Avon Products Inc. was ordered [ in a California talc lawsuit ] to pay $10.3 million in punitive damages to a woman who blamed her cancer on talc in its cosmetics, in the first such case the company has lost in US litigation. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury that punished Avon Friday for hiding the risks that some of its talc-based powders … [Read more...]
Preoperative immunotherapy for mesothelioma shows favorable outcomes
In a study published recently in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that treating patients who have resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, meaning that their tumor can be removed with surgery, with immunotherapy [ with immune checkpoint inhibitors ] ahead of surgery resulted in favorable … [Read more...]
They inhaled asbestos for decades on the job. Now, workers break their silence
Henry Saenz remembers when he first learned what even the tiniest bit of asbestos could do to his body. He was working at a chemical plant where employees used [ asbestos for chlorine production ], and his coworkers warned him about what could happen each time he took a breath: Tiny fibers, invisible to the eye, could enter his nose and mouth and … [Read more...]
Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality in Women — United States, 1999–2020
Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause malignant mesothelioma, a rapidly progressing and lethal cancer of the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissues surrounding internal organs in the chest and abdomen. Patients with malignant mesothelioma have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of 1 year from diagnosis. The estimated median interval from … [Read more...]
Pembrolizumab / Lenvatinib Combo Shows Positive Clinical Activity in Recurrent Pleural Mesothelioma
The combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and lenvatinib (Lenvima) demonstrated promising clinical activity with no unexpected toxicities in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), according to results from the PEMMELA study (NCT04287829) presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2022 World … [Read more...]
The silent malignant mesothelioma epidemic: a call to action
Malignant mesothelioma, recognised as a new disease in the 1950s, is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure and usually diagnosed decades after first exposure. The disease was initially restricted to asbestos workers, but diagnoses after non-occupational [ asbestos exposure ] continue to surge. Despite the acknowledgment by WHO and the … [Read more...]
Galinpepimut-S Plus Nivolumab Extends Survival in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
The combination of galinpepimut-S and nivolumab (Opdivo) was found to extend survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who were either refractory to, or who had relapsed after, at least 1 line of standard therapy, according to updated data from a phase 1 trial (NCT04040231). The median overall survival (OS), which was calculated … [Read more...]
Second Surgery for Recurrent Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma after Multimodality Treatment: A Systematic Review
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive asbestos-related tumour with poor prognosis. To date, a multimodality treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery, with or without radiotherapy, is the gold standard therapy for selected patients with epithelioid and early-stage MPM. In this setting, the goal of surgery is to achieve the … [Read more...]
A Case Report of Hypophosphatemia Leading to the Diagnosis of Mesothelioma
Hypophosphatemia can be commonly encountered as an electrolyte imbalance and is defined as a value less than 0.8 mmol/l (2.5 mg/dl). It can be an incidental finding, but it is not uncommon to see it presenting with varied symptoms. It is good to have a clear diagnostic approach to this so adequate treatment can be instated. We present a … [Read more...]
Clinical-pathological characteristics and prognostic factors for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in the elderly
Background: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare disease characterized by atypical symptoms, difficult diagnosis, variable course and poor prognosis, and it develops mainly in elderly individuals. The authors aimed to identify the clinical-pathological characteristics, prognosis, and prognostic factors in elderly [ malignant … [Read more...]