Author: Fran Mannino

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City has opened a novel clinical trial that combines the immunotherapy drug Keytruda with cryoablation for patients with unresectable malignant mesothelioma. The phase I trial opened in September and will be available at seven Memorial Sloan Kettering locations in the New York City/New Jersey area. Cryoablation, which […]

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A novel clinical trial involving the immunotherapy combination of Opdivo and Yervoy will open soon in Chicago. The goal is to study the drugs’ efficacy when added to surgery for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma cancer. The single-center, phase II clinical trial follows a recent report detailing the impressive three-year effectiveness of the drug combination when […]

The post New Opdivo/Yervoy Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Begins Soon appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

Decontamination efforts in Libby, Montana – the largest asbestos cleanup project in American history – moved another step closer to completion this month, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA have determined that restoration efforts are complete in another major segment of the original Libby Asbestos […]

The post Asbestos Cleanup Moving Forward at EPA’s Libby Superfund Site appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

The 16th Annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference takes place Sept. 17-18, featuring 40 speakers from seven countries plus the first-ever Art, Advocacy and Shared Stories film festival. This virtual event is open to all free of charge, requiring only an online registration. It is designed to educate the public about the dangers of […]

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Researchers from around the world presented their insights into serious lung health issues, including mesothelioma, during the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The conference was held virtually, Sept. 8-14. One clinical data analysis presented at the conference found that five of seven patients with COVID-19, who […]

The post Mesothelioma Research, COVID Findings Featured at IASLC Conference appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

Adding the drug ramucirumab to gemcitabine chemotherapy worked especially well in a recent clinical trial involving second-line treatment for patients with pleural mesothelioma. Ramucirumab, an immunotherapy drug also known by the brand name Cyramza, is a monoclonal antibody that works by targeting and restricting a protein that stimulates blood vessel growth within tumors. Impressive results […]

The post Ramucirumab Shows Survival Benefits with Pleural Mesothelioma appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

A recent report from the Fire Department of New York World Trade Center Health Program outlines the 9/11-related health effects firefighters are dealing with 20 years later. Approximately 410,000 first responders spent the days and weeks after 9/11 inhaling toxic materials as they helped save lives from the collapse of the Twin Towers. Almost 3,000 […]

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has waived fees for asbestos removal as part of the recovery response to Hurricane Ida. The mayor also waived the seven-day advance notice requirement for asbestos projects. De Blasio signed Emergency Executive Order No. 235 on Sept. 7, allowing the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and […]

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When he first joined AdventHealth Orlando in 2019, thoracic surgeon Dr. Marcelo DaSilva wondered just how successful he could be in creating a mesothelioma specialty center in Central Florida. Now he knows. DaSilva was initially hoping to create a program that would allow Florida mesothelioma patients to stay closer to home – instead of traveling […]

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has taken an immunotherapy treatment recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pleural mesothelioma and demonstrated similar effectiveness for patients with vastly different peritoneal disease. In the absence of available clinical trials, doctors in MD Anderson’s Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology department utilized off-label usage of […]

The post Study: Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Effective with Peritoneal Disease appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

Johnson & Johnson is closer to unloading its talc-related liabilities onto a new subsidiary that could subsequently declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy and dramatically alter the thousands of lawsuits the company is facing. A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in the District of Delaware declined requests last week from a panel of personal injury lawyers to prohibit […]

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The immunotherapy combination of tremelimumab and durvalumab has shown surprising efficacy, particularly as a second-line treatment option for patients with pleural mesothelioma, according to a recent study. Its effectiveness, comparable to a similar combination which was approved in 2020 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, further illustrated the new direction for future treatment of […]

The post Researchers Study New Immunotherapy Combination for Mesothelioma appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

The mesothelioma program at University of Chicago Medicine is recruiting patients for its latest clinical trial involving olaparib, an oral chemotherapy drug targeting cancer-driven genetic mutations. This single-center, phase II clinical trial is open to patients with either pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma. Olaparib, also known by the brand name Lynparza, works by repairing or […]

The post Mesothelioma Olaparib Clinical Trial Targets Genetic Mutation appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

The U.S. Social Security Administration has added pericardial mesothelioma to its Compassionate Allowances list, accelerating the disabilities application process for this very rare cancer. Its decision was prompted by the work of Missy Miller, medical outreach director at The Mesothelioma Center. She made the request with the Social Security disability office almost a year ago […]

The post Social Security Adds Pericardial Mesothelioma to Disabilities List appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.

A dual registry analysis by the esteemed Duke University Medical Center has concluded that adjuvant hemithoracic radiation does not improve survival when combined with aggressive surgery for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Although the U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the European Society for Medical Oncology recommend the adjuvant radiation – as do many specialists […]

The post Duke Study Suggests Radiation Does Not Extend Mesothelioma Survival appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families.