ALIMTA® Extends Survival in Continuation Maintenance Setting for Specific Lung Cancer Patients

ALIMTA® Extends Survival in Continuation Maintenance Setting for Specific Lung Cancer Patients (via redOrbit)

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today that patients may receive ALIMTA(®) (pemetrexed for injection) as a maintenance therapy following first-line ALIMTA plus cisplatin for locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer…

Simmons Law Firm Secures $3 Million Jury Verdict Against Crane Co. for Family of Mesothelioma Victim

Simmons Law Firm Secures $3 Million Jury Verdict Against Crane Co. for Family of Mesothelioma Victim (via PR Newswire)

BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC, a nationwide leader in asbestos litigation, announced today that a New York jury has awarded a $3 million verdict to the family of Gerald Suttner, a pipefitter who died from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer…

What are the Causes of Mesothelioma?

Know the causes of mesothelioma

In the medical sector, Mesothelioma cancer is often described as a rare cancer caused completely by exposure to asbestos. It affects the threadlike protective membrane that surrounds the lungs, heart and abdominal cavity. It has been documented that there are approximately 3,000 cases diagnosed in the United States every year. Most of these conditions are traced to an occupational exposure.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma Cancer: Take Heed and Get Early Treatment

Know the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer
(Photo credit: Mesothelioma.Name)

The revealing warnings of mesothelioma cancer may consist of prolonged coughing, pains in the chest and back, low energy and weight loss. A medical practitioner has the capacity to undertake a general check-up including the x-ray to determine the causes of these warning signs. This will allow the doctor to prescribe the necessary treatment and medications for early prevention of this dreaded ailment. However, several factors have to be considered such as the actual position of the cancer cells, the growth stage and preferences of the afflicted person. Among the conventional treatment alternatives are surgical procedures, radiation methods and chemotherapy.

Mesothelioma Risk Factors: How Do You Know When You're Susceptible to Mesothelioma Cancer?

Thousands of people are at risk of mesothelioma cancer (Photo credit: Elslaw.com)

Various types of cancers have already been listed in medical annals. In the United States alone, the National Cancer Institute revealed that more than one million cases are detected every year and almost 500,000 cancer patients do not survive. Because of these alarming statistics, it is extremely beneficial to know the most common of these diseases for prevention purposes. The ordinary forms include breast, lungs, cervical, colon and prostate cancers.

Blood protein signatures could prompt early mesothelioma cancer diagnosis

Researchers discovered blood protein signatures could prompt
mesothelioma detection (Photo credit: Glogster.com).

Researchers at SomaLogic - a privately-held protein biomarker discovery and clinical diagnostics company in Boulder, Colorado – discovered a blood protein signature for mesothelioma cancer that hastens the diagnosis of the disease. This could also mean earlier treatments that prolong the life of a mesothelioma patient, writes Pat Guth of Mesothelioma.com.

Inhibitor May Reduce Mesothelioma Fluid and Prolong Survival

Endostar brings promise of helping patients
recover from mesothelioma cancer.

Endostar, a drug based on endostatin, a compound derived from human collagens, may aid chemotherapy in treating mesothelioma fluid buildup. In Endostatin serves as an anti-angiogenic agent, preventing a certain type of vascular development that boosts the growth of cancer cells. By effectively clogging the natural formation of tumor-feeding blood vessels, Endostar works in ‘starve’ mesothelioma cells,thus, causing tumors to shrink.

Research explores “Adaption and Reaction” among cancer patients

Study explores the level of depression a person with
 mesothelioma  undergoes

A recent study conducted by Frank J. Infurna explored the levels of depression during prediagnosis, reaction stage (0-2 years after diagnosis) and reaction stage (24 months after the diagnosis) of patients suffering from mesothelioma cancer. Path Guth of Mesothelioma.com writes that “Results concluded that symptoms of depression rose dramatically during the initial reaction period and continued to rise during the adaption period, but only moderately. Although Infurna reported different results for each patient examined, he noted that a clear pattern emerged; namely ‘participants with better memory and better cancer prognoses had smaller increases in depressive symptoms than those with poorer cognitive skills and less favorable cancer outcomes.’”

Blood test may detect mesothelioma cancer

Blood test could detect mesothelioma cancer

“The blood test, along with a lung fluid test, looks for a protein in plasma called fibulin-3 that indicates whether a person has mesothelioma cancer, which is often triggered by asbestos exposure, or was simply exposed to asbestos,” writes Serena Gordon of USNews.com.

Patients with mesothelioma have fibulin-3 four-five times higher than the normal, said study author Dr. Harvey Pass, a professor of thoracic oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. This study was recently published at the New England Journal of Medicine.

Mesothelioma Metastasis Closer to Being Understood and Stopped

Metastasis is the reason mesothelioma cancer.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that metastasis is the primary cause of nearly 90 percent of mesothelioma cancer deaths. This is a mechanism that permits cancer cells to destroy the initial tumor site and spread to other parts of the body. Usually, cancer cells stay in one place, but with this latest discovery, scientists could now look for further explanation how cancer cells break free and migrate. This is another milestone that will help take a step further on cancer treatment.