Can asbestos cause my type of lung cancer?

Can asbestos cause my type of lung cancer?

Asbestos can cause all types of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure causes pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, bronchogenic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, non-small cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, oat cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. If you or a loved one has worked with or around asbestos and has been diagnosed with any form of lung cancer or mesothelioma, there is a strong possibility that asbestos contributed to causing the disease.

Cigarettes and Mesothelioma

Cigarettes and Mesothelioma

Cigarette smoking does not cause mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Even a brief exposure to asbestos can cause this terrible illness. Mesothelioma can come from exposure to asbestos that is as short as a summer job. We also represent spouses and family members who contracted mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos dust while washing their fathers' or husbands' clothes.

What if I smoked cigarettes?

What if I smoked cigarettes?

Many people who were exposed to asbestos and develop lung cancer are also smokers or former smokers. This does not mean that they do not have a potential asbestos case. If you smoked, have exposure to asbestos, and have lung cancer, physicians will likely tell you that your cancer was caused by both factors. Smoking has a multiplying effect on the risk of getting cancer from asbestos exposure. It is similar to the effect of mixing alcohol and sleeping pills; a deadly combination. Our firm has represented hundreds of smokers and former smokers in extremely successful lung cancer and mesothelioma asbestos cases.

Karmanos Researchers Identify Pathway for Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Karmanos Researchers Identify Pathway for Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Source: Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute today announced significant scientific findings that could lead to better treatment and therapies for cancer patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Karmanos scientists presented their research at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA.

“We are getting closer and closer to making an impact on this insidious disease,” said Anil Wali, Ph.D., an associate professor with Karmanos who led a group of cross-collaborative researchers in studying the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic (UPP) pathway regulatory proteins.

Their study demonstrated that protein ubiquitination and degradation are critical players in the spread of mesothelioma. After studying 241 genes involved in the UPP pathway, Wali’s group determined 33 genes were differentially expressed among epithelioid and biphasic histotypes.

“We have already reported earlier detection biomarkers that can be utilized in assessing the high risk groups of patients,” Dr. Wali said. “Now, if we can develop a therapy to target this pathway, we will be one step closer to halting this disease.”
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive, asbestos-related thoracic cancer affecting about 3,000 new patients in the United States annually. Despite advances in cancer treatment, the average survival rate remains low and the majority of patients die within two years of diagnosis. Currently there is no cure.

The Karmanos Cancer Institute has a long history of mesothelioma education and treatment. In 2004, the Institute joined with Wayne State University’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine to create the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos Related Cancers.

It addresses the need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment for those afflicted with asbestos-related diseases. John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., president and chief executive officer of KCI, co-directs the center in conjunction with Michael R. Harbut, M.D., M.P.H., F.C.C.P., an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of environmental and workplace diseases. Dr. Ruckdeschel, an internationally recognized figure in both lung cancer research and treatment, contributed to the research and authorship of today’s presentation.

This study received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Alimta®/Platinum-compound Combination Confirmed Active in Mesothelioma

Alimta®/Platinum-compound Combination Confirmed Active in Mesothelioma

Source: National Foundation for Cancer Research

According to results recently presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the chemotherapy combination consisting of Alimta® (pemetrexed) plus a platinum compound (Platinol® [cisplatin] or Paraplatin® [carboplatin]) has been confirmed as an active therapeutic regimen in the treatment of patients with previously untreated malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesotheliomais a rare cancer that develops in the tissue that covers the lungs and lines the interior of the chest. It is often caused by chronic exposure to asbestos. The majority of patients are not diagnosed until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage; treatment with surgery or radiation is not an option at this stage. Patients with this disease often experience symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, pain, fatigue, and an inability to eat, which lessen their quality of life.

Mesothelioma is fairly resistant to most therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Therefore, finding a chemotherapy regimen or new therapeutic approaches that can improve quality of life or survival is essential for improving care for patients with this disease. Prior results have indicated that the chemotherapy combination consisting of Alimta plus a platinum compound provides significant anticancer activity in patients with newly diagnosed mesothelioma.

Researchers from Italy recently conducted a clinical trial further evaluating Alimta/Platinum compound in 745 patients with previously untreated mesothelioma. Patients in this trial were not eligible for surgery and were treated with Alimta plus Platinol or Alimta plus Paraplatin.

* At one year survival was approximately 64% for both treatment groups.
* The median time to cancer progression was approximately seven months for
both treatment groups.
* Overall anticancer responses were achieved in 26.3% of patients treated with
Alimta/Platinol and 21.6% for those treated with Alimta/Paraplatin.
* Severe low levels of blood cells occurred more frequently among patients
treated with Alimta/Platinol than those treated with Alimta/Paraplatin.

The researchers concluded that the combination of Alimta plus a platinum compound provides significant activity among patients with previously untreated mesothelioma. These results confirm earlier results providing the same information.

Patients with mesothelioma may wish to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of treatment with Alimta and a platinum compound.

For more information, visit the National Foundation for Cancer Research at their web site www.nfcr.org.

Reference: Santoro A et al. Pemetrexed plus cisplatin or pemetrexed plus carboplatin for chemonaive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: results for the international expanded access program. Proceedings from the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Abstract 7562.

Mesothelioma Research

Mesothelioma Research

Unfortunately, a diagnosis of mesothelioma has never carried much hope for the victim. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer that's rarely diagnosed until it's reached an advanced stage. Treatment options have been limited and the prognosis is usually grim.

Nonetheless, because there's been a rise in the disease and more doctors and research scientists are stepping up and taking notice of this dreaded illness, more research pioneers have jumped on the bandwagon in the search for better treatment and ultimately a cure for the disease.
Finding New Treatments

As more and more money begins to be spent on this disease which affects individuals from many countries throughout the world, new treatments are emerging all the time. Research allows doctors and scientists to better understand the design of the disease and researchers are eager to develop both new forms of common treatments as well as totally new treatment procedures. Good research and proper funding allows the opportunity to do both.

As these drugs or procedures are developed, they are tested in clinical trials by people who already have the disease. The success or non-success of the clinical trial will dictate whether or not the drug or procedure will be approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Once the FDA issues an approval, the new treatment will be available to the general public, not just a hand-selected group of trial patients.
What's New in Research?

Chemotherapy - Chemo has always been the treatment of choice for mesothelioma patients, usually as a palliative measure to relieve symptoms and make the patient more comfortable. Strides in the field of chemotherapy vs. mesothelioma are promising. The most notable new drug is Alimta©. This drug, when combined with another long-used chemo drug called Cisplatin, is the only Food and Drug Administration approved agent designated for specific use in combating malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Another drug currently on the FDA's Fast Track system and awaiting imminent approval is Onconase©. Onconase is a first-in-class drug that has been shown to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells.

Anti-Angiogenesis drugs - As the name indicates, these drugs are designed to prevent angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vessels. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the spreading of tumors, so researchers are searching for ways to halt the process in cancer patients. One anti-angiogenesis drug for the treatment of mesothelioma is currently being offered. It's called Avastin and it lowers the levels of a protein that prompts angiogenesis, therefore inhibiting cell growth.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy - Unlike standard radiation therapy, this new form of radiation is done in the interest of limiting the amount of radiation hitting the healthy tissue surrounded the area where the tumor is located.

Gene Therapy - Many researchers are taking a close look at gene therapy in regards to its success in treating a number of diseases, including mesothelioma. According to the American Cancer Society, this approach to treating mesothelioma uses special viruses that have been modified in the laboratory. The modified virus is injected into the pleural space and infects the mesothelioma cells. When this infection occurs, the virus injects a gene into the mesothelioma for interferon-beta, an immune system hormone (cytokine) that may help activate immune system cells to attack the cancer.
Becoming Part of a Clinical Trial

Most oncologists (cancer doctors), especially those that specialize in the treatment of mesothelioma, will most likely be aware of the clinical trials that are currently seeking patients who are fighting mesothelioma.

If you are a candidate, you should know that there are basically 4 types of clinical trials.
Treatment trials - these trials test new approaches to cancer treatment, be it a drug, radiation therapy, a multi-modal therapy, or a totally new treatment procedure.
Prevention trials - these trials test approaches to lowering the risk of developing a certain kind of cancer.
Screening trials - such trials test new ways to detect cancer, particularly in its early stages. These are important trials in the field of mesothelioma, which is usually diagnosed in its late stages.
Supportive care trials - these trials test ways to improve comfort and quality of life for cancer patients, often referred to as palliative treatments.

Patients can be involved in various phases of a trial.
Phase I helps determine how a new drug should be given and attempts to measure safe dosage. This phase generally involves only a handful of volunteers.
Phase II trials usually focus on one particular type of cancer and are used to test the safety of the drug and how well it works in combating a particular cancer.
Phase III trials test new drugs or treatments in comparison with the current standard. In a process called randomization, the participant will be assigned to the standard group or the new group. Phase III trials are the largest and may often involve doctors and hospitals throughout the country.

Your doctor can best determine if you are a candidate for any ongoing trials and will take the responsibility of submitting the proper paperwork for consideration. Don't be afraid to ask about new clinical trials or inquire about one of which you may be aware.

The Hidden Risks

The Hidden Risks

While most cases of mesothelioma involve men and women who were directly exposed to asbestos, more and more cases of second-hand exposure are coming to light. Family members of workers who brought asbestos home on their clothing have contracted the disease and are now wondering who's responsible.

In addition, communities where asbestos was mined or asbestos-products were produced are gradually discovering cases of mesothelioma among those who never had direct contact with the mineral or any products containing it. In the case of Libby, Montana, for instance, hundreds have already died of mesothelioma due to the fact that asbestos was mined there for many years.

What's Being Done to Stop Exposure?

What's Being Done to Stop Exposure?

After the U.S. government issued warnings in the mid 1970s as to the dangers of asbestos, employers began to provide their workers with protective gear essential to maintaining good health while working with the mineral. Many countries chose to ban asbestos altogether.

In 1989, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule banning most asbestos-containing products. In 1991, this regulation was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That means some products still contain asbestos, but laws say they must be clearly labeled. Some countries still mine and use asbestos on a regular basis and export the mineral to other countries that have not yet issued a ban.

Hopefully, new cases of exposure should be lessening, but that won't be evident until the current rash of mesothelioma cases has peaked and is passed. Because of mesothelioma's long latency period, most of today's diagnosed cases involve individuals who were exposed prior to the 1970s.

Who Is at Risk?

Who Is at Risk?

Individuals who have worked many years at particular jobs where asbestos was in plentiful use are most at risk for developing mesothelioma or any other sort of asbestos-related disease.

One of the highest incidences of mesothelioma is among shipyard workers who were employed during the peak years of World War II, not only in America but also in other countries. Because shipyards often performed overhauls on war ships, workers were exposed to large amounts of friable asbestos and inhaled the mineral on a regular basis for long hours at a time. Shipyard workers that were consistently at risk include:
Shipfitters
Pipefitters
Boilermakers
Insulators
Plumbers
Electricians
Welders

Other professions that have also reported high numbers of cases of mesothelioma are:
Auto mechanics
Bricklayers
Auto inspectors
Carpenters
Drywallers
Glazers
Grinders
Iron Workers
Longshoremen
Power Plant Workers
Railroad Workers
Millwrights

Causes of Mesothelioma

For many, cancer may seem like a mystery illness. Often, no one knows why certain people develop it and others don't. Everyone understands, of course, that smokers have a higher chance of developing lung cancer and other cancers caused by their smoking habit. High-fat diets and other nutritional issues may also have a bearing on whether or not an individual develops cancer during their lifetime.

For mesothelioma patients, the cause has become quite clear. Up to 85% of all diagnosed cases of mesothelioma can be definitively linked to exposure to asbestos. For decades, concerned doctors and research scientists speculated about the dangers of asbestos and warned industries to discontinue its use, but a conclusive link wasn't actually made until 1999, when it was too late for the millions around the world who had already suffered prolonged exposure to the dangerous mineral.
How Does Asbestos Make You Sick?

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that possesses excellent insulating and heat-shielding properties. Because of this, it has been used for decades - even centuries - in a variety of products, including building materials like insulation, gaskets, floor and ceiling tiles, and drywall tape, as well as in automotive products such as brake pads and shoes and clutch plates.

Asbestos is not dangerous when left undisturbed. As a matter of fact, scientists estimate that asbestos occurs naturally in our air and drinking water and that everyone breathes in the mineral at some time or another. However, when asbestos is damaged and becomes "friable" - soft and weak - it is more easily airborne, and hence, inhalation can occur more easily.

Individuals who worked with asbestos that was cut, crushed, sanded, torn, or otherwise manipulated were prone to inhaling these dangerous fibers. Prior to the asbestos warnings of the 1970s, individuals who worked with asbestos were given little or no protective gear, even though it has been proven that experts have known about the dangers of asbestos for more than a century and warned industries of the risks.

Usually, those exposed to asbestos on a regular basis do not get sick immediately. As a matter of fact, asbestos diseases often do not appear for 20-50 years after exposure. However, a handful of workers who were first responders at the World Trade Center disaster in 2001 have already died of mesothelioma due to extreme exposure to the material.

Asbestos fibers that are breathed into the lungs cannot be expelled, so they remain there, embedding themselves in the lining of the lung (the mesothelium) and causing inflammation. Cancerous tumors may develop decades later.

Symptoms of mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face. These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

chest wall pain
pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
shortness of breath
fatigue or anemia
wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up

In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Risk factors

Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure exists in almost all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos. In rare cases, mesothelioma has also been associated with irradiation, intrapleural thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), and inhalation of other fibrous silicates, such as erionite.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the airways (lung cancer, bronchial carcinoma). The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first few years of production in the 1950s and some cases of mesothelioma have resulted. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma.

Some studies suggest that simian virus 40 (SV40) may act as a cofactor in the development of mesothelioma.

Prevention & Expectations

What can be done to prevent the disease? Since the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have regulated the asbestos industry in the U.S. In the past, asbestos was used as a fire retardant and an insulator. Other products are now used in its place. The controversy involving exposure to different forms of asbestos continues. There are two major types of asbestos: chrysotile and amphibole. It is thought that exposure to the amphibole form is more likely to cause mesothelioma. However, chrysotile has been used more frequently, hence many mesotheliomas are caused by chrysotile.

Removal is taking place in schools and other public buildings throughout the U.S. The hope is that these measures will greatly reduce the occurrence of this cancer.

What are the long-term effects of the disease?
A mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumor that is generally deadly. Current treatment of malignant mesothelioma is designed to make the person with cancer comfortable. Although long-term survival cannot usually be expected, the case of famed paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould is a noted exception.

What are the risks to others?
Mesothelioma is not contagious and cannot be passed from one person to another. The exposure to the asbestos that caused the cancer occurred many years to several decades before the disease appeared. People who live with asbestos workers have a higher risk of getting this cancer.

Notable people with mesothelioma

Mesothelioma, though rare, has had a number of notable patients. Australian anti-racism activist Bob Bellear died in 2005. British science fiction writer Michael G. Coney, responsible for nearly 100 works also died in 2005. American film and television actor Paul Gleason, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Principal Richard Vernon in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, died in 2006. Mickie Most, an English record producer, died of mesothelioma in 2003. Paul Rudolph, an American architect known for his cubist building designs, died in 1997.

Steve McQueen was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma on December 22, 1979. He was not offered surgery or chemotherapy because doctors felt the cancer was too advanced. McQueen sought alternative treatments from clinics in Mexico. He died of a heart attack on November 7, 1980, in Juárez, Mexico, following cancer surgery. He may have been exposed to asbestos while serving with the US Marines as a young adult—asbestos was then commonly used to insulate ships' piping—or because of its use as an insulating material in car racing suits. (It is also reported that he worked in a shipyard during World War II, where he might have been exposed to asbestos.

History

The first lawsuit against asbestos manufacturers was brought in 1929. The parties settled that lawsuit, and as part of the agreement, the attorneys agreed not to pursue further cases. It was not until 1960 that an article published by Wagner et al first officially established mesothelioma as a disease arising from exposure to crocidolite asbestos. The article referred to over 30 case studies of people who had suffered from mesothelioma in South Africa.

Some exposures were transient and some were mine workers. In 1962 McNulty reported the first diagnosed case of malignant mesothelioma in an Australian asbestos worker. The worker had worked in the mill at the asbestos mine in Wittenoom from 1948 to 1950.

In the town of Wittenoom, asbestos-containing mine waste was used to cover schoolyards and playgrounds. In 1965 an article in the British Journal of Industrial Medicine established that people who lived in the neighbourhoods of asbestos factories and mines, but did not work in them, had contracted mesothelioma.

Despite proof that the dust associated with asbestos mining and milling causes asbestos related disease, mining began at Wittenoom in 1943 and continued until 1966. In 1974 the first public warnings of the dangers of blue asbestos were published in a cover story called "Is this Killer in Your Home?" in Australia's Bulletin magazine. In 1978 the Western Australian Government decided to phase out the town of Wittenoom, following the publication of a Health Dept. booklet, "The Health Hazard at Wittenoom", containing the results of air sampling and an appraisal of worldwide medical information.

By 1979 the first writs for negligence related to Wittenoom were issued against CSR and its subsidiary ABA, and the Asbestos Diseases Society was formed to represent the Wittenoom victims.