0 Stopping Mesothelioma, US May Ban Asbestos

Aug 2, 2010 - In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency tried to ban the use of products containing asbestos, as it has been known to cause mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a relatively rare type of cancer, and may be caused by exposure to the substance known as asbestos.

In spite of the ban issued on products containing asbestos by the EPA during that time, the rule was soon overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. In recent years, the attempts to reinstate laws that ban the use of the cancer-causing substance have not worked out all that well, though it seems that the EPA is taking action to ensure the use of asbestos is prohibited within the next ten years.

The ban on the use of asbestos will come about in two stages. First, it will be ensured that asbestos may not be used as a sealing agent as part of construction work, and secondly it will be banned from use in tiles, linings, and cement panels.

According to statistics by the World Health Organization, diseases such as mesothelioma which are caused by asbestos result in about 90,000 deaths each year. Recently in Spain, a company was ordered by the court to pay nearly $5 million in asbestos-related damages, causing nearby residents to incur a variety of health issues such as mesothelioma.

source: clicknews.org

0 Measurement of Mesothelioma Tumor Volume Aids in Prognosis

In a recent study from Columbia University, researchers found measuring mesothelioma tumors may provide additional insight into effective treatment options and other prognostic factors.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer most notably caused by asbestos exposure. Symptoms of this rare condition can take decades to arise and many patients are diagnosed during the latest stage of development as a result. With such a late diagnosis, the mesothelioma life expectancy for most patients ranges between four and 18 months.

The purpose of the study was to calculate the tumor volume in pleural mesothelioma patients by using computer tomography scan images and a computerized measurement technique. They wanted to evaluate the changes in volume after chemotherapy and whether the change could help predict overall survival in patients.

Between two clinical trials, 30 patients were studied after being treated with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Tumor volumes were evaluated after two cycles of chemotherapy and changes were measured by percentages.

The percentage change of tumor volume between the initial measurement and the evaluation after two chemotherapy cycles was greatly associated with overall survival. Patients were divided into an “increase” or “decrease” group.

F. Liu and colleagues at Columbia University concluded that “Computer-aided volumetric measurements may enable more reliable therapeutic response assessment and could provide additional prognostic information.”

The study, titled “Assessment of Therapy Responses and Prediction of Survival in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Through Computer-Aided Volumetric Measurement on Computed Tomography Scans,” can be found in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

source: www.asbestos.com

0 Pleural Mesothelioma One of Few Thoracic Cancers to Spontaneously Regress

In a study recently published in the medical journal Respiratory Medicine, researchers investigated the history of spontaneous regression of thoracic malignancies to determine the incidence and the types of thoracic cancers most likely to spontaneously regress.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The majority of cases affect the pleural lining of the lungs, which classifies this form of mesothelioma as a thoracic malignancy. It typically takes 20 to 50 years for the cancer to develop after repeated exposure to asbestos and there currently is no cure for mesothelioma. Some patients have experienced an improvement in their mesothelioma life expectancy by undergoing multimodality therapy, which combines several forms of treatment to combat the cancer.

The research for this study involved a PubMed search of the phrase “spontaneous regression of thoracic lesions” published between 1951 through December 2008. A total of 76 cases involved spontaneous regression of metastatic thoracic tumors, of which five cases reported regression of the primary thoracic tumors along with pulmonary metastasis.

Thus, researchers found only five cases that reported spontaneous regression of a primary thoracic cancer. Of the five cases, two were pleural mesothelioma, two were primary lung cancer (squamous cell) and one was adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Of the 76 cases found to include spontaneous regression of thoracic tumors, renal cell carcinoma was the most common, accounting for 60 percent of cases. Spontaneous regression of thoracic tumors was more common in men than women. Researchers observed that the rare spontaneous regression of a primary thoracic malignancy seems to follow surgical resection of the primary tumor.

Researchers concluded, “Spontaneous regression of thoracic malignancies is rare. Regression of primary thoracic malignancies has been reported only with squamous and bronchogenic carcinoma, pleural mesothelioma and adenoid cystic carcinoma. Regression of thoracic metastases, on the other hand, has been reported in many more malignancies but the overwhelming majority of cases involve metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Overall, this still appears to be a rare event, but when it occurs, it seems to follow resection of the primary tumor.”

Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.