The SimmonsCooper law firm announced today that the Mesothelioma Video Library Web site, a free educational resource for patients and families affected by mesothelioma, has been recognized by the Web Marketing Association and W3 Awards for its innovation and excellence on the web. The Mesothelioma Video Library is the first video-driven Web site to address mesothelioma and asbestos-related issues.
"We started this site to reach out to mesothelioma patients and families in a fresh and meaningful way," said Michael Angelides, SimmonsCooper partner and asbestos attorney. "Using video allowed us to simplify the medical information for families, as well as show the personal side of the disease. It's our hope that people are able to watch these videos and realize that they are not alone in their fight."
Sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts, the Web site has won two W3 Gold Awards in the categories of Health and Video. Less than 10% of all entries receive a recognition of that level. The Mesothelioma Video Library has also won a WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development, presented by the Web Marketing Association. All three awards are an affirmation of the site's credibility and effectiveness at communicating about mesothelioma.
The video-based Web site features over 75 educational mesothelioma videos and mesothelioma stories by victims and families dealing with the disease. The True Stories section gives families a forum to talk about how the disease has affected them, and the Common Questions section features the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation's Medical Liaison, Mary Hesdorffer, a nurse practitioner who has worked with patients and families for over a decade. The videos can be viewed at www.mesovideolibrary.com.
Angelides said he hopes to see the video library grow over time. "We're interviewing more families now and invite others to go to the Web site and share their stories," said Angelides. "We just hope this recognition helps shed more light on the disease."
Source: SimmonsCooper LLC
Monday, 29 March 2010
Exposure to asbestos by rocks could induce malignant mesothelioma
Californians who live close to naturally occurring asbestos sources and who are exposed to low levels of the mineral are at increased risk for developing malignant mesothelioma, a serious cancer of the membrane covering the lung, according to a new study published in the second issue of the October 2005 American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Marc B. Schenker, M.D., M.P.H., of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, at the University of California, Davis, along with four associates, investigated 2,908 malignant mesothelioma cases reported over a 10-year period (1988 to 1997). Over 50 percent of the men and 58 percent of the women, all of whom were listed in the California Cancer Registry, either had no or low occupational exposure to asbestos.
"People who lived closer to an asbestos source had a greater chance of having mesothelioma, and the chance decreased steadily as the distance increased," said Dr. Schenker.
According to the article, the odds of developing mesothelioma decreased 6.3 percent for every 10 kilometers farther from the asbestos source.
The authors explained that a major strength of the study was the very large number of mesothelioma cases used to assess the potentially weak association between exposure to naturally occurring asbestos and mesothelioma incidence.
"Epidemiological studies have confirmed that occupational exposure to asbestos causes mesothelioma," said Dr. Schenker. "However, almost all population-based studies have found that many mesothelioma cases had no known occupational exposure to asbestos."
Considered rare, mesothelioma usually takes from 30 to 40 years after exposure to develop. The only know causes is exposure to asbestos fibers, which can cause tumors in the two layers of membrane covering the lung (the pleura), or, with greater exposure, in membranes of the abdomen.
According to the authors, California has more naturally occurring asbestos source rocks than any other state in the U.S., but their distribution is patchy, with exposed areas separated from unexposed areas. The group used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to pinpoint the sources of asbestos and the location of patient residencies more precisely.
"Geocoding of residential addresses provided a more accurate assessment of potential environmental exposure to naturally occurring asbestos at the individual level than methods using a less precise geographic classification," said Dr. Schenker.
The California Cancer Registry includes occupational information, so the researchers were able to control for, and the study confirmed, the increased risks of mesothelioma among shipyard workers, boilermakers, insulators, plumbers, steam fitters, and other tradespeople involved in construction and shipping. In an editorial on the article in the same issue, Marcel Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniele Luce, Ph.D., of the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) in Saint Maurice, France, note that it is of utmost importance, "from a scientific and public health point to view, to know whether exposure to low levels of asbestos is able to induce pleural mesothelioma."
"While exposure in environmental settings is generally much lower than in occupational circumstances, the levels may not be negligible," they write. "In studies in which elevated risk of mesothelioma was demonstrated, people typically lived in close vicinity of naturally occurring asbestos sources, and may have had direct contact with asbestos, when white-washing houses with material containing asbestos or working in polluted fields. It is thus likely that lifelong cumulative exposure may have been as high (if not higher) as in some occupational settings, but it was not-or not adequately-measured, and non-occupational studies have not yet provided adequate answers.
"That is why this work showing a relationship between mesothelioma risk and residential distance from naturally occurring asbestos, and suggesting that there is excess risk of mesothelioma even at long distance from the asbestos source, is important. To our knowledge, this study is the first one that demonstrates such an effect quite convincingly."
The editorialists contend that additional research is now necessary to more accurately assess the levels of cumulative exposure that persons experience in areas where excess risk of pleural mesothelioma was observed.
Source: American Thoracic Society
Marc B. Schenker, M.D., M.P.H., of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, at the University of California, Davis, along with four associates, investigated 2,908 malignant mesothelioma cases reported over a 10-year period (1988 to 1997). Over 50 percent of the men and 58 percent of the women, all of whom were listed in the California Cancer Registry, either had no or low occupational exposure to asbestos.
"People who lived closer to an asbestos source had a greater chance of having mesothelioma, and the chance decreased steadily as the distance increased," said Dr. Schenker.
According to the article, the odds of developing mesothelioma decreased 6.3 percent for every 10 kilometers farther from the asbestos source.
The authors explained that a major strength of the study was the very large number of mesothelioma cases used to assess the potentially weak association between exposure to naturally occurring asbestos and mesothelioma incidence.
"Epidemiological studies have confirmed that occupational exposure to asbestos causes mesothelioma," said Dr. Schenker. "However, almost all population-based studies have found that many mesothelioma cases had no known occupational exposure to asbestos."
Considered rare, mesothelioma usually takes from 30 to 40 years after exposure to develop. The only know causes is exposure to asbestos fibers, which can cause tumors in the two layers of membrane covering the lung (the pleura), or, with greater exposure, in membranes of the abdomen.
According to the authors, California has more naturally occurring asbestos source rocks than any other state in the U.S., but their distribution is patchy, with exposed areas separated from unexposed areas. The group used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to pinpoint the sources of asbestos and the location of patient residencies more precisely.
"Geocoding of residential addresses provided a more accurate assessment of potential environmental exposure to naturally occurring asbestos at the individual level than methods using a less precise geographic classification," said Dr. Schenker.
The California Cancer Registry includes occupational information, so the researchers were able to control for, and the study confirmed, the increased risks of mesothelioma among shipyard workers, boilermakers, insulators, plumbers, steam fitters, and other tradespeople involved in construction and shipping. In an editorial on the article in the same issue, Marcel Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniele Luce, Ph.D., of the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) in Saint Maurice, France, note that it is of utmost importance, "from a scientific and public health point to view, to know whether exposure to low levels of asbestos is able to induce pleural mesothelioma."
"While exposure in environmental settings is generally much lower than in occupational circumstances, the levels may not be negligible," they write. "In studies in which elevated risk of mesothelioma was demonstrated, people typically lived in close vicinity of naturally occurring asbestos sources, and may have had direct contact with asbestos, when white-washing houses with material containing asbestos or working in polluted fields. It is thus likely that lifelong cumulative exposure may have been as high (if not higher) as in some occupational settings, but it was not-or not adequately-measured, and non-occupational studies have not yet provided adequate answers.
"That is why this work showing a relationship between mesothelioma risk and residential distance from naturally occurring asbestos, and suggesting that there is excess risk of mesothelioma even at long distance from the asbestos source, is important. To our knowledge, this study is the first one that demonstrates such an effect quite convincingly."
The editorialists contend that additional research is now necessary to more accurately assess the levels of cumulative exposure that persons experience in areas where excess risk of pleural mesothelioma was observed.
Source: American Thoracic Society
Potential vaccine for mesothelioma demonstrated safe
Researchers have demonstrated the safety of a potential vaccine against mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated primarily with asbestos exposure. The vaccine, which infuses uses a patient's own dendritic cells (DC) with antigen from the patient's tumor, was able to induce a T-cell response against mesothelioma tumors.
"[This] is the first human study on DC-based immunotherapy in patients with mesothelioma," wrote Joachim G Aerts M.D., Ph.D., a pulmonary physician at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.
The findings have been published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The U.S. and other developed countries have prohibited the use of asbestos for decades, but the time between asbestos exposure and diagnosis of mesothelioma can up to 50 years. The incidence of mesothelioma, therefore, is still on the rise and expected to continue to increase until 2020. Once diagnosed, mesothelioma has a median survival time of 12 months. The standard chemotherapeutic treatment only improves survival time by about three months.
The anticipated increase in the incidence of mesothelioma, together with the paucity of treatment options, has spurred considerable interest in the development of new therapies. Immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, has been shown to have some promise.
"The possibility to harness the potency and specificity of the immune system underlies the growing interest in cancer immunotherapy," said Dr. Aerts. "One such approach uses the patient's own DC to present tumor-associated antigens and thereby generate tumor-specific immunity."
Building upon their previous research which demonstrated that DC vaccinations induced anti-tumor immunity and conferred a survival benefit in mice, Dr. Aerts and colleagues sought to test the clinical relevance of their finding. After recruiting 10 human patients recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma of the epithelial subtype, they cultured immature DC from their blood and exposed the DC to the antigen produced by the patients' tumors. The DC were also exposed to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), which was used as a surrogate marker to show an immune response. The DC were then matured and injected back into the patients in three doses over a two-week interval.
Serum samples from all patients showed a significant increase of pre- versus post-vaccine antibodies to KLH. In the four patients whose tumor material was sufficient for testing, there was clear induction of cytotoxicity against their own tumors after vaccination. Three patients showed signs of tumor regression, though this could not be conclusively or directly attributed to the vaccine.
Encouragingly, while eight of the patients developed flu-like symptoms in response to the vaccinations, the symptoms normalized after one day in all but one of the patients. There were no signs of autoimmune diseases in the patients provoked by the vaccination, nor other serious side effects.
"The major problem in mesothelioma is that the immunosuppressive environment caused by the tumor will negatively influence our therapy so we are now working on a method to lower this immunosuppressive environment," said Dr. Aerts. "We hope that by further development of our method it will be possible to increase survival in patients with mesothelioma and eventually vaccinate persons who have been in contact with asbestos to prevent them from getting asbestos related diseases."
Source
American Thoracic Society (ATS)
"[This] is the first human study on DC-based immunotherapy in patients with mesothelioma," wrote Joachim G Aerts M.D., Ph.D., a pulmonary physician at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.
The findings have been published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The U.S. and other developed countries have prohibited the use of asbestos for decades, but the time between asbestos exposure and diagnosis of mesothelioma can up to 50 years. The incidence of mesothelioma, therefore, is still on the rise and expected to continue to increase until 2020. Once diagnosed, mesothelioma has a median survival time of 12 months. The standard chemotherapeutic treatment only improves survival time by about three months.
The anticipated increase in the incidence of mesothelioma, together with the paucity of treatment options, has spurred considerable interest in the development of new therapies. Immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, has been shown to have some promise.
"The possibility to harness the potency and specificity of the immune system underlies the growing interest in cancer immunotherapy," said Dr. Aerts. "One such approach uses the patient's own DC to present tumor-associated antigens and thereby generate tumor-specific immunity."
Building upon their previous research which demonstrated that DC vaccinations induced anti-tumor immunity and conferred a survival benefit in mice, Dr. Aerts and colleagues sought to test the clinical relevance of their finding. After recruiting 10 human patients recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma of the epithelial subtype, they cultured immature DC from their blood and exposed the DC to the antigen produced by the patients' tumors. The DC were also exposed to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), which was used as a surrogate marker to show an immune response. The DC were then matured and injected back into the patients in three doses over a two-week interval.
Serum samples from all patients showed a significant increase of pre- versus post-vaccine antibodies to KLH. In the four patients whose tumor material was sufficient for testing, there was clear induction of cytotoxicity against their own tumors after vaccination. Three patients showed signs of tumor regression, though this could not be conclusively or directly attributed to the vaccine.
Encouragingly, while eight of the patients developed flu-like symptoms in response to the vaccinations, the symptoms normalized after one day in all but one of the patients. There were no signs of autoimmune diseases in the patients provoked by the vaccination, nor other serious side effects.
"The major problem in mesothelioma is that the immunosuppressive environment caused by the tumor will negatively influence our therapy so we are now working on a method to lower this immunosuppressive environment," said Dr. Aerts. "We hope that by further development of our method it will be possible to increase survival in patients with mesothelioma and eventually vaccinate persons who have been in contact with asbestos to prevent them from getting asbestos related diseases."
Source
American Thoracic Society (ATS)
Bionomics To Initiate BNC105 Phase II Trial In Mesothelioma Patients
Bionomics, an Australian drug discovery and development company, is set to initiate the second Phase II clinical trial of vascular disrupting agent BNC105 in patients with advanced mesothelioma.
Bionomics has already commenced Phase II testing of the anti-cancer properties of BNC105 in renal cancer in the US.
The commencement of these two Phase II trials follows a successful BNC105 Phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Western Hospital, Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The Bionomics' Phase II trial of BNC105P is a single arm, unblinded study for patients with mesothelioma who have progressed on platinum/pemetrexed chemotherapy. BNC105 will be administered on days 1 and 8 of 21 day cycles. Treatment will continue until disease progression.
Earlier in December 2009, Bionomics had entered into a collaboration with the Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group (ALTG) and the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) to conduct the clinical trial in mesothelioma.
Anna Nowak, principal investigator of the trial, said: "An early clinical trial of BNC105 suggested some promise in mesothelioma. This Phase II trial will provide hope and an opportunity to participate in a research study for people with mesothelioma who do not have other options for treatment.
"The Australian Lung Cancer Trials Group is very happy to have partnered with Bionomics to carry out a clinical trial of this interesting novel therapy in centres around Australia. The investigators are particularly pleased to be working with an Australian company, and that the study has been developed, approved and opened for patients within a very short timeframe."
Deborah Rathjen, managing director and CEO of Bionomics, said: "I am delighted to report the rapid approval and initiation of this clinical trial. We are expecting to report interim results of this study in mesothelioma patients early in 2011.”
Source: Pharmaceutical Business Review
Bionomics has already commenced Phase II testing of the anti-cancer properties of BNC105 in renal cancer in the US.
The commencement of these two Phase II trials follows a successful BNC105 Phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Western Hospital, Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The Bionomics' Phase II trial of BNC105P is a single arm, unblinded study for patients with mesothelioma who have progressed on platinum/pemetrexed chemotherapy. BNC105 will be administered on days 1 and 8 of 21 day cycles. Treatment will continue until disease progression.
Earlier in December 2009, Bionomics had entered into a collaboration with the Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group (ALTG) and the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) to conduct the clinical trial in mesothelioma.
Anna Nowak, principal investigator of the trial, said: "An early clinical trial of BNC105 suggested some promise in mesothelioma. This Phase II trial will provide hope and an opportunity to participate in a research study for people with mesothelioma who do not have other options for treatment.
"The Australian Lung Cancer Trials Group is very happy to have partnered with Bionomics to carry out a clinical trial of this interesting novel therapy in centres around Australia. The investigators are particularly pleased to be working with an Australian company, and that the study has been developed, approved and opened for patients within a very short timeframe."
Deborah Rathjen, managing director and CEO of Bionomics, said: "I am delighted to report the rapid approval and initiation of this clinical trial. We are expecting to report interim results of this study in mesothelioma patients early in 2011.”
Source: Pharmaceutical Business Review
ADAO Praises Senate For Passage Of Sixth Annual Resolution That Establishes "National Asbestos Awareness Week"
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest U.S. organization serving as the voice of asbestos victims, today applauds the United State Senate for the passage of S.RES.427, a resolution that declares the first week of April as "National Asbestos Awareness Week" and urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate Americans of the severe hazards of asbestos exposure.
"We are grateful to the U.S. Senate for unanimously passing S. RES. 427 that will increase public awareness about asbestos, a known human carcinogen," said Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder, ADAO. "For the past six years, ADAO has seen that a week of awareness enables agencies, institutions and organizations to promote regulatory compliance and enforcement. Americans deserve and want to know how to prevent asbestos in their homes or in the workplace."
Asbestos exposure can cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos related disease - equaling 30 deaths per day.
ADAO will hold its Sixth Annual International Asbestos Conference on April 10, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Honorable Richard Durbin, United States Senator, will receive the ADAO Tribute of Hope Award for his gallant efforts to protect public health and promote worker safety.
Source: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
"We are grateful to the U.S. Senate for unanimously passing S. RES. 427 that will increase public awareness about asbestos, a known human carcinogen," said Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder, ADAO. "For the past six years, ADAO has seen that a week of awareness enables agencies, institutions and organizations to promote regulatory compliance and enforcement. Americans deserve and want to know how to prevent asbestos in their homes or in the workplace."
Asbestos exposure can cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 workers around the world will die of an asbestos related disease - equaling 30 deaths per day.
ADAO will hold its Sixth Annual International Asbestos Conference on April 10, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Honorable Richard Durbin, United States Senator, will receive the ADAO Tribute of Hope Award for his gallant efforts to protect public health and promote worker safety.
Source: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Asbestos exposure cause of mesothelioma cancer in Texas
In Temple, Texas, the demolished remains of a local church were soaked with water to minimize the risk of spreading airborne asbestos particles. A large construction machine was used to knock down the former First Baptist Church last Wednesday morning.
Beginning early in the morning, the machine tore apart wood, metal, and other debris at the office-like building. Work is still ongoing at the site, and it is expected to wrap up sometime this week, according to Brad Garrett of Garrett Excavation and Demolition.
Read More
Beginning early in the morning, the machine tore apart wood, metal, and other debris at the office-like building. Work is still ongoing at the site, and it is expected to wrap up sometime this week, according to Brad Garrett of Garrett Excavation and Demolition.
Read More
Roadrunners raise a record amount for research fund
Reading Roadrunners members have raised a record sum for charity in the past year.
They handed over a cheque for more than £47,700 to the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund.
It was received by club member Steve Lee and Kim Stubbs, the director of the fund and daughter of June Hancock.
Lee suffers from the disease which he caught from contact with asbestos in his early life.
Read More
They handed over a cheque for more than £47,700 to the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund.
It was received by club member Steve Lee and Kim Stubbs, the director of the fund and daughter of June Hancock.
Lee suffers from the disease which he caught from contact with asbestos in his early life.
Read More
Drop-in session centred on Mail asbestos article
BARROW ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASE SUPPORT: At a drop-in session held at Lesser Kings Hall, Hartington Street, Barrow, on April 21, a big increase in the number of people attending was noted, with 24 at the meeting.
John Horne attended the meeting and expressed his concerns regarding the site development.
He had discussed these concerns with locals who could remember railway carriages containing asbestos being broken up and buried at the site where it was anticipated the new Marina Village would be built.
Read More
John Horne attended the meeting and expressed his concerns regarding the site development.
He had discussed these concerns with locals who could remember railway carriages containing asbestos being broken up and buried at the site where it was anticipated the new Marina Village would be built.
Read More
Leeds asbestos death legacy could be a lifesaver
Funds raised in memory of a heroic Leeds woman who died from mesothelioma cancer are to be used to help find a cure for the disease.
June Hancock lived in the shadow of the J W Roberts asbestos factory at Armley.
For decades it spewed asbestos dust over the community. It closed in the 1950s, but more than 50 years later its activities are still causing deaths.
Read More
June Hancock lived in the shadow of the J W Roberts asbestos factory at Armley.
For decades it spewed asbestos dust over the community. It closed in the 1950s, but more than 50 years later its activities are still causing deaths.
Read More
MP assurances to battle on for asbestos victims
COPELAND MP Jamie Reed has vowed to keep fighting for justice for victims of an asbestos-related disease after the Government decided not to overturn a legal ruling affecting compensation payments.
Mr Reed said the fight was not over and backbenchers would not stop until pleural plaque sufferers were given justice.
Pleural plaques are scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos, often from working in shipyards, coal mines or on building sites.
The Labour MP is one of the figures in a Westminster campaign to overturn a Law Lords decision in 2007 that ruled sufferers of the condition, which can be an indication of fatal asbestosis, were no longer entitled to compensation which had existed for more than 20 years.
Read More
Mr Reed said the fight was not over and backbenchers would not stop until pleural plaque sufferers were given justice.
Pleural plaques are scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos, often from working in shipyards, coal mines or on building sites.
The Labour MP is one of the figures in a Westminster campaign to overturn a Law Lords decision in 2007 that ruled sufferers of the condition, which can be an indication of fatal asbestosis, were no longer entitled to compensation which had existed for more than 20 years.
Read More
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