Charleston, WV—A complaint filed in a West Virginia circuit court names 45 companies with several asbestos-related violations which allegedly resulted in a man’s diagnosis of mesothelioma.
Arnold Glenn Treadaway filed the complaint on November 23, after having been diagnosed with the rare form of cancer on October 16. In it, he alleges that the defendant companies, which are not named, wrongfully exposed him to asbestos while he worked at various job sites.
The defendant companies are being sued for negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations and post-sale duty to warn.
Asbestos used to be a common product which had many applications, but was particularly useful as an insulating material because of its remarkable ability to withstand heat and flame. It was used in many workplaces, including mills and metalworking facilities, factories, shipyards and construction sites.
Unfortunately, asbestos is also a known carcinogen. When the material is used, it releases microscopic fibers into the air, which can then be inhaled by workers. These fibers burrow deep into the body’s soft tissues, including a membrane called the mesothelium, which surrounds and protects the internal organs. The asbestos fibers can lead to a rare form of cancer—mesothelioma.
With a grim prognosis and a life expectancy of only six to 18 months on average, mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive cancer. It can sometimes be treated with surgery, although often the cancer is not diagnosed early enough to make surgery a viable option. Chemotherapy and radiation are also alternatives, but often the patient does not feel that the benefits of these treatments will outweigh their debilitating side effects. Pain management, especially in the later stages of this cancer, is sometimes the best option for a patient.
Because of asbestos’s widespread use throughout much of the 20th Century, there have been numerous cases brought to court against defendant companies. In fact, asbestos litigation is the largest tort in the United States, and case are expected to rise as more and more workers are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Source
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Mesothelioma cancer experts offer advice on mesothelioma lawyers
Mesothelioma settlements are made when the respective court gives a ruling in favor of the plaintiff.
These settlements are conducted, not only for the victims, but also for their families on the basis of losing their loved ones who suffered due to mesothelioma cancer. Their families also suffered both the a financial and emotional loss.
The journey of mesothelioma is very long and dreadful. Between 1900 and 1980, asbestos was used in abundance, in about 3000 industrial and commercial products. Millions of workers were employed in these asbestos-related industries.
Due to the inhuman negligence of the owners of these asbestos mines and industries, mesothelioma cancer developed its roots in the body systems of these workers, and their lives were filled with pain and agony in the years to come.
Mesothelioma cases are filed through attorneys in court for a complete settlement and concessions against problems faced due to mesothelioma. On filing such cases, the results of these claims are often different. Settlement results differ dramatically, with some reaching six to seven million.
The mesothelioma attorneys who deal with these mesothelioma cases claim to get as much compensation as possible for their client, in order to provide security for his family, in his own life, or even when he’s gone. These attorneys have experience dealing with these irresponsible organizations and are of the opinion that the claimants have every right to claim the compensation, since these patients have been robbed of their healthy lives.
Sometimes, it happens that the case may not even have to go to the trial, if a settlement can be reached between the plaintiff and the defendant, through the respective attorneys
Therefore, when looking for a mesothelioma attorney, the patient and his family should search for an attorney with vast experience in dealing with similar cases and achieving success. His guidelines, familiarity and knowledge will help in the processing of claims and result in a sound settlement with a promising compensation.
Source
These settlements are conducted, not only for the victims, but also for their families on the basis of losing their loved ones who suffered due to mesothelioma cancer. Their families also suffered both the a financial and emotional loss.
The journey of mesothelioma is very long and dreadful. Between 1900 and 1980, asbestos was used in abundance, in about 3000 industrial and commercial products. Millions of workers were employed in these asbestos-related industries.
Due to the inhuman negligence of the owners of these asbestos mines and industries, mesothelioma cancer developed its roots in the body systems of these workers, and their lives were filled with pain and agony in the years to come.
Mesothelioma cases are filed through attorneys in court for a complete settlement and concessions against problems faced due to mesothelioma. On filing such cases, the results of these claims are often different. Settlement results differ dramatically, with some reaching six to seven million.
The mesothelioma attorneys who deal with these mesothelioma cases claim to get as much compensation as possible for their client, in order to provide security for his family, in his own life, or even when he’s gone. These attorneys have experience dealing with these irresponsible organizations and are of the opinion that the claimants have every right to claim the compensation, since these patients have been robbed of their healthy lives.
Sometimes, it happens that the case may not even have to go to the trial, if a settlement can be reached between the plaintiff and the defendant, through the respective attorneys
Therefore, when looking for a mesothelioma attorney, the patient and his family should search for an attorney with vast experience in dealing with similar cases and achieving success. His guidelines, familiarity and knowledge will help in the processing of claims and result in a sound settlement with a promising compensation.
Source
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Mesothelioma Disappears With No Treatment
In September 2002, a 61-year-old Australian woman was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Two years later, she was cancer-free without any treatment. Although her doctor still doesn’t know exactly what caused her cancer to regress, he is hopeful that cases like hers will one day lead to a better understanding of mesothelioma, as well as to new and more effective treatments for the disease.
It’s exceedingly rare for a cancer to disappear on its own, although it can happen. There have been cases in virtually all types of cancers in which a patient has been diagnosed with the disease, only to show up cancer-free on a later exam.
Roger Allen, PhD, a Thoracic and Sleep Physician at Wesley Medical Centre in Brisbane, Australia reported in the Medical Journal of Australia on a patient who was referred to his center with severe chest pain. Two expert pathologists reviewed the patient’s chest scans and biopsy results, and confirmed the diagnosis—mesothelioma.
The patient had had a history of exposure to asbestos—the fibrous mineral implicated in most cases of mesothelioma. When she was young, she had worked as a machinist in a factory where asbestos was used. Years later she had washed her son’s work clothes when he worked for a company that produced asbestos gaskets.
Whenever the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the prognosis is usually grim. Patients survive an average of just one year with the disease. Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can slow mesothelioma, but they usually can not stop it.
The patient in this report was referred to an oncologist and offered chemotherapy and an experimental treatment, but by the time she was set to begin therapy, her mesothelioma had already started to regress. She felt well enough to opt for no treatment.
When doctors examined the woman again in December 2002, the cancer had decreased in size. By 2004, a CT scan showed that the mesothelioma had virtually disappeared. The patient continues to see an oncologist today, and she remains cancer-free six years after her initial diagnosis.
Dr. Allen sees about 600 patients with asbestos-related diseases a year, and he believes this is the first case in Australia of a patient whose mesothelioma spontaneously regressed and stayed in remission for more than five years.
Doctors still don’t know exactly why some cancers disappear on their own, but the phenomenon may have to do with a combination of mechanisms, including a stimulation of the body’s immune response and factors that trigger cell changes and death. “We don’t know it all, but cancer cells are not invincible,” Dr. Allen says. Understanding the processes behind spontaneous regression could be the key to improving treatments for mesothelioma, he says.
Although it’s rare for a cancer to spontaneously regress, cases like this one should come as promising news to both patients and their doctors, according to Dr. Allen. “I think the message should be to always have hope, and it also gives us hope that one day we may be able to harness the immune system better.”
Source
It’s exceedingly rare for a cancer to disappear on its own, although it can happen. There have been cases in virtually all types of cancers in which a patient has been diagnosed with the disease, only to show up cancer-free on a later exam.
Roger Allen, PhD, a Thoracic and Sleep Physician at Wesley Medical Centre in Brisbane, Australia reported in the Medical Journal of Australia on a patient who was referred to his center with severe chest pain. Two expert pathologists reviewed the patient’s chest scans and biopsy results, and confirmed the diagnosis—mesothelioma.
The patient had had a history of exposure to asbestos—the fibrous mineral implicated in most cases of mesothelioma. When she was young, she had worked as a machinist in a factory where asbestos was used. Years later she had washed her son’s work clothes when he worked for a company that produced asbestos gaskets.
Whenever the diagnosis is mesothelioma, the prognosis is usually grim. Patients survive an average of just one year with the disease. Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can slow mesothelioma, but they usually can not stop it.
The patient in this report was referred to an oncologist and offered chemotherapy and an experimental treatment, but by the time she was set to begin therapy, her mesothelioma had already started to regress. She felt well enough to opt for no treatment.
When doctors examined the woman again in December 2002, the cancer had decreased in size. By 2004, a CT scan showed that the mesothelioma had virtually disappeared. The patient continues to see an oncologist today, and she remains cancer-free six years after her initial diagnosis.
Dr. Allen sees about 600 patients with asbestos-related diseases a year, and he believes this is the first case in Australia of a patient whose mesothelioma spontaneously regressed and stayed in remission for more than five years.
Doctors still don’t know exactly why some cancers disappear on their own, but the phenomenon may have to do with a combination of mechanisms, including a stimulation of the body’s immune response and factors that trigger cell changes and death. “We don’t know it all, but cancer cells are not invincible,” Dr. Allen says. Understanding the processes behind spontaneous regression could be the key to improving treatments for mesothelioma, he says.
Although it’s rare for a cancer to spontaneously regress, cases like this one should come as promising news to both patients and their doctors, according to Dr. Allen. “I think the message should be to always have hope, and it also gives us hope that one day we may be able to harness the immune system better.”
Source
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Mesothelioma cancer - Cure
Dallas, TX: Like all other forms of cancer, Mesothelioma also still has no cure. Time and again news reports appear stating that researchers have found a break through, but such developments only help in either early diagnoses or help in reliving the pain, misery and discomfort of the mesothelioma victim. In almost, all cases mesothelioma cancer results from occupational asbestos exposure.
In the last two decades, there has been an increasing awareness about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cancer. Many research institutes and drug producers have come forward, focusing their activities and interests on the mode of attacks that damages this deadly disease. This has resulted in the progress of new therapies and medicines
Once again, researchers are on the path of using Vitamins, such minerals have time and again proved to gain significant role in the continuation and maintenance of good health. The regular use of vitamins, with a specific dose advised by a medical practitioner promotes growth of the immune system, reproduction and the vision.
Latest research has proved that vitamin A, can be of great assistance in the prevention of mesothelioma cancer. Vitamin A, along with Vitamins C and E, have been found to possess antioxidant powers. They are able to destroy free radicals. By increasing the amounts of these vitamins, it is believed that during the treatment through radiation therapy, the normal cells are not destroyed, as in the case of patients who have a lower diet of these vitamins.
With vitamin A being added to the diet of those patients who are undergoing the radiation therapy along with vitamins C and E helps the radical fighting capacity of these vitamins for a longer term protection against the development of cancer.
The fact remains, that mesothelioma cancer is a life taking illness with no cure. This illness caused when asbestos fibers and asbestos dust in inhaled and the silver fiber gets to incubate within the human body for considerable number of years.
Source
In the last two decades, there has been an increasing awareness about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cancer. Many research institutes and drug producers have come forward, focusing their activities and interests on the mode of attacks that damages this deadly disease. This has resulted in the progress of new therapies and medicines
Once again, researchers are on the path of using Vitamins, such minerals have time and again proved to gain significant role in the continuation and maintenance of good health. The regular use of vitamins, with a specific dose advised by a medical practitioner promotes growth of the immune system, reproduction and the vision.
Latest research has proved that vitamin A, can be of great assistance in the prevention of mesothelioma cancer. Vitamin A, along with Vitamins C and E, have been found to possess antioxidant powers. They are able to destroy free radicals. By increasing the amounts of these vitamins, it is believed that during the treatment through radiation therapy, the normal cells are not destroyed, as in the case of patients who have a lower diet of these vitamins.
With vitamin A being added to the diet of those patients who are undergoing the radiation therapy along with vitamins C and E helps the radical fighting capacity of these vitamins for a longer term protection against the development of cancer.
The fact remains, that mesothelioma cancer is a life taking illness with no cure. This illness caused when asbestos fibers and asbestos dust in inhaled and the silver fiber gets to incubate within the human body for considerable number of years.
Source
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mesothelioma and Asbestos Disease: Widow Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Husband
According to a lawsuit recently filed in Jefferson County District Court, Willie Mae Denson is claiming several companies failed to test asbestos-containing products before distributing them for commerce.
Ms. Denson is filing on behalf of her husband, Elijah Denson Sr., who recently passed away from an asbestos-related disease. Ms. Denson believes her husband’s illness was caused by the companies’ negligence. A total of seven companies have been listed in the lawsuit as defendants.
Elijah Denson Sr. worked under many different job titles throughout his career, including laborer, furnace worker and carpenter. The suit states he was exposed to asbestos-containing products during these occupations.
Ms. Denson says the defendant companies were negligent for failing to notify Mr. Denson about the hazards of asbestos exposure in a timely manner.
Exposure to asbestos has been linked to several serious conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The onset of symptoms for these diseases usually has a latency period of at least 10 years after the exposure occurred. Because of this, many who contract an asbestos-related condition are often diagnosed when the disease has unknowingly reached the advanced stages of development.
Symptoms of mesothelioma can take as long as 50 years to arise. In such a case, there is little a patient can do to treat the disease and doctors often recommend palliative treatment options to relieve pain. To date, there is no encompassing cure for mesothelioma.
Ms. Denson’s suit also states the companies negligently continued to manufacture asbestos-containing products where Mr. Denson worked, even though they knew the dangers associated with asbestos exposure.
The seven defendant companies include A.O. Smith Corp., Babcock Borsig Power, CBS Corp., Cleaver Brooks, General Refractories Co., Ingersoll Rand Co. and Lockheed Martin.
This is the second lawsuit Ms. Denson has filed concerning the death of her husband. In this suit, she is filing because of a different injury than what was previously listed on her first lawsuit.
Before his death, Mr. Denson experienced physical pain, mental anguish and suffered from a physical impairment. Both he and his wife incurred medical costs as well. Ms. Denson is seeking unspecified actual and exemplary damages, costs for pre- and post judgment interest, and for additional relief the courts deems appropriate.
Source
Ms. Denson is filing on behalf of her husband, Elijah Denson Sr., who recently passed away from an asbestos-related disease. Ms. Denson believes her husband’s illness was caused by the companies’ negligence. A total of seven companies have been listed in the lawsuit as defendants.
Elijah Denson Sr. worked under many different job titles throughout his career, including laborer, furnace worker and carpenter. The suit states he was exposed to asbestos-containing products during these occupations.
Ms. Denson says the defendant companies were negligent for failing to notify Mr. Denson about the hazards of asbestos exposure in a timely manner.
Exposure to asbestos has been linked to several serious conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The onset of symptoms for these diseases usually has a latency period of at least 10 years after the exposure occurred. Because of this, many who contract an asbestos-related condition are often diagnosed when the disease has unknowingly reached the advanced stages of development.
Symptoms of mesothelioma can take as long as 50 years to arise. In such a case, there is little a patient can do to treat the disease and doctors often recommend palliative treatment options to relieve pain. To date, there is no encompassing cure for mesothelioma.
Ms. Denson’s suit also states the companies negligently continued to manufacture asbestos-containing products where Mr. Denson worked, even though they knew the dangers associated with asbestos exposure.
The seven defendant companies include A.O. Smith Corp., Babcock Borsig Power, CBS Corp., Cleaver Brooks, General Refractories Co., Ingersoll Rand Co. and Lockheed Martin.
This is the second lawsuit Ms. Denson has filed concerning the death of her husband. In this suit, she is filing because of a different injury than what was previously listed on her first lawsuit.
Before his death, Mr. Denson experienced physical pain, mental anguish and suffered from a physical impairment. Both he and his wife incurred medical costs as well. Ms. Denson is seeking unspecified actual and exemplary damages, costs for pre- and post judgment interest, and for additional relief the courts deems appropriate.
Source
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
MESOTHELIOMA PATIENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM ACS PAIN MANAGEMENT STUDY
Pain management is a critical aspect of care for mesothelioma patients, like many cancer patients. Finding ways to aid pain management that do not involve medication can be a significant improvement in quality of life. A new study by the American Cancer Society looks at the potential of social-cognitive therapy to assist in pain management for cancer patients.
The American Cancer Society has sponsored a randomized trial called the Cancer Health Empowerment for Living without Pain (Can-HELP) Study in Sacramento, California. The study looked at 265 cancer patients who had at least moderate pain severity or pain-related impairment. Study participants were randomly assigned to receive either tailored education and coaching (TEC) or educationally-enhanced usual care (EUC). TEC consists of six components – assess, correct, teach, prepare, rehearse and portray – and it is based on social-cognitive theory. Of the original 265 patients in the study, 258 of them received at least one follow-up assessment. Both the TEC and EUC interventions were delivered for about 30 minutes immediately prior to each patient’s scheduled oncology visit. More than half of the visits were audio-recorded for communication coding purposes.
Though the follow-up data has not yet been analyzed, the data was collected at two, six and twelve weeks, including outcomes related to anxiety, pain severity and impairment, patient-physician communication, self-efficacy for pain control, functional status and well-being. The study is testing the hypothesis that the tailored patient activation intervention promotes better cancer pain care and outcomes. If the model proves to be successful, it can be widely implemented at modest cost.
Source
The American Cancer Society has sponsored a randomized trial called the Cancer Health Empowerment for Living without Pain (Can-HELP) Study in Sacramento, California. The study looked at 265 cancer patients who had at least moderate pain severity or pain-related impairment. Study participants were randomly assigned to receive either tailored education and coaching (TEC) or educationally-enhanced usual care (EUC). TEC consists of six components – assess, correct, teach, prepare, rehearse and portray – and it is based on social-cognitive theory. Of the original 265 patients in the study, 258 of them received at least one follow-up assessment. Both the TEC and EUC interventions were delivered for about 30 minutes immediately prior to each patient’s scheduled oncology visit. More than half of the visits were audio-recorded for communication coding purposes.
Though the follow-up data has not yet been analyzed, the data was collected at two, six and twelve weeks, including outcomes related to anxiety, pain severity and impairment, patient-physician communication, self-efficacy for pain control, functional status and well-being. The study is testing the hypothesis that the tailored patient activation intervention promotes better cancer pain care and outcomes. If the model proves to be successful, it can be widely implemented at modest cost.
Source
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Study Will Determine Effect of Combined Chemotherapy Regimen in Mesothelioma Patients
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are enrolling participants in a Phase II clinical trial to determine the efficacy of an experimental chemotherapy regimen, combing two chemotherapeutic drugs, on patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma or malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
In this study, researchers will compare the anti-tumor activity of a combination therapy, using Oxaliplatin and gemcitabine in 29 individuals, treated at 14-day intervals over a period of six months. The study’s principal investigator is Columbia University oncologist and mesothelioma researcher Dr. Robert Taub.
Oxaliplatin, marketed by Sanofi-Aventis under the trade name Eloxatin, is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug commonly prescribed as part of a combination therapy for treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. Gemcitabine is distributed by Eli Lilly and Company under the name Gemzar, and is used in the treatment of many cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, which often occurs in patients with mesothelioma.
Study participants must have either malignant pleural mesothelioma or malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, or both, and not have undergone more than one prior chemotherapy regimen, in order to be considered for the study. In addition to tumor response rates, researchers will also be evaluating the effect of the therapy on survival rates of these patients.
Mesothelioma comprises a family of cancers which develop as a result of exposure to asbestos. These cancers affect the mesothelium, a protective covering that surrounds most of the body’s organs. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the membrane surrounding the lungs. The two less common forms, peritoneal and pericardial, affect the abdominal cavity and the membrane surrounding the heart, respectively.
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not become apparent until decades following asbestos exposure, and may include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Many of the symptoms mesothelioma causes may be initially misdiagnosed as flu or other respiratory illness. Diagnosis is most often made through X-ray or CT scan, and confirmed with a tissue biopsy.
Mesothelioma is incurable, and mesothelioma treatment currently focuses primarily on lessening of symptoms and prolonging survival.
Individuals who worked in the manufacturing, shipbuilding, automobile, and construction industries are at special risk for asbestos exposure, especially those who worked in these areas prior to the mid-1980s. In addition, those who live or work with these individuals may also have risked exposure, as tiny fibers of asbestos were easily transported on clothing and other materials.
Although manufacture of asbestos products has been banned in the United States, exposure still occurs regularly as a result of the natural degradation of materials containing asbestos. Most homes and buildings constructed prior to the mid-1980s contain some asbestos-based materials, and even common renovation tasks can put individuals at risk for exposure.
Source
In this study, researchers will compare the anti-tumor activity of a combination therapy, using Oxaliplatin and gemcitabine in 29 individuals, treated at 14-day intervals over a period of six months. The study’s principal investigator is Columbia University oncologist and mesothelioma researcher Dr. Robert Taub.
Oxaliplatin, marketed by Sanofi-Aventis under the trade name Eloxatin, is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug commonly prescribed as part of a combination therapy for treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. Gemcitabine is distributed by Eli Lilly and Company under the name Gemzar, and is used in the treatment of many cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, which often occurs in patients with mesothelioma.
Study participants must have either malignant pleural mesothelioma or malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, or both, and not have undergone more than one prior chemotherapy regimen, in order to be considered for the study. In addition to tumor response rates, researchers will also be evaluating the effect of the therapy on survival rates of these patients.
Mesothelioma comprises a family of cancers which develop as a result of exposure to asbestos. These cancers affect the mesothelium, a protective covering that surrounds most of the body’s organs. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the membrane surrounding the lungs. The two less common forms, peritoneal and pericardial, affect the abdominal cavity and the membrane surrounding the heart, respectively.
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not become apparent until decades following asbestos exposure, and may include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Many of the symptoms mesothelioma causes may be initially misdiagnosed as flu or other respiratory illness. Diagnosis is most often made through X-ray or CT scan, and confirmed with a tissue biopsy.
Mesothelioma is incurable, and mesothelioma treatment currently focuses primarily on lessening of symptoms and prolonging survival.
Individuals who worked in the manufacturing, shipbuilding, automobile, and construction industries are at special risk for asbestos exposure, especially those who worked in these areas prior to the mid-1980s. In addition, those who live or work with these individuals may also have risked exposure, as tiny fibers of asbestos were easily transported on clothing and other materials.
Although manufacture of asbestos products has been banned in the United States, exposure still occurs regularly as a result of the natural degradation of materials containing asbestos. Most homes and buildings constructed prior to the mid-1980s contain some asbestos-based materials, and even common renovation tasks can put individuals at risk for exposure.
Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)