Mesothelioma Diagnosis

January 23, 2012

FDA Grants “Orphan Status” to Drug That Could Treat Malignant Mesothelioma in Boston

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted orphan drug status to a Japanese company that is attempting to research a drug that could treat malignant mesothelioma in Boston.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers believe that the more research that is done on this fatal form of cancer, the better. Right now, some is known about this cancer, but not nearly enough.

Some of what we do know:

Mesothelioma is an incurable form of cancer
It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a natural mineral
Asbestos was used in the United States from the early 20th Century to roughly 1991
It was primarily used in insulation and coating products to resist fire
When ingested, it attaches to major organs, causing the fatal cancer
A person can be exposed to asbestos and not feel symptoms for three to four decades
The median lifespan after diagnosis is 12 months

Unfortunately, what we don’t know right now is a cure. And because mesothelioma is generally diagnosed decades after exposure, the cancer is typically deeply rooted in a person by then, which means operations are highly dangerous. Many patients, too, are older, meaning that a major surgery increases risks as well.

But as pharmabiz.com reports, the FDA’s granting of orphan status to a Japanese drug company may soon help mesothelioma patients. Orphan status is designed to reward companies that are researching a drug that won’t be mass produced and used by millions of people. It gives the companies breaks on costs in order to use their money to do the research.

In this case, CBP501, a drug made by CanBas Co., a bio-pharmaceutical company in Japan, is designed to be used for treatment of patients with mesothelioma. The company reports it is in its late phase II development of the drug. It is designed to be used as a first-time treatment for patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma who can’t have surgery.

The company reports that in 70 percent of all mesothelioma cases are plural mesothelioma diagnoses and that 80 percent of these patients were exposed to asbestos at one point in their lives. Because most patients don’t catch the cancer until its late stages, chemotherapy is the only treatment.

The company’s leaders believe they will be done with their current phase of research, which includes 63 patients, during the first half of 2012. The incentives of the FDA’s orphan status, the company says, will allow them to move quickly into its third phase of studies to try to find a cure for this deadly cancer.

While all drugs in testing aren’t ready for use, this is certainly encouraging news for mesothelioma patients throughout New England. They know that there are few treatment options that are available and work well in their fight against mesothelioma. A drug that can potentially cure this illness or fight back against it, making a person’s life longer, is certainly a lofty and well-placed goal.
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January 18, 2012

Department of Defense Provides $16 Million For Mesothelioma Research in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced it was dedicating $16 million to go toward research of several major forms of cancer, including mesothelioma.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers are happy that more money is being dedicated to this important research. While mesothelioma in Massachusetts doesn’t get nearly as much exposure as other forms of cancer, such as lung, prostate or breast, that makes it all the more dangerous.
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Obviously, those forms of cancer and others like it are more common than mesothelioma, but the lack of press means that many people may have the symptoms of mesothelioma, but don’t do anything to get themselves checked. And that’s how mesothelioma becomes so dangerous.

Mesothelioma is able to mask itself because the most common symptoms are chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy coughing and fluid build-up, which can be symptoms of other types of ailments. And if a person doesn’t realize that these symptoms aren’t the result of smoking or old age, they can be further damaged.

Unlike lung cancer — in most cases — mesothelioma is the result of exposure to asbestos, which often happens when people are young decades earlier. They often weren’t told that the material they worked with contained asbestos. Even if they were told that, they may not have understood the health effects. Yet, the companies that used asbestos — which was a common product not only in construction, but also in every day appliances and household items — may have withheld important health information.

This is why mesothelioma is popping up more and more these days. People who were exposed to asbestos either at work or in places they lived decades ago are now getting sick. And if asbestos isn’t properly removed from old buildings today, we will see future generations sickened by this natural mineral.

Thankfully, though, the current Department of Defense budget includes $16 million for the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program to research certain cancers. Researchers looking for a portion of the research money can submit applications to study the following forms of cancer:

Mesothelioma
Blood cancers
Colorectal cancer
Genetic cancer research
Kidney cancer
Listeria vaccine for cancer
Melanoma and other skin cancers
Pancreatic cancer
Pediatric cancers
Radiation protection utilizing nanotechnology

All of these forms of cancer are important to research because little is known about many of them and treatment options must be established. It’s fitting that mesothelioma is one of the potential research topics since many military veterans who served years ago are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of exposure on ships or on military bases when the military used asbestos.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers hope that this dedicated money goes toward finding a cure for mesothelioma or at least early indications so that the disease may be cut off before it becomes deadly.
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January 10, 2012

Hudson School Seeks Loan To Remove Asbestos, Replace Roof

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

An elementary school in Hudson is looking to get some money from a state school building agency to remove dangerous asbestos and replace a leaky roof, The MetroWest Daily News reports.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have noticed more and more that school officials are taking the hint and removing asbestos from their schools rather than putting their children at risk.
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It’s still amazing that to this day asbestos in New England sits in scores of old schools and buildings throughout the area despite not being used for decades. Despite the obvious risks of sickness and death, many school officials are just now taking note and making changes.

At least it’s being done, though we believe it should have been done years ago. Many buildings throughout New England are historic and were built at a time when using asbestos was normal and expected.

But in the last few decades, researchers have found a clear link between asbestos and mesothelioma, a rare and incurable form of cancer. While research has been slow to come, it has shown that asbestos is indeed very dangerous.

And if it is in our schools, that means our children are at risk on a daily basis. Asbestos, once it goes airborne, can get into a person’s body and lead to sickness and even death. It forms unstoppable tumors near major organs where operations are difficult to perform. Often, chemotherapy and other treatment options prove unhelpful as well.

That’s why it’s critical that schools and owners of homes and other buildings that may have been built with asbestos have those checked for this dangerous material. Even if walls have been improved over the years, there still could be asbestos not only in the walls, but in the ceilings and floor boards. This can still lead to exposure if it breaks up and gets into the air.

In Hudson, school officials are asking the Massachusetts School Building Authority for money to help fix a leaky roof and remove dangerous asbestos from within the school. Officials hope to repair the 50-year-old roof by filing a request with the authority.

The newspaper reports that the authority will rank the project among others statewide to determine what amount of money it can dedicate to this project compared to others throughout the area. Officials estimate it would cost $1.2 million to remove the asbestos and roof, which has been replaced in the 1980s and plugged several times in the last few years.

Officials believe the asbestos at the school doesn’t pose any health risks. But it’s unclear from the article where the asbestos is and whether it’s at risk of cracking off and getting into the air. Any exposure can be dangerous. It will be critical for officials to properly remove the asbestos — incorrectly removed asbestos can lead to a serious risk.
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December 22, 2011

Building Demolition May Have Left Workers, Public Exposed to Asbestos

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency has found that the experimental demolition at an apartment complex in 2007 in Texas may have exposed the public to asbestos.

This was the fear many had in Massachusetts during the summer when a tornado blew through Springfield and Western Massachusetts, downing buildings and injuring and killing several people. With those buildings demolished, it is possible that many people — the general public, police and fire responders and others — could have been exposed to asbestos in Massachusetts.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers wrote in August that officials were concerned that the many older or historic buildings that collapsed may have been made with asbestos, leading it to be spread throughout the atmosphere after the tornadoes.

In Fort Worth, Texas, the EPA approved an experimental method of destroying a building and a new report states that the method may have exposed many to asbestos in that area. The “wet” method of demolition is a tactic in which crews coat walls and ceilings with a soapy or foamy water during the demolition to try to keep the amount of asbestos from going airborne down. Fort Worth was the first urban area to test this method.

This method is intended to save money and give workers more protection because they can soak the building from afar. But when experts tested the area during the demolition, they found asbestos fiber released in the area. The report states that the “wet” method “threatens health and safety.”

This report was an initial finding and a full report on the demolition and method is forthcoming. City officials are waiting on that report before determining how great the risk may have been to its citizens.

Some advocacy groups have urged the EPA to stop its alternative methods of demolition of buildings, but the government agency continues to test different methods, aside from its standard approved designs, to take down buildings with asbestos.

The report of the 2007 demolition also states that some workers were on site without proper safety and protection equipment, a possible violation of OSHA standards. Video footage showed pedestrians nearby who may have been exposed to harmful carcinogens that were inside the building.

The federal government requires that crews remove asbestos before demolition in order to prevent it from getting into the environment. Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have documented in recent months how some Massachusetts contractors have been fined for improperly removing asbestos from schools. It is a hazard not only to workers, but also to neighbors.

This is the most common modern-day cause of asbestos exposure. Since buildings are no longer constructed with asbestos, the way most people today are exposed are when they dwell in or do work on old buildings or if those buildings are torn down in an unsafe manner. This is why contractors must take additional precautions when working on these historic buildings in New England.
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December 19, 2011

Australian Actor Dies After Asbestos Exposure as a Teenager

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

An Australian actor who spent time on the big screen and small screen on the island nation died recently at the age of 67 after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, The Telegraph reports.

Sadly, our Boston mesothelioma lawyers anticipate seeing more and more obituaries of people who die because decades ago they were exposed to dangerous asbestos in New England without their knowledge.

Asbestos is a dangerous mineral that was used for decades to construct buildings, fireproof ships and create commonly used products such as hair dryers and crockpots because of its fire-resistant nature. When it was first discovered, authorities didn’t know of the potentially harmful effects.

Yet, it was later found to be potentially deadly when ingested, typically by breathing it in. This happened not only to workers in old factories or in construction, but military veterans and everyday citizens as well.

In the Australian actor’s case, it was in a job out of high school working as an apprentice carpenter in the 1960s that led to his death. It’s likely that he didn’t know that working with asbestos sheeting would eventually lead to his death. Harold Hopkins, who started in more than a dozen movies, including one with Mel Gibson, and played rolls in 160 television episodes, was survived by six siblings.

According to the news article, he died of mesothelioma, only seven months after being diagnosed. This falls in line with typical reports that a person lives about 12 months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Friends said he was healthy, living on fruits, vegetables and nuts, primarily. Yet, the cancer struck quickly. The strange thing about mesothelioma, a form of cancer that has no known cure, is that it takes years to develop. In this case, it was about 50 years between the time he was exposed to asbestos as a teenager to the time he died.

But once a person is diagnosed, their life quickly comes to an end. This is one of the more frustrating things about this form of cancer. It takes so long to develop, masks itself as potential other health problems and once diagnosed leads to a quick death.

Researchers have been working in recent years to develop a cure and to find out more information about this form of cancer. Though it is rare — some say about 10,000 people worldwide die each year — compared to other forms of cancer, it is one that, in many cases, was preventable.

Many corporations that used asbestos in their products or in their buildings later realized there were health risks involved, yet did little to inform their employees. Some people ended up working loyally for years or decades for company officials who set them up to have health problems later in life without warning.

And now, decades after being exposed, their bodies are breaking down and they are suffering a frustrating and painful death because of something that could have been avoided. It’s possible that someone else’s negligence paved the way for a victim to endure a life of mesothelioma.
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December 12, 2011

WHO Reports 92,000 Mesothelioma Deaths Between 1994 and 2008

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The World Health Organization reported recently that more than 92,000 people died in 83 countries over a 15-year span that ended in 2008.

While that is a low number considering the number of people there are worldwide — nearly 7 billion — one must take into consideration how many deaths worldwide go unreported or are in countries where research on mesothelioma simply takes a back seat to other matters.

The point that Boston mesothelioma lawyers want to convey is that the number isn’t simply a statistic. These are people’s lives we’re talking about. A mother or father, brother, sister, uncle or aunt who died as a result of asbestos exposure in Massachusetts or anywhere else on the globe.

This form of cancer is rare, in part, because it’s so difficult to diagnose. The common symptoms could be confused with other forms of cancer or sometimes simply old age. Typically, they include coughing, fluid build-up, chest pain and other symptoms typically associated with other illnesses.

And because mesothelioma can be caused by asbestos exposure decades in advance — sometimes 30 or 40 years earlier — victims may have no idea that they have been exposed and at risk. Many may ignore the symptoms, but as it progresses and gets worse, the cancer can be tricky to diagnose, as it usually takes a specialist to discover it.

This can take many medical visits and a lot of time, which is valuable at that stage. Once it’s diagnosed, most people live about 12 months, a short and unpredictable time table, given the fast-moving nature of the cancer.

For those who worked in old factories, shipyards, in the Navy or other military branches, in boiler rooms or around old car parts, or in construction or plumbing, you could have been put at risk without your knowledge. Equally important to note is that some companies may have known that its products, equipment or buildings contained asbestos.

Asbestos was used for decades in insulation and other industries because it was fire resistant and it was versatile. Once research began, companies were notified that it was hazardous and could be deadly. Many did nothing to stop its use or warn employees.

According to WHO, cases of mesothelioma are more common in men than women. It is “one of the most important occupational carcinogens” and that “the burden of asbestos-related disease is rising.” Some estimates state that 43,000 people die each year from the disease.

As our Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog has reported before, many third-world countries use asbestos to this day, which is concerning for health officials. Our lawyers reported recently that Canada has rededicated its asbestos exportation business and plans to ship bundles of the material to India for use there. Researchers from Hawaii are looking at areas of Turkey where a vast majority of people die from mesothelioma because of a related mineral that is used in the people’s buildings.

Mesothelioma remains is a growing problem because many people who worked in these dangerous fields decades ago are experiencing the illness now that it’s been diagnosed.
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November 30, 2011

Occupy Movement Protestors Take Over Asbestos-Laden Building

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

After starting in New York City, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread like wildfire throughout many parts of the United States and the world. Occupy Wall Street protesters say they have taken to the streets and parks of America to highlight problems associated with the separation of classes — the wealthiest 1 percent and the rest of the people. Their biggest frustration is with the big businesses that have made millions, while the middle class continues to seemingly disappear.

But one recent situation got notoriety not only because there were arrests, but because of the location that protesters decide to take over. A recent group of protesters in Washington, D.C., chose the Franklin School, an old school and homeless shelter that has been abandoned since 2008.

When more than 200 individuals gathered and formed a “human chain” around the building, police negotiated with them to get them to the door in order to avoid more arrests. When firefighters knocked down the door, police arrested 13. But, as the Washington City Paper reports, the building has been known to have lead and asbestos, both hazardous to humans.

Asbestos exposure to people, even in small doses, can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma in years down the road. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure.

As our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have said before, there is no cure and it is fatal 100 percent of the time. When officials have knowledge of this dangerous mineral being inside buildings and do nothing to remove it or warn people, they can be liable.

Many workers in factories and old buildings have given decades of service only to find out years later that they were ingesting the dangerous mineral dust for years. And all that hard work and saving for retirement can be spent on medical bills, despite knowing that they can’t enjoy that time at all. The median lifespan after diagnosis is 12 months.

In the Washington, D.C., case, protesters sneaked into the abandoned building without city permission. They hung a huge banner — Franklin for the 99% — which tipped off the fact that they were inside. Once the word got out and other gatherers came by, police responded.

The article reports that a 2008 building assessment found that the school, listed on the registry of historic landmarks, contains enough lead and asbestos that it wasn’t safe for people to be inside. The report likely shows that it shouldn’t have been used as a shelter in the first place and that many children were exposed to these elements when it was used as a school in years past.

Given that the economy is bad and winter approaching, more and more people are finding homeless shelters a necessity. It may be a good use of funds for city leaders to clear the hazardous asbestos and lead out of the building so it can be used again. The article states that it once had 300 beds available. The city has been closing shelters down in recent months and not building new ones.

Investors are also considering turning the historic landmark into a boutique hotel, which city leaders like because it would generate money through hotel taxes. Either way, buildings shouldn’t stand if they contain dangerous levels of asbestos.

Anyone who goes inside — an inspector, a homeless person or city leader — can be exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos that can be deadly. Even a small amount of asbestos can lead to this rare and incurable form of cancer.
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November 15, 2011

Obama’s Executive Order Calls For Drug Shortage Research; Could Help Mesothelioma Patients in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

President Barack Obama recently issued an executive order calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to look into why many critical medications are in short supply, The New York Times is reporting.

The newspaper says that medicines used to treat life-threatening illnesses, including cancer and bacterial infections, are in short supply in the country and the executive order calls on the government agency as well as drug manufacturers to prevent shortages that have gradually worsened.

The Mesothelioma Center suggests that the order could, in turn, help mesothelioma patients who require these medications to fend off pain and suffering while dealing with a diagnosis of mesothelioma in New England. Like any other form of cancer, chemotherapy and other treatments are available to help fight the illness.

Boston mesothelioma lawyers as well as most other Americans hope that there are no critical shortages of medicines for people who are in dire need of them. This includes people who have been exposed to asbestos and now are saddled with the despair of having mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, but still affects thousands of people each year. It is caused by exposure to asbestos that may have happened decades ago while working in an old factory, mill, construction site or just from living or spending time in an old building. Asbestos was used for decades in the United States for insulation, to cover piping, in boiler rooms and in other commonly used products like brake pads and ceiling tiles.

For people who are suffering from this form of cancer — which is fatal in 100 percent of cases, usually within 12 months after diagnosis — a shortage of drugs is crippling news. The New York Times reports that the executive order broadens reporting of potential shortages of specific prescriptions, speeds up the review of applications to begin or alter drugs and provides more information to law enforcement authorities about price gouging or collusion.

Most consider the move political, with Obama showing the country he is committed to helping the public despite partisan disagreements in Congress. But regardless of the reason, our mesothelioma lawyers hope this goes a long way to helping mesothelioma patients.

The Mesothelioma Center believes that the order could bring down the price of Alimta, a common chemotherapy drug used for cancer patients and could alleviate the shortage of Cisplatin, a standard treatment used by oncologists on mesothelioma patients.

The New York Times also reports that the President hopes to stockpile some cancer-treating medicines to ensure such a shortage doesn’t occur in the future. Most shortages are chemotherapy drugs, medications used for surgery patients and antibiotics for infections.

No one wants there to be a shortage of medicine when they need it, but let’s also hope that officials don’t rush untested drugs into the marketplace that could do more harm than good. After people are hit with the news that they have mesothelioma, they should have the best and most effective medicine available to fight and live comfortably. And they should seek legal help.
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November 13, 2011

Women Have Better Chance of Fending Off Peritoneal Mesothelioma in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent article by Surviving Mesothelioma suggests that women may have a better chance of coping with the cancer than their male counterparts.

Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen and can affect major organs, such as the colon, stomach, pancreas, liver and intestines. The cancer can cause the body to secrete additional fluid, which can build up.

Mesothelioma in Boston is rare, but it is fatal. Those who are diagnosed typically have about twelve months to live. It is an extremely frustrating illness because it can start up to 30 or 40 years earlier without the person knowing.

Typical causes of mesothelioma are some type of exposure to asbestos. Many military veterans are now being diagnosed because the armed forces used asbestos in Navy ships, shipyards and in old buildings, carriers and other uses. Asbestos was used in the construction of buildings, in brake pads, floor and ceiling tiles, to cover pipes and protect them from fire. Asbestos was in circulation in the United States from the early 20th Century until the 1990s. There were truckloads of asbestos used in our country during those decades.

So, there were many opportunities for people to end up being exposed to asbestos. A simple exposure could lead to a lifetime of problems. In most cases, a person isn’t diagnosed for years or decades after exposure. This means that a person can live with the cancer without knowing. And once they begin feeling the symptoms — coughing, fluid build-up, chest pain and others — it may be too late. Most people associate these symptoms with old age and wait too long to do anything.

According to the Surviving Mesothelioma article, Australian researchers have found that in 294 peritoneal mesothelioma cases treated during the last 20 years, women who were treated had a better survival rate than men.

Of course, the research was done over 20 years and much has changed in terms of medicine and treatment of cancer in that time. According to the article, peritoneal mesothelioma spreads quickly and its only known cause is asbestos.

Mesothelioma is usually treated with chemotherapy and cytoredeuctive surgery. The chemotherapy is designed to “wash” the cavity of the abdomen to wipe out the cancer. Older women didn’t do as well as younger women, but both did better than men.

A smaller-scale 2006 study found that women had a five-year survival rate of 63 percent, compared to 42 percent for men. The tumor cells in women had smaller nuclei than those found in men.

The Australian researchers believe that estrogen could have an effect on the treatment of this form of cancer. This hormone could be a way of treating, or at least fending off, the cancer in the future as more research is done.

It is critical that institutions take an interest in mesothelioma and continue to find funding for research on the topic. Much still isn’t known about this form of cancer and it kills 100 percent of the time. Other cancers that were once deadly are now treatable and our Boston mesothelioma lawyers hope we can one day say the same about mesothelioma.
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November 1, 2011

Railroad Sued By Employee Exposed to Asbestos, Fears Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A former railroad employee has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Central Railroad after being exposed to asbestos when he worked there between 1953 and 1991, The Madison Record reports.

Railroads are among the industries that regularly used asbestos for years in its trains, on its tracks and in many forms. What most people likely don’t realize is the widespread use of asbestos for decades in the United States.

Not only was it commonly used as insulation in older buildings because of its fire-resistant qualities, but it was used to make brake pads and other car parts, floor and ceiling tiles, coating for piping, and in boiler rooms in schools and other buildings nationwide. It was also commonly used in roadwork and other forms of construction, such as cementing.

Yet it has taken years and, in many cases, decades for this asbestos exposure to manifest itself in the form of mesothelioma in New England and other parts of the U.S. If you are diagnosed with this rare and incurable disease, you should contact a Boston mesothelioma lawyer to ensure your rights are upheld.

In this case, the man spent nearly 40 years working for the Illinois Central Railroad Company. According to a lawsuit recently filed in southern Illinois, the man was exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in his time working for the company. He has developed a non-malignant disease that isn’t specified in the lawsuit, but it states he fears the illness will worsen into a form of mesothelioma, The Record reports.

Along with the disease, he has also developed mental anxiety and fear that the illness will kill him. The man has incurred medical costs, lost earnings, loss of earning capacity and has a shortened life expectancy, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit goes on to say the railroad company failed to provide a safe work environment, didn’t give him the right tools and equipment, didn’t warn him of the effects of asbestos, and didn’t equip him to handle asbestos products with care to avoid injury. The lawsuit also alleges products weren’t tested before employees were exposed to asbestos.

Sadly, this man’s case is similar to those throughout New England and nationwide. People dedicated years of service to careers in industries where they never expected to be exposed to deadly toxins that would later kill them.

In labor-intensive industries, there is an expectation that a person’s safety could be put at risk through falls, use of heavy machinery or defective equipment, for instance. But most people don’t consider that businesses will be using potentially deadly materials that could lead to harmful illnesses or even death.

Many companies knew of the risks that asbestos could bring not only to their employees but to the surrounding community. Yet, they did not eliminate these risks. And now, decades later, the dedicated workers are dealing with mesothelioma in New England.
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