mesothelioma treatment

August 21, 2015

Soto v. BorgWarner Morse TEC: Asbestos Exposure

Soto v. BorgWarner Morse TEC, an appeal in the Court of Appeal for the State of California’s Second District, involved a plaintiff who died from asbestos-related mesothelioma. Several surviving family members of the Plaintiff, including plaintiff’s adult children and grandmother, filed the lawsuit against a variety of defendants the family alleged was responsible for plaintiff’s asbestos exposure and ultimate death from mesothelioma. The case proceeded to a bifurcated jury trial. Continue reading

July 11, 2015

Experimenting with Alternative Treatment Options for Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer, and the only known cause is exposure to asbestos. When a person inhales the fibers, those fibers can become embedded in his or her lung tissue, lining of the chest, abdomen and other organs. Once the fibers are embedded, there is virtually no way to detect them.

When a patient presents with asbestos symptoms, a doctor may perform a lung or tissue biopsy, where a portion of the tumor is removed and examined at a histology lab to confirm the presence of asbestos fibers and mesothelioma. Doctors will generally not perform a biopsy on healthy tissues since this type of test is known as a destructive biopsy, which requires the cutting and removal of tissue. Continue reading

July 7, 2015

Potential New Cure for Asbestos-Related Illness Being Tested

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

For a variety of reasons, Australia has many more cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma each year than most other nations. There are constantly government investigations into asbestos use and asbestos abatement violations, especially in relation to a home insulation material known as Mr. Fluffy.

Due to the high frequency of asbestos related illness diagnoses in the country each year, it should come as no surprise the government has put a considerable amount of resources into finding better treatment options and eventually a cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Continue reading

June 9, 2015

New Treatment may Change Standard of Care for Mesothelioma Patients

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When a patient is diagnosed with mesothelioma, he or she is often told they have a short time left to live. There are treatment options available, but they require cutting away cancerous organ tissues and applying chemotherapy wash directly to the site of the cancer. Sometimes, a patient will have an entire lung and portion of the other lung removed, and even with these invasive and painful treatments, a patient many have his or life extended by a matter of months to a few years.

According to a recent article from Lauderdale Dailey News, a new treatment for mesothelioma patients may actually change the standard of care for many patients. Bevacizumab is a drug that was developed to treat cancer patients by restricting growth of new blood vessels inside tumors. Attendees at a recent conference on cancer treatment believe this drug, with a brand name of Avastin, should be added to the traditional combination of mesothelioma drugs consisting of pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy products. Avastin is currently being used for patients with colorectal cancer and some forms of lung cancer and may have promise in treating mesothelioma patients, according to researchers. Continue reading