarify the role of fibulin-3 in mesothelioma growth, invasion, and metastasis formation and determine whether the molecule might be targeted for specific cytotoxic or biologic therapies."
Fibulin-3 as a Blood and Effusion Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma
Harvey I. Pass, M.D., Stephen M. Levin, M.D., Michael R. Harbut, M.D., Jonathan Melamed, M.D., Luis Chiriboga, Ph.D., Jessica Donington, M.D., Margaret Huflejt, Ph.D., Michele Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., David Chia, Ph.D., Lee Goodglick, Ph.D., Gary E. Goodman, M.D., Mark D. Thornquist, Ph.D., Geoffrey Liu, M.D., Marc de Perrot, M.D., Ming-Sound Tsao, M.D., and Chandra Goparaju, Ph.D.
Harvey I. Pass, M.D., Stephen M. Levin, M.D., Michael R. Harbut, M.D., Jonathan Melamed, M.D., Luis Chiriboga, Ph.D., Jessica Donington, M.D., Margaret Huflejt, Ph.D., Michele Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., David Chia, Ph.D., Lee Goodglick, Ph.D., Gary E. Goodman, M.D., Mark D. Thornquist, Ph.D., Geoffrey Liu, M.D., Marc de Perrot, M.D., Ming-Sound Tsao, M.D., and Chandra Goparaju, Ph.D.
N Engl J Med 2012; 367:1417-1427October 11, 2012DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1115050
....
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Asbestos Deaths Predicted to Continue for Decades
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a draft Intelligence Report concerning asbestos and mesothelioma in an effort to create a "road-map for research."
"Asbestos has been a highly visible issue in public health for over three decades. During the mid- to late-20th century, many advances were made in the scientific understanding of worker health effects from exposure to asbestos fibers and other elongate mineral particles (EMPs). It is now well documented that fibers of asbestos minerals, when inhaled, can cause serious diseases in exposed workers. However, many questions and areas of confusion and scientific uncertainty remain. For instance, due to the mineralogical complexity of the asbestos minerals, the scientific literature contains various inconsistencies in the definition and application of the term asbestos for health protection guidance and regulatory purposes."
"The purpose of the Roadmap is to outline a research agenda that will guide the development of specific research programs and projects that will provide a broader and clearer understanding of the important determinants of toxicity for asbestos and other EMPs. NIOSH recognizes that results from such research may impact environmental as well as occupational health policies and practices. Many of the issues that are important in the workplace are also important to communities and to the general population.Therefore, NIOSH envisions that the planning and conduct of the research will be a collaborative effort involving active participation of multiple federal agencies, including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), as well as labor, industry, academia, health and safety practitioners, and other interested parties, including international groups. This collaboration will help to focus the scope of the research, to fund and conduct research, and to develop and disseminate informational materials describing research results and their implications for establishing new occupational and public health policies."
Asbestos Deaths Predicted to Continue for Decades
"NIOSH has annually tracked U.S. asbestosis deaths since 1968 and malignant mesothelioma deaths since 1999 using death certificate data in the National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System (NORMS). NORMS data, representing all deaths among U.S. residents, show that asbestosis deaths increased almost 20-fold from the late 1960s to the late 1990s (Figure 6) [NIOSH 2007b]. Asbestosis mortality trends are expected to substantially trail trends in asbestos exposures (see Section 2.4.2) for two primary reasons: (1) the latency period between asbestos exposure and asbestosis onset is 2 typically long, commonly one or two decades or more; and (2) asbestosis is a chronic disease, so affected individuals can live for many years with the disease before succumbing. In fact, asbestosis deaths have apparently plateaued (at nearly 1,500 per year) since 2000 (Figure 3) [NIOSH 2007b]. Ultimately, it is anticipated that the annual number of asbestosis deaths in the United States will decrease substantially as a result of documented reductions in exposure. However, asbestos usage has not been completely eliminated, and asbestos-containing materials remain in place in structural materials and machinery, so the potential for exposure remains. Thus, asbestosis deaths in the United States are anticipated to continue to occur for several decades."
Mesothelioma Strongly Linked to Occupational Exposures
"Malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive disease that is nearly always fatal, is known to be caused by exposure to asbestos and some other mineral fibers [IOM 2006]. The occurrence of mesothelioma has been strongly linked with occupational exposures to asbestos [Bang et al. 2006]. There had been no discrete International Classification of Disease (ICD) code for mesothelioma until its most recent 10th revision. Thus, only seven years of NORMS data are available with a specific ICD code for mesothelioma (Figure 4); during this period, there was a 9% increase in annual mesothelioma deaths, from 2,484 in 1999 to 2,704 in 2005 [NIOSH 2007b]. A later peak for mesothelioma deaths than for asbestosis deaths would be entirely expected, given the longer latency for mesothelioma [Järvholm et al. 1999]. One analysis of malignant mesothelioma incidence based on the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data found that an earlier steep increase in incidence had moderated and 1 that mesothelioma incidence may have actually peaked sometime in the 1990s in SEER-2 covered areas [Weill et al. 2004]. In contrast to NORMS data, which represents a census 3 of all deaths in the entire United States, the analyzed SEER data were from areas in 4 which a total of only about 15% of the U.S. population resides."NIOSH has invited Public Comment Until April 16, 2010 5:00pm EDT
Saturday, August 28, 2010
There is No Good Asbestos -- It Is All a Killer
Chrysotile Asbestos and Mesothelioma
Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service (retired), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (retired), Canton, Georgia, E-mail: richard@ralemen.org
Citation: Lemen RA 2010. Chrysotile Asbestos and Mesothelioma. Environ Health Perspect 118:a282-a282. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002446
Online: 01 July 2010
Editor’s Note: We appreciate Lemen’s concern about the incorrect statement that was included in the original Editor’s Summary for Tse et al. (2010), and we regret the error. The Editor’s Summary has been corrected in the online version of the paper, and an erratum was published in the June issue of EHP [118:A240 (2010)]; the text of the erratum is included below:
The Editor’s Summary for the article “Are Current or Future Mesothelioma Epidemics in Hong Kong the Tragic Legacy of Uncontrolled Use of Asbestos in the Past?” by Tse et al. [Environ Health Perspect 118:382–386 (2010); doi:10.1289/ehp.0900868], has been corrected online: specifically, “(which has been implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma)” has been deleted.
The author testifies in asbestos litigation on behalf of plaintiffs.
The Editor’s Summary for the article by Tse et al. (2010) stated the following:
Assuming an average latency of 42 years, the authors predict that incidence rates will peak in 2009 and that diagnoses will peak in 2014. However, they caution that ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos (which has been implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma) and the release of asbestos fibers from older buildings during demolition or renovation may slow the projected decline.
The statement concerning chrysotile asbestos being “implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma” is inconsistent with current scientific opinion. I refer you to the most recent evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in which Straif et al. (2009) stated,
Epidemiological evidence has increasingly shown an association of all forms of asbestos (chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite) with an increased risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Although the potency differences with respect to lung cancer or mesothelioma for fibres of various types and dimensions are debated, the fundamental conclusion is that all forms of asbestos are “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1).
In addition, opinions such as that expressed in the Editor’s Summary are advanced only by scientists with prochrysotile industry bias.
When I wrote the draft for the first IARC Monograph on asbestos in 1976, which the expert committee accepted and published in 1977 as IARC Monograph Volume 14, a similar conclusion was stated: “Many pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas have been observed after occupational exposure to crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile.” Since then—more than 30 years—science has not changed its opinion that all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, cause mesothelioma.
In fact, in the article that is the subject of the Editor’s Summary, Tse et al. (2010) did not indicate that chrysotile is not a cause of mesothelioma; on the contrary, they stated the following:
Although the mesothelioma incidence is anticipated to decline in the coming decades, it may not decrease to background risk levels given that chrysotile consumption has not been banned under the current legislation and that secondary asbestos exposure from the environment will likely continue. Nevertheless, the hypotheses generated from this ecologic study need further confirmation by subsequent analytic studies. The present study provides supportive evidence for an immediate and global ban on asbestos use.
I hope that future Editor’s Summaries will reflect the conclusions of the article and not put forth statements that are not supported by mainstream science. I also support the conclusion of Tse e al. (2010) for “an immediate and global ban on asbestos use.”
References Top
- 1977. Asbestos. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Hum 14: 1–106. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE
- 2009. A review of human carcinogens—part C: metals, arsenic, dusts, and fibres. Lancet Oncol 10: 453. –454. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE
- 2010. Are current or future mesothelioma epidemics in Hong Kong the tragic legacy of uncontrolled use of asbestos in the past? Environ Health Perspect 118: 382–386. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE
Click here to read more about asbestos related disease and claims for benefits. For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related illnesses.
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