Some Louisville workers who are suffering from mesothelioma may have access to a new treatment. While more study is needed, in May, the federal Food and Drug Administration approved it under the Humanitarian Device Exemption for first-line treatment. The treatment, known as Tumor Treating Fields, is made by Novocure and used alongside chemotherapy. It involves a device that uses electric fields to shut down cancer cell division.
New study reveals talcum powder may cause mesothelioma
Kentucky residents may be interested in learning about a new case study that offers some of the most powerful proof that being exposed to talcum powder that contains asbestos can cause mesothelioma. Besides the fact that this is an important discovery, it could also provide just the evidence that is needed by plaintiffs who have brought claims against companies that produce talcum powder and have alleged that it causes cancer.
The role empathy plays in treating terminally ill patients
Kentucky residents with friends or family members who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma know how devastating this diagnosis can be. This is a rare form of cancer that is related to asbestos. It is aggressive, and there is no known treatment for the disease. The medical community is working hard to find ways to improve survival rates and to improve a sufferer's quality of life. Recent research suggests that physicians should also pay more attention to what they say and how they go about speaking with patients who have been diagnosed with this disease.
Asbestos can sicken the spouses and children of exposed workers
People in a number of different professions may have to handle asbestos as part of their job. For decades before the federal government put regulations in place to protect workers, people would have to handle this dangerous carcinogen without any workplace protections. They may also have unwittingly exposed the people they loved the most to dangerous levels of asbestos.
Pembrolizumab not the hoped-for "miracle drug" for mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer often linked with on-the-job asbestos exposure. There is no cure, and there are few treatment options available. Only one drug, Alimta, has been approved for treatment. Louisville residents should be aware that researchers were looking for a while to a drug called pembrolizumab as a possible "miracle drug" for the cancer.
Study finds certain types of mesothelioma respond to chemo
A new study shows that determining the specific type of cancer cells that mesothelioma patients in Louisville and other areas have in their bodies could help improve their prognosis. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at The University of Texas.
