Unconventional Mesothelioma Treatments Offer Encouragement

Mesothelioma treatments have come a long way over the years, yet the disease still remains one of the most aggressive forms of cancer in the world. Oncologists, researchers, and scientists collectively agree that a disease this aggressive must also be handled aggressively. As such, these specialists advocate adopting a multi-modality approach to treatment to include… Continue reading →

Mesothelioma treatments have come a long way over the years, yet the disease still remains one of the most aggressive forms of cancer in the world. Oncologists, researchers, and scientists collectively agree that a disease this aggressive must also be handled aggressively. As such, these specialists advocate adopting a multi-modality approach to treatment to include newer therapies and innovative new technologies that offer mesothelioma patients the best chance of long-term survival. In fact, researchers at Universiteit Antwerpen in Belgium recently published an article in the European Respiratory Journal which stated, “Single modality therapy does not have a major impact on long-term survival.” While current research does not discount conventional forms of treatment such as standard chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, and surgery, the research team says newer therapies “are among those that are most likely to have a positive impact in the treatment of mesothelioma.” Some of the most promising newer therapies currently being explored include:

  • Gene Therapy
  • Hyperthermic Intrapleural Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI):

Gene Therapy

Gene Therapy attempts to add new genes to cancer cells to make them easier to kill. One approach to gene therapy uses special viruses that have been modified in the lab. The virus is injected into the pleural space and infects the mesothelioma cells. Early studies have found that this approach may shrink or slow the growth of mesothelioma in some people.

Hyperthermic Intrapleural Chemotherapy

Hyperthermic Intrapleural Chemotherapy aims to make cancer cells at the pleural surface more sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy or to damage other cancer cells that radiation has been ineffective at harming.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy may help prompt the immune system to attack the cancer. In one approach, immune cells are removed from a patient’s blood and treated in the lab to get them to react to tumor cells. The immune cells are then given back to the patient as blood transfusions, where it is hoped they will cause the body’s immune system to attack the cancer.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) involves injecting a light-activated drug into a vein. The drug spreads throughout the body and tends to collect in cancer cells. A few days later (usually just after surgery for the mesothelioma), a special red light on the end of a tube is placed into the chest cavity. The light causes a chemical change that activates the drug and causes the cancer cells to die. Because the drug is only active in the areas exposed to the special light, this approach may cause fewer side effects than the use of drugs that spread throughout all tissues of the body. In addition to safety and effectiveness, these newer, experimental therapies are currently being tested in clinical trials for their effectiveness in reducing the likelihood of malignant mesothelioma tumors returning.

For in-progress, currently recruiting, and completed mesothelioma clinical trials, visit ClinicalTrials.gov — a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the attorney’s at Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C. can help. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation at 800-782-8492 (toll-free) or email us. We look forward to discussing your case.

Sources

  • 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Second Edition
    Harvey I. Pass, MD, NYU School of Medicine and Clinical Cancer Center
  • American Cancer Society (ACS)
    Cancer.org
  • Clinical Trials.gov–a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Mesothelioma Community
    MesotheliomaNet
  • U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), PubMed (European Respiratory Journal article published/PubMed ahead of print) NCBI.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Too Little Too Late

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Lorice Enterprises, LLC of Albany, NY for violating health and safety standards while removing asbestos containing roofing material. The asbestos remediation company faces a total of $83,300 in fines. In a January 22, 2013 press release, Kimberly Castillon, OSHA’s area director in Albany… Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Lorice Enterprises, LLC of Albany, NY for violating health and safety standards while removing asbestos containing roofing material. The asbestos remediation company faces a total of $83,300 in fines.

In a January 22, 2013 press release, Kimberly Castillon, OSHA’s area director in Albany stated “Lorice Enterprises did not conduct an initial exposure assessment to determine exposure for the workers removing asbestos-containing roofing material. Additionally, the employer did not utilize wet methods to ensure that asbestos did not become air borne and failed to ensure head and eye protection for these workers.” OSHA found Lorice Enterprises committed a willful violation, meaning a violation committed with intentional disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

“One of the best means of preventing serious workplace hazards is to establish an effective safety and health management system through which management and employees work together to actively identify, analyze and eliminate work-related hazards” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. Notwithstanding, OSHA’s recent action in New York, tragically for the men and women we represent, it is a case of too little and too late.

People always ask, “If asbestos has been banned for so long, how can anyone still be getting sick from it?” The truth is asbestos use has never been fully banned in the United States. The importation and use of asbestos has been banned in 52 other nations however, including the entire European Union. Some studies suggest that the annual world production of asbestos is still close to 2 million tons annually.

The EPA attempted to universally ban the use of asbestos in 1989. Court challenges led to the overturning of the EPA’s action, leaving only some of the uses banned, while clearing the way for the continued use of asbestos in some products. Asbestos cannot be used in the production of paper products, flooring felts for linoleum sheeting, wallboard patching products such as spackle and joint compounds or in gas fireplaces. Products in which asbestos can still be used include automotive brake pads, gaskets and automatic transmission parts as well as some construction materials.

Most U.S. companies have now found other materials to use in the place of asbestos in their products voluntarily for fear of future litigation. Asbestos products can still be sold in the U.S. but rarely are, and are largely limited to auto and aircraft brakes and gaskets and these products are primarily imported into the U.S. Because the Courts and Congress have failed to ban the use of asbestos entirely, the potential health hazard from asbestos containing products remains a reality.

The bottom line: Many workers and their family members were exposed to asbestos in their workplace and home without their knowledge. Asbestos was used in many everyday industrial and household products. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with lung cancer or Mesothelioma, please contact us immediately as we may be able to assist in obtaining compensation from those responsible. We can also represent those with asbestos exposure who have been diagnosed with colon cancer, throat cancer, and stomach cancer. Please bear in mind that family members of workers heavily exposed to asbestos face an increased risk of developing asbestos-related disease.

In addition, if you were previously screened for asbestos by another law firm and did or did not recover compensation for asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to compensation. If you have not had a check-up in the last year, please call your doctor because early detection is key to successful treatment of asbestos related disease. If you have suffered from one or more pleural effusions (fluid on your lung) in the last year or two or have been told you have a mass in or on your lungs, we would urge you to see a lung specialist as soon as possible.