WHO Reclassifies Firefighting as High-Risk Occupation for Cancer
The World Health Organization has reclassified firefighting to its highest level of occupational risk for cancer after extensive research confirmed an alarming level of malignant mesothelioma incidence.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of WHO, found that firefighters had a 58% higher risk than the general population of developing mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.
These findings led to the occupation being reclassified recently as “carcinogenic to humans,” earning it Group 1 status for cancer risk and confirming what many already believed.
“This r...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 28, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Source Type: news
UK Approves Opdivo/Yervoy Immunotherapy for Pleural Mesothelioma
Patients with unresectable pleural mesothelioma cancer throughout the United Kingdom will now have the immunotherapy combination of Opdivo and Yervoy as an option after its recent approval by the National Health Service for first-line treatment.
The long-awaited approval comes almost two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a similar approval of Opdivo and Yervoy. It brings new hope to a region particularly hard hit by this rare cancer caused primarily by exposure to asbestos.
Opdivo and Yervoy, known generically as nivolumab and ipilimumab, respectively, are manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb....
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 27, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Immunotherapy Mesothelioma Treatment Source Type: news
Study: Those Exposed to Asbestos Should Not Take Beta-Carotene
Taking beta-carotene health supplements could increase the risk of lung cancer or death from cardiovascular disease for anyone who is regularly exposed to asbestos, according to a panel of medicine experts.
Based on existing scientific evidence, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded recently that the potential harms of beta-carotene supplements outweigh any benefits, particularly for those with occupational exposure to asbestos.
The task force, an independent group of medical volunteers, makes recommendations about clinical preventive services. In the same report, it also said vitamin E provided no benefi...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 25, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
Firefighting a Carcinogenic Occupation, Warn Experts Firefighting a Carcinogenic Occupation, Warn Experts
Firefighters have occupational exposure that meets five of the 10 criteria for being carcinogenic and is directly related to increased rates of mesothelioma and bladder cancer, say international experts.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - July 22, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Hematology-Oncology News Source Type: news
MARF to Host International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma
Leading medical specialists will gather with mesothelioma patients, families, friends and advocates at the much-anticipated 2022 International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, July 23, in Chicago. This is an event well worth attending.
The day-long symposium will be held at Summit Chicago, a welcoming venue where a wide range of mesothelioma experts will be speaking on related topics and mixing with all those who attend.
This is the first in-person gathering for the annual event since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the symposium will be available for viewing virtually, free of charge, for those un...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 20, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Awareness/Advocacy Mesothelioma Peritoneal Pleural Treatment Source Type: news
New Study Underscores Importance of Worldwide Asbestos Ban
The push for a worldwide ban on asbestos gained momentum recently with the latest study linking national consumption levels of the toxic mineral with corresponding levels of asbestos-related diseases.
An ecological association between asbestos and asbestos-related diseases was made in 70 countries, doubling the number found in a similar study released in 2007.
Environmental Health Perspectives, a well-respected monthly research journal supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, published the report in May 2022. The Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, based in Australia, authored the study...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 18, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Source Type: news
Researchers in Japan Study Inhalable Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma
This study suggests that inhalable gene drugs are effective treatments for NSCLC and MPM,” the authors wrote. “These findings suggest that cancer gene therapy using inhalable drugs may constitute a novel therapeutic regimen and improve patients’ qualify of life owing to the low invasiveness of the mode of administration.”
Effective, Noninvasive Treatment Is Rare
Aggressive treatment for mesothelioma is hard on patients, and may lead to a significantly decreased quality of life. Major mesothelioma surgery can be physically overwhelming and its side effects long-lasting. Standard-of-care chemotherapy, the most ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 12, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Pleural Source Type: news
Drug Repurposing Study Could Identify New Mesothelioma Treatments
The next breakthrough in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma may be quietly underway.
An international research team based at Temple University in Philadelphia recently identified four drug compounds – already being used safely for noncancerous conditions – that have shown impressive potential for treating mesothelioma. They were part of a novel drug repurposing project aimed at uncovering much-needed options for mesothelioma patients.
“Mesothelioma has shown resistance to all current treatments, including immunotherapy. Novel combinations are badly needed now,” Dr. Antonio Giordano, director of Sbarro He...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 6, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Mesothelioma Source Type: news
EPA Finalizes Asbestos Risk Evaluation Goals with Part 2 Assessment
Utilizing recent public feedback, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized its strategy and goals for the much-anticipated Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2.
Its final scope document, released June 29, clarified the EPA’s intentions, which will build on the previously released and much-maligned Part 1. A broader Part 2 will be published late in 2024.
The risk evaluation stems from the EPA’s designation of asbestos as one of the first 10 chemicals to be reviewed under the 2016 amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Although only one evaluation for asbestos was planned originally, the EPA add...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - July 1, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Asbestos Exposure Source Type: news
Toronto Cancer Center Hosts SMARTEST Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto recently opened a first-of-its-kind clinical trial that hopes to build on earlier pioneering efforts to turn pleural mesothelioma into a more manageable, potentially survivable disease. Expectations are high.
This single-center phase II clinical trial is named SMARTEST, and follows in the wake of earlier mesothelioma trials SMART and SMARTER in Toronto. SMARTEST is an acronym for Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy using Exquisite Systemic Therapy.
“The hope is that we find an effective therapy with little toxicity. That’s the dream for every cancer doctor,...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - June 28, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Test Targeted Gene Therapy
For some patients, the future of mesothelioma cancer treatment may hinge on a pair of phase I clinical trials that opened earlier this year to study promising new drugs targeting specific genetic mutations.
Precision medicine may finally be taking hold with malignant mesothelioma, clearing the path for significant, long-overdue advancements.
The one-size-fits-all approach is fading.
“There is some realistic hope now for patients,” Dr. Anthony Tolcher, co-founder of NEXT Oncology in San Antonio, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “I am very optimistic. New avenues for treatment are opening up.”
...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - June 21, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fran Mannino Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
Asbestos Abatement Laws Being Enforced
Cities and counties throughout the country are paying the price for failing to adhere to the tightening safety protocols that cover the handling and disposal of toxic asbestos in existing structures.
Dothan, Alabama, became the latest city to pay for its negligence, agreeing to a $3,000 settlement with the state’s Department of Environmental Management, stemming from its failure to get a proper asbestos-abatement inspection.
The city, which is in the middle of a downtown rebuilding project, demolished five structures recently, but only had one commercial building properly inspected. The other four were residential,...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - June 17, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Sophia Clifton Tags: Asbestos (general) Source Type: news
Steve McQueen: The 'King of Cool's' deadly mesothelioma - critical warning signs
ACTOR STEVE McQueen can be seen in his prime as the 1968 crime thriller Bullitt airs on ITV4 tonight . As the legendary actor passed away back in 1980 aged only 50, here we examine the health issues he suffered leading up to his untimely death which included a battle with asbestos cancer. (Source: Daily Express - Health)
Source: Daily Express - Health - June 14, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Novel Clinical Trial Helping Late-Stage Mesothelioma Patients
Late-stage patients with pleural mesothelioma have survived longer than anticipated — with good quality of life — in a phase I clinical trial studying the effectiveness of a novel combination treatment.
The treatment involves galinpepimut-S, the latest targeted cancer vaccine also known as GPS, in combination with Opdivo, a popular immunotherapy drug.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is hosting the study sponsored by SELLAS Life Sciences Group, a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company based in New York City.
“We’ve seen some very, very positive results,” Dr. Dragan Cicic, director of Clinica...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - June 14, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Sophia Clifton Tags: Clinical Trials/Research/Emerging Treatments Source Type: news
Sudden Rise in Asbestos Imports as Ban Draws Closer
Importation of raw chrysotile asbestos into the United States increased dramatically earlier this year, despite the growing movement toward tighter regulation and a potential future ban of the product.
The chloralkali industry — the only known user of raw asbestos today within the U.S. — imported an estimated 114 metric tons over the first three months of 2022, according to the United States International Trade Commission.
In all of 2021, by comparison, the industry imported only 100 metric tons, the smallest amount in more than half a century.
This sudden and dramatic rise in imports stems from a stockpiling ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - June 9, 2022 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Sophia Clifton Tags: Asbestos (general) Source Type: news
