Archive for February, 2010

« Older Entries

Obligations of Companies that Use Asbestos

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Mesothelioma

Pulmonary mesothelioma is a primary malignant tumor of mesothelial surfaces, generally affecting the pleura and in fewer cases, the tissue that surrounds the abdominal cavity (peritoneum).

Prohibition of asbestos

In 1991 the World Bank stipulated as a policy, a preference not to fund the manufacture or use of products containing asbestos.

Asbestos (in its five amphiboles: ammonite, anthophyllite, actinolite, crocidolite and template) is prohibited under the Rotterdam Convention, signed by more than one hundred countries. Not without some controversy still exporting countries asbestos.

Asbestos has been banned in the following countries: Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Chile, Luxembourg, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Austria, Iceland, Finland, Norway, UAE, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Poland , Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and Greece and has been severely restricted in Brazil and Australia.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General Information of Mesothelioma, Obligations of Companies | No Comments »

Diseases caused by Asbestos

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Diseases caused by Asbestos

Asbestos mainly affects the lungs and lining of the lungs, the pleura. Asbestos causes two main types of diseases: cancer and asbestosis.

Asbestosis

Breathing high levels of asbestos fibers have long or short exposure to high levels of asbestos can cause scarring lesions that appear in the lung and pleura. This disease is called asbestosis, lung was the first disease that was associated with asbestos and can cause disability and death.

It is defined as diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lungs resulting from exposure to asbestos dust and, therefore, commonly occurs in workers exposed to asbestos. People with asbestosis because of the scars in the lungs, difficulty breathing, often a cough, and in severe cases suffer enlarged heart.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Asbestos Cancer, General Information of Mesothelioma | 1 Comment »

Asbestos Effects for Pleural Mesothelioma

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Asbestos Effects for Pleural Mesothelioma

Asbestos, also known as asbestos is a group of fibrous metamorphic minerals. They are composed of double chain silicates.

Asbestos minerals have long, strong fibers that can be separated and are flexible enough to be intertwined and also resist high temperatures.

Because of these special characteristics, asbestos has been used for a wide variety of manufactured products, mainly in construction materials (tiles for roofing, tiles, paper products and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, transmission components), heat-resistant textile materials, containers, packaging and coatings, protective equipment, paints, vermiculite or talc …. is also present in some foods.

It has been determined by international medical bodies that asbestos-related products / asbestos cause cancer with high mortality and therefore, for decades, has prohibited its use in all developed countries, although it is still used in some countries developing.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Asbestos Effects, Pleural Mesothelioma | No Comments »

New Test Would Help in the Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Measurement of mesothelin in pleural fluid is best for the diagnosis and exclusion of mesothelioma than cytology, according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Patients with mesothelioma have concentrations of mesothelin in pleural fluid from 7 to 12 times greater than patients with metastatic cancers or benign pleural effusions. Moreover, compared with cytology, pleural fluid mesothelin had better sensitivity, similar specificity and a greater negative predictive value.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Mesothelioma Diagnosis | No Comments »

The Asbestos Cancer Uncovered

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

British scientists say they developed a more accurate test to detect mesothelioma cancer linked to asbestos exposure. This disease, which attacks the cells of the pleura, the membrane lining the lungs develop long after exposure to the material. And when detected patients often have a short life expectancy. The new test, developed by researchers at the University of Oxford, discusses the levels of a protein linked to cancer in the fluid around the lungs.

According to experts, the research published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (American Journal of Respiratory Medicine and Intensive Care) – will help doctors more accurately diagnose the cause of abnormalities in the lungs.

Construction malignant

Mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer to treat due to its location as the tumor does not seem to respond well to chemotherapy.

The disease can strike people who have no history of exposure to absesto, but overall, it is known that the main risk factor is the inhalation of mineral dust free.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Asbestos Cancer, General Information of Mesothelioma | No Comments »

Effects on the Pleura of the Inhalation of Carbon Nanotubes

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Effects on the Pleura of the Inhalation of Carbon Nanotubes

The tiny carbon nanotubes are being evaluated for use in numerous products and services, from sports equipment to medical applications, but many things still unknown about the health effects that have these nanotubes.
Now a study from the State University of North Carolina, Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.) indicates that these nanotubes can affect breathing the outer lining of the lung, although the effects of long-term exposure are not clear yet.

In a study with mice, James Bonner, a professor of environmental and molecular toxicology at the State University of North Carolina, and his team investigated what happens when inhaling carbon nanotubes multiple wall. Specifically, they wanted to determine whether nanotubes could reach the pleura mesothelioma, the tissue covering the walls of the chest cavity and surface of the lungs.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Pleural Mesothelioma Effects | 1 Comment »

Surgical Treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma Part. II

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves using anticancer drugs that act by preventing cancer cells from multiplying. In most cases, combinations of drugs are used to increase efficiency. Chemotherapy can be used aggressively to reduce the tumor or palliative to relieve symptoms such as breathlessness or pain. Chemotherapy can be administered by injection into a vein or muscle, ingestion, or can sometimes be administered directly into the pleural or peritoneal cavity.

The drugs most commonly used are:

* Pemetrexed (Alimta)
* Cisplatin (Platinol)
* Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
* Gemcitabine (Gemzar)
* Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
Mitomycin *
* Raltitrexed (Tomudex)
* Vinorelbine (Navelbine)
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Mesothelioma Treatments | 1 Comment »

Surgical Treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma

Friday, February 19th, 2010

There are two surgical approaches to mesothelioma, the pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pleuropneumonectomy (PPEP). These are highly specialized surgeries, and may not be offered in all schools. All thoracic surgeons are not relevant to these types of surgeries. The ultimate goal of these procedures is to eliminate a large part of the disease, knowing that most probably the residual microscopic disease remains. Adjuvant therapy in which additional forms of treatment are used in conjunction with the primary therapy, typically seeks to eliminate residual disease. The most common forms of therapy are adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

The pleurectomy / decortication is considered the least radical of the two approaches since it only involves the removal of the pleura (lining of the lung) without removing the lung beneath. In some cases, the pericardium and diaphragm must be removed, depending on the size of the tumor. (more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Mesothelioma Treatments | 1 Comment »

Definition of Malignant Mesothelioma

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Mesothelioma is a rare and virulent cancer of mesothelial surfaces, which affects the lining of the lungs (pleura), the abdominal cavity (peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (pericardium). Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to mineral fibers (asbestos or erionite). Some have been exposed to their work, others secondarily by family members who, unwittingly, have reduced fiber to the home of their work in their clothes or their hair or on their skin.

The occurrence of this disease, sometimes referred to asbestos cancer, this fiber is the main risk factor known for this type of cancer is not indicative of a minimum threshold of exposure and medical treatment has an impact limited to the life expectancy of patients, usually 12 to 18 months.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in General Information of Mesothelioma | 1 Comment »

Benefits of Alimta in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Data from two large studies show that open patients had survival rates at one year than 50% when treated with ALIMTA (R) (pemetrexed for injection) or with plans to base of ALIMTA for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in both first and second line. The study results demonstrate significant benefits in efficiency and safety for ALIMTA Eli Lilly and Company, the only known agent demonstrating a survival benefit in this disease often difficult to treat and is mainly linked to exposure to asbestos. The data were presented today at the Twelfth World Conference on Lung Cancer.

One of the largest studies undertaken on the treatment of mesothelioma, this study three-arm, open, multicenter trial for (WCLC Abstract No. C5-01) consisted of patients treated with ALIMTA alone, arm, and combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin in the other two arms. The three arms showed survival rates at one year clinically similar (58.6% for ALIMTA alone, 63.1% for ALIMTA + cisplatin, and 64.0% for ALIMTA + carboplatin). The arms of ALIMTA plus platinum combination therapy achieved response rates higher ALIMTA alone (10.5% for ALIMTA; 26.3% for ALIMTA + cisplatin and 21.7% for ALIMTA + carboplatin). All 2023 patients treated in first intention had a histological or cytological diagnosis (the patient’s cells were examined under a microscope) of MPM that was not compatible with curative surgery.
(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Injection for Mesothelioma | 1 Comment »
« Older Entries