Researchers hope that a test of breath-based biomarkers can help them detect mesothelioma in its early stages. Louisville residents should know that historically, the U.S. has been lagging behind Europe in the use of breath tests to identify cancer. In 2017, a study from Belgium showed the potential benefits of breath tests for asbestos-related conditions like mesothelioma.
Can I seek compensation for mesothelioma?
Exposure to asbestos can cause a variety of health concerns, with mesothelioma at the top of the list. This disease attacks the lining covering internal organs, making it difficult to treat and next to impossible to cure.
Defactinib ineffective for malignant pleural mesothelioma
A COMMAND Phase 2 trial of maintenance therapy using the drug defactinib has been found unable to increase the survival rate of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This aggressive and incurable cancer has few treatment options to begin with; Louisville residents should know that the primary treatment is chemotherapy using a combination of the drugs pemetrexed and cisplatin.
A swallowing problem may indicate mesothelioma
A Kentucky resident experiencing problems swallowing may have an early sign indicating a cancer diagnosis of mesothelioma. Known as dysphagia, this type of symptom involving swallowing difficulties is not usually associated with asbestos-related illnesses. However, a Spanish medical journal recently published an article expressing the view that a swallowing problem could indicate the beginning stage of mesothelioma. There are two types of mesothelioma: pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs, and peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen.
Systemic inflammation shortens lives of mesothelioma patients
Mesothelioma, as Louisville residents may know, is an aggressive cancer usually caused by long-term exposure to asbestos. Among mesothelioma patients, there are several factors that can determine how long they have to live, and Chinese researchers have recently pointed to systemic inflammation as one of those factors. Their results were published in Cancer Management and Research.
