A $117 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and a supplier in favor of a man who said his asbestos-related cancer was caused by long-term use of J&J’s Baby Powder could open a new front for thousands of cases claiming the widely-used product caused [mesothelioma or ovarian cancer], legal experts and plaintiffs lawyers said. J&J … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson Held Responsible in NJ Lawsuit for Asbestos in Baby Powder
Background Lawsuits alleging that certain talcum powder products have contained harmful asbestos are growing in number. Complaints have been filed in California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida against companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Palmolive, Shulton Co., and their respective talc suppliers. While the … [Read more...]
J&J, Imerys unit must pay $117 million in N.J. asbestos cancer case
Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America, a unit of Imerys SA, must pay $117 million in damages in a case involving a man who said he developed cancer due to his exposure to asbestos in talc-based products, a New Jersey state court jury said on Wednesday. The jury ordered the companies to pay an additional $80 million in punitive damages to … [Read more...]
Comprehensive immunoproteogenomic analyses of malignant pleural mesothelioma
We generated a comprehensive atlas of the immunologic cellular networks within human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) using mass cytometry. Data-driven analyses of these high-resolution single-cell data identified 2 distinct immunologic subtypes of MPM with vastly different cellular composition, activation states, and immunologic function; mass … [Read more...]
Immunotherapy Making Headway in SCLC and Mesothelioma
Immune-based therapies continue to show promising signals for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and mesothelioma, but better predictive biomarkers are needed to determine who is most likely to benefit, according to Justin F. Gainor, MD. The rationale for immunotherapy in SCLC is growing because it is a very molecularly complex disease, … [Read more...]
Past and current asbestos exposure and future mesothelioma risks in Britain: The Inhaled Particles Study (TIPS)
Background: Occupational and environmental airborne asbestos concentrations are too low and variable for lifetime exposures to be estimated reliably, and building workers and occupants may suffer higher exposure when asbestos in older buildings is disturbed or removed. Mesothelioma risks from current asbestos exposures are therefore not … [Read more...]
Evaluating quality of life and cost implications of prophylactic radiotherapy in mesothelioma: Health economic analysis of the SMART trial
Background: The SMART trial is a UK-based, multicentre RCT comparing prophylactic radiotherapy and symptom-based (deferred) radiotherapy in 203 patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma who had undergone large bore pleural interventions. Using costs and quality of life data collected alongside the clinical trial, we will estimate the … [Read more...]
Novel therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is typically associated with exposure to asbestos. Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma have poor outcomes with suboptimal therapeutic options and currently no treatment is curative. The standard frontline treatment, cisplatin plus pemetrexed chemotherapy, has only short and insufficient … [Read more...]
Court Grants New Chance for Suit Linking Lawn Fertilizer, Mesothelioma
A New Jersey appeals court has reopened a wrongful death suit on behalf of a man who, plaintiffs claim, developed mesothelioma as a result of using Scotts lawn fertilizer. The appeals court, reversing the trial judge, said newly discovered evidence required reopening the case. Scotts had secured dismissal of the lawsuit on summary judgment in … [Read more...]
BTS guideline for the investigation and management of malignant pleural mesothelioma
The full guideline for the investigation and management of malignant pleural mesothelioma is published in Thorax.1 The key features of the guideline are highlighted in a short article published to accompany the full guideline.2 The following is a summary of the recommendations and good practice points. The sections referred to in the summary refer … [Read more...]