E Mesothelioma Lawyers

In honor of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, we’re launching a three-part blog series highlighting the newest scientific research regarding mesothelioma. New science has emerged in the last two years that may have significant implications for the future treatment ofmalignant mesothelioma. In this series, we will look at three important scientific breakthroughs that have the largest potential to affect the future of mesothelioma treatment.

In early 2010, results of a study were published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine that proved the safety of a possible vaccine for mesothelioma.

In late 2010, Dr. Rachel Ostroff, the clinical research director of Somalogic Inc., presented results of an ongoing study at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development about new biomarkers she discovered for mesothelioma that would impact early diagnosis and provide insight into new therapies for the disease.

Just last month, NIH-funded research discovered a genetic link to mesothelioma.

History of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

As far back as the early 1900’s, cases of mesothelioma and lung cancerhave been linked to asbestos exposure. It wasn’t until 1970 with the United States Clean Air Act that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was permitted to start regulating asbestos as a hazardous pollutant. With asbestos being more and more regulated in the United States over the past forty years, the rate of new mesothelioma diagnosesin the U.S. each year has risen steadily in men and sporadically in woman.

Currently in the United States, there are an estimated 2000 to 3000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year. The increase in incidence may be the result of lag time between asbestos exposure and diagnosis, which can be up to 50 years. For this reason, the number of new mesothelioma diagnoses is expected to continue to rise through the year 2020.

New Science – Mesothelioma Vaccine

The continued increase in the rate of mesothelioma diagnosis and the current lack of treatment options is what inspired researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands to study new therapies. Immunotherapy, which stimulates the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, had previously shown promise. Based on this previous research, Dr. Joachim G Aerts, a pulmonary physician at Erasmus Medical Center, set out to create a vaccine for mesothelioma. The vaccine, which 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.

In other words, three out of ten patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma of the epithelial subtype showed signs of tumor regression and four others showed evidence of cytotoxicity against their own tumors after vaccination. There is much more work to be done before results can be irrefutably attributed to the vaccine and side effects can be minimized, but the study showed real promise.

Dr. Aerts says of the study: “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.”

In the next post of this series, we’ll look at mesothelioma biomarkers and the implications they have for possible future treatments

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The University of Hawai’i Cancer Center has received a generous gift of more than $3 million to continue its important research regarding the causes of mesothelioma as well as potential cure for the disease.

An anonymous donor has given a $3.58 million donation to the Hawaii cancer center to help aid the mesothelioma research work of its director, Dr. Michele Carbone, and her colleagues.

“Mesothelioma is a serious public health problem,” said Dr. Virginia Hinshaw, Chancellor of UH Mānoa. “We’re proud that Dr. Carbone’s team is leading the world in this area of discovery. This gift validates their efforts and will help them remain at the forefront of thoracic oncology research.”

The gift is the second largest one ever given to the UH Cancer Center. Dr. Carbone’s and researchers at the center recently released new findings relating to the presence of erionite – a material that causes mesothelioma – in rock materials that are used to pave roads in North Dakota.

The center has also conducted studies in Capadoccia, Turkey, a region where nearly 50 percent of the residents die of mesothelioma. There are currently plans for Dr. Carbone and collaborators to conduct a clinical trial co-sponsored by the Early Detection Research Network of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Turkish Ministry of Health to validate serum biomarkers they discovered for the early detection of mesothelioma.

“Private support is essential to solidify the UH Cancer Center’s role as the world leader in mesothelioma research,” said UH System President MRC Greenwood. “We look forward to furthering our work with donors to help the UH Cancer Center fulfill its vast potential as a transformative research enterprise for our state.”

Mesothelioma and asbestosis are both deadly illnesses that are caused primarily by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers. If you were exposed to asbestos while working for a company and have since developed one of these illnesses, it may be worth pursuing amesothelioma lawsuit that could potentially result in a substantialasbestos settlement. If you think that a mesothelioma attorney could help prove your illness was caused by a specific entity’s negligence, please contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation.

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A Kentucky man who spent nearly 30 years in the U.S. Navy as a fireman and boiler tender and is now suffering from mesothelioma has won a $32 million asbestos settlement for injuries and pain/suffering he has endured.

According to WSAZ-TV, a New York jury awarded Ronald Dummitt $16 million for past pain and suffering, along with an additional $16 million for future pain and suffering he must endure as he battles mesothelioma that was caused by asbestos exposure in the Navy.

During the eight-week trial, it was determined that Dummitt was exposed to asbestos while working in the fire and boiler rooms of U.S. Navy ships between 1960 and 1977. Much of this exposure occurred when he had to repair Crane Co.-manufactured valves that utilized asbestos-containing pads, gaskets and packing. Furthermore, the jury found he was also exposed to asbestos when working with Elliott Turbomachinery Co., Inc.-manufactured deareating feed tanks that also used asbestos pads and manhole gaskets.

“Mr. Dummitt may not have been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor or a Purple Heart but I, and all that have come to know him, recognize that he is a true American hero… Unfortunately, no man can give Ronald Dummitt’s health back to him. This verdict represents all that a just and civil society can do to redress the harm caused by culpable companies who fail to protect innocent workers whether on the job or in the line of duty,” said Timothy Eves, Dummitt’s attorney.

Navy veterans who previously worked in naval bases and have now been diagnosed with mesothelioma may be able to bring a mesothelioma lawsuit against companies who manufactured or sold asbestos products that were used on the ships. Contact amesothelioma lawyer in order to learn more about asbestos law and find out if you or a loved one may be able to receive an asbestos settlement.

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Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Overview Series Part Two

Phase 0 mesothelioma clinical trials are designed to determine if and how a new mesothelioma drug might work in a human. Mesothelioma patients are currently not eligible to enroll in phase 0 studies, but they may be in the near future.

Phase 0 studies for mesothelioma often use only a few small doses of the new drug in each patient. Researchers test whether the drug reaches the tumors, how the drug behaves in the body and how the cancer cells respond. Due to the very low doses of drug in phase 0 studies, there is low risk to mesothelioma patients compared to other phases. However, there’s likewise virtually no potential benefit to a patient enrolled in a phase 0 study. With the requirement of having extra biopsies, scans and blood samples taken, enrolling in a phase 0 study is not usually worth a patient’s time and effort.

Then why conduct phase 0 studies at all? Phase 0 studies help researchers determine whether drugs will do what they’re expected to do in a human body based on studies in the laboratory. Testing conservatively this way with phase 0 studies will usually bring any potential problems to light quickly. Phase 0 studies aren’t included in clinical trials for every drug and when they are used, they’re very small, usually with less than 20 subjects.

Phase I  Mesothelioma  Clinical Trials

Phase I studies are typically the first time a new drug will be tested in people. Treatments for patients involved in phase I studies are aggressive, as the goal of the study is to determine the highest dose that can be tolerated without causing serious side effects. It is not technically a goal of a phase I study to determine how well the new drug works against the cancer. Phase I clinical trials for mesothelioma are usually a high safety risk to patients and offer a low chance of helping patients. If the drug is found to be reasonably safe in phase I studies, it will advance to phase II studies.

Phase II  Mesothelioma  Clinical Trials

Between 25 and 100 patients might be enrolled in a phase II study, which is a larger group than that in phase I. The goal of the phase II study is to determine if the drug is effective in fighting the cancer. Researchers look for benefits patients may be experiencing such as increased comfort and quality of life, living longer than expected, shrinking the tumors or preventing the growth of the tumors. If enough people benefit from the treatment, and the side effects aren’t too bad, the treatment is allowed to go on to a phase III clinical trial.

The third and final part of this clinical trials overview blog series will focus on phases III and IV clinical trials.

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