Mental health is a serious element of overall personal health – for everyone – and it’s now being taken more seriously. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, approximately 26% of adults in the United States have a diagnosable mental health condition. Psychologists report an uptick in the number of people seeking counseling and help for their mental health, and Statista reports that in 2022 approximately 56 million adults in the United States received treatment or counseling for their mental health. Mental health has a heightened impact on people struggling with cancer – the depression that ofte ..read more

Getting a diagnosis of cancer is never easy. It can be even more overwhelming when you discover you have a rare cancer, like mesothelioma. The physical symptoms and the emotional impact can take over and make managing your diagnosis an uphill battle. Nurse navigators are there to help during these difficult times. As a mesothelioma nurse navigator, I am an experienced medical professional with specialized training in caring for mesothelioma patients. I understand the challenges, obstacles and complex situations patients and their families encounter. I’m here to provide you with information, re ..read more

Retired LCDR Carl Jewett is a VA-accredited claims agent and Mesothelioma Guide’s veterans advocate. With the EPA’s final ruling on asbestos, Carl shares his thoughts on the long-awaited ban on the cancer-causing substance.  After nearly 24 years in the Navy’s silent service, I traded my watch on nuclear submarines for a different kind of mission: helping veterans receive the VA benefits they deserve. As a retired naval officer, and now a VA-accredited claims agent, I spend my days fighting for those who protected our country, especially those exposed to hazards like asbestos during their ..read more

Mesothelioma treatment options such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation therapy can help patients, but they require multiple cycles, can last multiple weeks, and can give people a few months of improved life expectancy. Surgery for mesothelioma only takes hours, can remove most or all of the tumors, and can give patients the most time possible with friends and family, making this treatment a preferred option when possible. A new study published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery affirms this. The study compared the survival results of patients with pleural mesothelioma who chose to hav ..read more

A woman diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer has filed a lawsuit against more than 30 cosmetic companies, including well-known and established brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Mary Kay, and Chanel. The woman filing the lawsuit alleges these brands sold talcum powder products that led to her mesothelioma diagnosis in 2023. The victim, from Massachusetts, filed the lawsuit in the Massachusetts Superior Court for Middlesex County. The case highlights how many cosmetic brands used talc as an ingredient in skincare and other products – and how those products are being linked to cancer.   Ho ..read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the importation, sale, distribution, and use of asbestos on Monday, March 18, 2024, with the exception of a few specific industries for which there will be a multi-year transition period. The decision comes after years of reviewing the health risks of asbestos and considering pleas from advocacy groups to finally ban the substance in the United States. The EPA called it a “historic” decision in efforts to protect workers and other U.S. residents from exposure to the deadly mineral. “The science is clear – asbestos is a known carcinogen tha ..read more

The results from a phase 2 clinical trial testing the success of a cancer vaccine have been published, revealing promising improvements in mesothelioma survival. The study was conducted by Ultimovacs, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, and focused on including immunotherapy with the company’s UV1 cancer vaccine for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma. UV1 holds promise as a potential universal cancer vaccine targeting telomerase, a common antigen present in various types of cancer. UV1’s broad applicability makes it a top candidate for the treatment of many types of cancer.   Detai ..read more

A novel type of chemotherapy studied in a clinical trial improved the survival of people with certain types of mesothelioma. Pegargiminase is an arginine-blocking chemotherapy used in a clinical trial spanning five countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.  The study was for people with biphasic mesothelioma and sarcomatoid mesothelioma cell types, which are more difficult to treat than the epithelioid mesothelioma cell type. Pegargiminase was combined with the standard, FDA-approved combination of mesothelioma chemotherapy: pemetrexed and cisplatin Adding pegargimina ..read more

A bipartisan trio of U.S. Senators issued a scathing statement opposing Georgia-Pacific’s attempt to file for bankruptcy, create an asbestos trust fund, and avoid lawsuits from people affected by asbestos exposure. This strategy is called the “Texas Two-Step” and is a legal maneuver employed by many asbestos manufacturing companies and other companies involved in the production and sale of asbestos goods. The strategy involves creating a shell subsidiary company to absorb legal liabilities, and then having the subsidiary file for bankruptcy to avoid facing lawsuits. Asbestos exposure is the on ..read more

Even with the rise of immunotherapy as an effective treatment option for mesothelioma, the combination of surgery and chemotherapy remains the recommended multimodal treatment approach for the aggressive cancer. A study published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease noted the benefits for patients with epithelioid mesothelioma who received systemic chemotherapy before or after surgery. The findings showed how surgery plus chemotherapy improves the survival of patients compared to receiving other therapies or combinations. Chemotherapy and surgery are two of the top treatment options for mesothel ..read more