Granddaughter of Mesothelioma Victim Addresses Effort to Find Cure in International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma
Leading international experts on the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, will join meso patients, caregivers, loved ones and advocates to share the latest in treatment, research and clinical trials at the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation’s International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, 2008, Thursday, June 26 - Saturday, June 28 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.
As part of the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, held last week in Washington, D.C., 13-year-old Lexi Miletto presented a keynote address to more than 200 top-level cancer researchers, scientists and physicians, as well as mesothelioma survivors, caregivers and their families. The Symposium is an annual event presented by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation). Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, died from mesothelioma three years ago.
Joseph Miletto died of peritoneal mesothelioma in 2005, just ten weeks after diagnosis. This year, on June 27, his granddaughter Lexi Miletto will speak at the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation’s International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma gala dinner, about her grandfather and about the importance of finding a cure for mesothelioma.
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Mesothelioma Surgery
Patients should notice that at present it is not clear whether surgery for Mesothelioma can give better control of symptoms or can help people to live for longer than just using active symptom control.
Curative surgery is offered if the tumor is thought to be localized and can be removed completely. Only the strongest of mesothelioma patients undertake aggressive mesothelioma surgery since weaker patients would risk death within the first 30 days after operation. The patient will be evaluated by an experienced doctor before surgery is recommended. Age, disabilities, medical record, weight, allergies and even sex are taken into account before deciding upon surgery.
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MAACenter Commend Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force For The Prosecution Of Father & Son In Asbestos Dumping Case
MassDEP, ECSF, Attorney General’s Office work together to enforce MA asbestos regulations (Syracuse, New York 7/04/2008)
The District Court in Tewksbury, Massachusetts sentenced a father and son on Tuesday for asbestos-related charges. Francis D. Tramontozzi, age 72, and his son, Thomas M. Tramontozzi, age 47, were found guilty of carrying out asbestos removal and disposal without first notifying the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection [MassDEP]. Both father and son will have to pay $2,000 in restitution as a result of violating the Massachusetts Clean Air Act by neglecting to “control asbestos emissions.” In addition, they will both be ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for failing to notify the MassDEP prior to removing asbestos.
Texas Mesothelioma Cancer Victim Files Lawsuit for Asbestos Exposure
On June 24, 2008, Texas mesothelioma cancer attorneys that represent the daughter of a deceased man filed a lawsuit against 14 companies, including her father’s employer, DuPont. The woman’s father died of mesothelioma that resulted from asbestos exposure on June 24, 2005.
In addition to the father’s employer, the asbestos cancer lawsuit also includes Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. They were included in the asbestos cancer lawsuit due to allegedly failing to convey information regarding the dangers of asbestos exposure.
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Only Chemotherapy Drug: Pemetrexed (Alimta®)
ALIMTA is a treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When surgery is not an option, Alimta is considered to be one of the most important drugs in the fight against the debilitating symptoms of the disease.
Alimta interferes with the growth of cancer cells and slows their growth and spread in the body.
The recommended dosage of Alimta is 500 mg/m2 administered as an intravenous infusion over 10 minutes on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle.
Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, making up over two-thirds of all case. Pleural mesothelioma develops in the lining of lungs. This lining is called the pleura, or pleural membrane, and it is made up of mesothelial cells. This pleural membrane consists of the parietal layer and the visceral layer, which provide support and protection for the lungs and the chest cavity.
Asbestos fibers enter the lungs cause the pleural mesothelioma. When pleural cells become cancerous, they are no longer regulated by the mechanisms that control division of normal healthy cells. They begin to divide continuously, and this causes thickening of pleural membranes. As a result, lung capacity is reduced, and fluid begins to build up between pleural layers.
The most common symptom for pleural mesothelioma patients is chest pain. But the pain often is not associated directly with the lung pleura and often appears in the shoulder or upper abdomen. Other symptoms may include the following:
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Key Statistics About Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a relatively rare cancer, the incidence is approximately one per 1,000,000. For comparison, populations with high levels of smoking can have a lung cancer incidence of over 1,000 per 1,000,000. In industrialized Western nations, Incidence of malignant mesothelioma currently ranges from about 7 to 40 per 1,000,000, depending on the amount of asbestos exposure of the populations during the past several decades. Recent reports show that an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 new cases per year of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Approximately one fifth to one third of all mesotheliomas are peritoneal.
The first diagnosis of mesothelioma on average occurs between 50 - 70 years of age. Men 4 times more likely to acquire mesothelioma than women. The disease is also more common in white Americans than it is in African Americans .
Common Symptoms Of Mesothelioma
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. The latency period of mesothelioma is lengthy, making the disease undiagnosable until its later stages when symptoms finally begin to appear and little can be done to slow the progress of the disease.
The most common general symptoms are:
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Coughing
- Pain in chest or abdomen
- Fluid in the chest, lungs, or abdomen
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to sleep
- Husky voice
- Difficulty swallowing
It is the first two symptoms that generally bring a patient to the doctor’s office. Both difficulty breathing and persistent coughing are caused by the lung’s inability to expand properly due to tumors in the pleural region. The growing tumors cause the pleura, pericardium, or peritoneum to expand, thus allow fluid to enter. That generally causes pain - acute to severe - in the affected regions, such as the chest or abdomen. Breathing difficulties also make it hard to sleep and often result in loss of appetite and, eventually, weight loss.
Depending on the type of mesothelioma diagnosed - pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal - symptoms might vary from the above, which pertain mostly to pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease.
Mesothelioma And Asbestos
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura, but it may also occur in the peritoneum or the pericardium.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.