Louisville Personal Injury Blog

People who handle insulation at increased mesothelioma risk

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

The code for what's reasonable or acceptable for building a home changes all the time in the United States. Common practices in one decade can later wind up being totally different the next. Sometimes, what was once thought to be safe or popular can later turn out to be dangerous.

That is certainly the case with asbestos used for insulation in properties. Certain kinds of insulation that may even be in modern homes and businesses can contain asbestos. From the insulation wrapped around the piping coming from your boiler or your hot water pipe to the underside of flooring between the boards in your attic, asbestos can be in many places a little too close to home for comfort.

Dendritic cell therapy may improve mesothelioma treatments

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.

Various treatments for mesothelioma have been developed, yet none have been found to extend the lives of mesothelioma patients beyond a few months. Residents of Kentucky should know that the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors is also ineffective, the reason being that mesothelioma can keep dendritic cells, which are immune system cells, from activating the T-cells that can attack the cancer.

This is where dendritic cell therapy might be able to improve current mesothelioma treatments. This is a form of therapy newly developed by Amphera B.V. and uses the company's own product for treating mesothelioma. This drug, called MesoPher, is currently designated as an orphan drug because it shows great promise.

Tile manufacturers may suffer from asbestos-related diseases

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC on Saturday, August 10, 2019.

In the 1950s and beyond, asbestos was a substance that was commonly used in the manufacture of a diverse range of products. In addition to construction materials, asbestos was also used in domestic materials such as tiles. Now that the dangerous nature of asbestos is known, it is no longer used in manufacturing products. However, for many workers who have been exposed to the mineral in the past, the damage has already been done.

If you or a loved one has worked in tile manufacturing in the past, it is possible that significant exposure to asbestos occurred. This, in turn, can lead to illnesses such as mesothelioma, a tumor that usually starts in the lungs. Many sufferers of mesothelioma can successfully take legal action to gain back damages as a result of their asbestos exposure in the past. If you have been affected by this, it is important to gain a good understanding of the causation of the illness and what you can do to get the compensation you deserve.

New liquid biopsy could diagnose mesothelioma early

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Tuesday, August 6, 2019.

Louisville residents should be aware that mesothelioma, especially pleural mesothelioma, is an aggressive cancer. What makes matters worse is that most people are diagnosed in its late stages and thus have a low survival rate. However, Israeli researchers have found that a new cancer blood test could identify early-stage mesothelioma.

What the test will do is detect the metabolic changes that immune system cells undergo when fighting cancer. An Israeli company is currently developing the test on the theory that the metabolism, which refers to the way the cells expend energy when fighting cancer, differs based on the type of cancer. It has come up with a diagnostic kit with 16 chemical stimulants, each of which will activate a patient's metabolism in a different way.

Symptoms and risk factors of mesothelioma

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

Every year in the U.S., there are approximately 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma. This disease, which usually arises from prolonged exposure to asbestos, equally affects men and women regardless of age or profession. However, Louisville residents should know that it may take years or even decades before they are ever diagnosed with it.

Mesothelioma symptoms take about 10 to 50 years to appear. They include persistent coughing, chronic fatigue, fever and weight loss in the early stages. Symptoms in the advanced stages will differ based on the type of mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, will cause patients to have difficulty swallowing, facial swelling and pain in the chest or lower back.

Radiotherapy may not offer benefit for mesothelioma patients

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Wednesday, July 24, 2019.

Mesothelioma patients in Kentucky may soon be receiving a different recommended treatment plan from their oncologist. A new study found that prophylactic radiotherapy may not be a successful treatment option for this form of cancer. Prophylactic radiotherapy has been used for over 20 years in the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.

The study was done by researchers in the United Kingdom and looked at a group of 375 mesothelioma patients from 54 different hospitals. All of the patients had undergone one or more chest wall procedures, such as a chest-drain insertion or an open surgical biopsy. Prior studies had shown that doing these procedures increased the risk of chest wall metastasis by 2 to 50%. Medical professionals had recommended radiotherapy to minimize this risk.

Asbestos: still a widespread occupational health hazard

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in asbestos on Wednesday, July 17, 2019.

When deadlines and other priorities cause employers in Louisville to ignore occupational safety, they put their employees at a higher risk of being injured or developing an illness. One of the hazards that will naturally be overlooked is asbestos exposure.

It should be remembered that despite an asbestos ban in over 60 countries, the U.S. has not banned all asbestos use. In fact, the amount of asbestos imported in 2018 quadrupled from the previous year. Asbestos is a natural mineral often used in roofing, insulation, tiles and other building materials because of its durability and ability to resist heat and chemicals. Asbestos use in home building ceased in the 1970s but is still a part of commercial construction. Each year, over 125 million Americans are exposed to the mineral.

Mesothelioma and nonexpandable lung

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Thursday, July 11, 2019.

Kentucky residents who have a nonexpandable lung may have malignant mesothelioma. The lungs of people with malignant mesothelioma are unable to expand to the chest wall, which makes it difficult for them to inhale and exhale normally. This inability of the lung to expand properly can be the result of fibrotic changes in the chest cavity and of inflammation. According to researchers who examined patients who were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a nonexpendable lung in cancer patients who can be an accurate indicator of patient mortality.

The researchers state the nonexpandable lung condition in patients with mesothelioma can exacerbate coughing and shortness of breath. The researchers conducted a study to determine the prevalence of unexpandable lung in mesothelioma patients and how the condition affected their survival.

Mesothelioma survival rates have not improved

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC posted in mesothelioma on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

Kentucky patients who have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma may be interested to learn that survival rates have not improved throughout the last few decades despite the fact that the treatments for the disease are improving. According to a study, patients with mesothelioma have a median survival rate of 15 months, which has barely changed since 1990.

There are two main types of mesothelioma, each of with have different survival rates. Pleural mesothelioma, which is mesothelioma that stats in the membrane around the lungs before spreading to major organs, has a median survival rate of 14 months. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which starts in the abdominal lining, has a median survival rate of 31 months.

GE factory staff may be at risk for asbestos-related illness

On behalf of Satterley & Kelley PLLC on Friday, July 5, 2019.

General Electric has been a major employer in the Louisville area for some time. Quite a few people commute to Appliance Park every day to clock in for work. Most of those people expect to bring home a decent living wage, as well as benefits that improve the quality of life for their family members.

Unfortunately, some of them can also bring home particulate asbestos, which may make them or the people that live with them very sick after many years. General Electric has used asbestos in a number of its products, which could leave their current and former workers at increased risk for certain illnesses, including deadly forms of cancer.

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