BACKGROUND: The classification of diffuse malignant mesothelioma into epithelioid, biphasic, and sarcomatoid types is based on histologic patterns. The diagnosis is made on biopsies, and because of intratumoral heterogeneity, they may not be representative of the entire tumor. The number and volume of biopsies needed to reach diagnostic accuracy in … [Read more...]
A Most Reckless Proposal — A Plan to Continue Asbestos Use in the United States
Each year, nearly 40,000 Americans die often painful, protracted deaths from diseases caused by asbestos. These deaths occur in firefighters, police officers, construction workers, miners, military veterans, shipyard workers, and maintenance workers whose exposures to asbestos are primarily occupational. Death also occurs in partners and children … [Read more...]
Clinical Implications of Nonexpandable Lung in Mesothelioma
The presence of nonexpandable lung can be an independent predictor of mortality in mesothelioma, according to research published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. Nonexpandable lung has also been linked to an increase in shortness of breath and coughing. Researchers conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of patients … [Read more...]
U.S. senator asks J&J for documents on talc, baby powder safety
U.S. Democratic Senator Patty Murray sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday seeking information related to allegations in a Reuters Special Report that the healthcare company knew about the presence of asbestos in its talc-based baby powder. The letter addressed to J&J Chief Executive Alex Gorsky asks for documents and information … [Read more...]
U.S. states sue EPA for stricter asbestos rules
Ten U.S. states and Washington, D.C. sued the Environmental Protection Agency to begin working on rules to tighten oversight of asbestos, and reduce the health risks that the substance poses to the public. The attorneys general from California and Massachusetts, Xavier Becerra and Maura Healey, said on Monday they are leading the case, after the … [Read more...]
Another Antiangiogenic Failure in Unresectable Mesothelioma
The addition of nintedanib (Ofev) to standard of care pemetrexed (Alimta) plus cisplatin failed to delay disease progression in patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to phase III results of the LUME-Meso study. After a median treatment duration of more than 5 months, median progression-free survival was 6.8 months … [Read more...]