Mesothelioma lawyers

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Breathalyzer for Mesothelioma Diagnosis?—

There are many methods for screening and diagnosis of mesothelioma, but many of them are highly invasive, potentially harmful, and expensive. Now, a simple breath treatment may promise to act as a non-invasive but highly effective first-screening tool for mesothelioma.

For years, researchers have discussed the potential for using a breath test to identify mesothelioma victims. Now, however, one research team has shown the test may be a viable option. The researchers from the Netherlands conducted an experiment to test the effectiveness of an "electronic nose" to distinguish mesothelioma victims from people with asbestos exposure but no mesothelioma, and healthy persons with neither mesothelioma nor asbestos exposure. The study analyzed results from 13 individuals in all three groups and found that the breathalyzer had 92.3% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity. With sensitivity comparable to the 95% of pleural biopsy, the technique yields great promise.

Diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is symptomatic of exposure to asbestos, typically during work. If you have been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, you may be able to receive compensation for treatment and other expenses related to your illness. To learn more, please contact The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely for a free consultation today.

posted by Megan P at 7:33 AM

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Anti-angiogenesis Drugs for Mesothelioma Treatment

Anti-angiogenesis drugs once seemed the most promising treatment for many forms of cancer, including mesothelioma. These drugs, sometimes described as gene therapy or immunotherapy, work by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors.

Every cell depends on a blood supply to live and grow. All our organs are set up with adequate blood supply to maintain them, but because of the way cancers grow and develop, they make excessive demands on the blood supply in areas where supply is often limited. This stimulates the body to make new blood vessels to feed the tumor, stoking the fire of its own destruction. Anti-angiogenesis drugs prevent the growth of these new blood vessels, ideally limiting the growth or even fostering the death of tumors.

Although there was great hope for anti-angiogenesis drugs several years ago, recently hopes have been scaled back. Recent studies show that the impact of these drugs on mesothelioma is very modest. And the pulling of breast cancer as an indication for anti-angiogenesis drug Avastin shows that in general we are realizing these drugs are not the silver bullet we had hoped for in cancer treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, the cause is asbestos exposure. If you were exposed to asbestos as a result of the negligence of an employer or another corporate entity, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness. Please contact The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely today for a free consultation on your rights and legal options.

posted by Megan P at 7:42 AM

Monday, April 23, 2012

Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma

Cancer is not something that suddenly happens to the body. Instead, cancerous mutations are occurring regularly. Ideally, the body's immune system is supposed to identify and kill stray cancerous cells before they reproduce and create a colony of cancer cells, or tumor. Our immune system is designed to recognize and attack cancer cells, but it isn't always adept enough to keep cancer under control. Immunotherapy seeks to improve the body's ability to attack cancer cells.

Immunotherapy, sometimes called biotherapy, overlaps with gene therapy and sometimes both names are used for a particular treatment. There are no currently-approved immunotherapies for mesothelioma, but anti-angiogenetic drugs seem to hold some promise for mesothelioma treatment, and many other types of immunotherapy are in clinical trials.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, treatment options may be expensive and may not work. A mesothelioma lawsuit can help you make sure your family will not be burdened with treatment costs, but will be taken care of no matter the outcome. To learn more about your legal options after a mesothelioma diagnosis, please contact The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely for a free consultation.

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posted by Megan P at 7:39 AM

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Photodynamic Therapy for Mesothelioma

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment method that has had a great deal of success on other types of cancer, especially skin cancer. In PDT, a patient is given an inert but photosensitive chemical that is taken up preferentially by cancerous cells. Then the treatment area is exposed to a special light that activates the chemical, turning it into a poison. Because cancerous cells take up the toxin more than other cells, PDT kills cancer while leaving other cells unharmed.

The most effective form of PDT for mesothelioma involves surgery with PDT. This allows the mesothelioma cells to be exposed to light energy that cannot naturally penetrate that deeply into the body.

PDT seemed like a promising avenue for mesothelioma treatment in the 1990s. However, a number of clinical trials have shown the effectiveness to be limited. Several trials showed no benefit in a number of critical clinical measures, including: median survival rate, median progression-free time (the amount of time the cancer stopped growing), and sites of first recurrence. Other studies suggest PDT may be effective for early stage mesothelioma, but not later-stage.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is due to an exposure to asbestos exposure, and likely a workplace exposure. If your employer did not take adequate measures to protect you from asbestos exposure, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness. To learn more about your rights after a mesothelioma diagnosis, please contact the mesothelioma lawyers at The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely for a free consultation today.

posted by Megan P at 7:37 AM

Monday, April 16, 2012

Gene Therapy Treatment for Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a serious cancer, and by the time it is diagnosed, it is no longer responsive to most traditional cancer treatments. However, there is hope that gene therapy may someday be able to help mesothelioma victims.

Gene therapy typically involves using a virus to insert genetic code into cancer cells that allows them to be treated. Gene therapy is currently in very early investigational stages, but a few clinical trials are moving forward. Currently, there are three main types of genetic code being researched for gene therapy:

• Suicide genes make cancer cells more susceptible to traditional treatments, allowing for more aggressive treatment of cancer with lower impact on the body as a whole.
• Knockout genes simply remove the genes that cause cells to turn cancerous, preventing the growth and spread of cancer.
• Replacement genes replace the genetic code of cancerous cells with normal genetic configurations. In most cases, the goal is to slow or stop the accelerated growth and spread of cancer cells with a more normal growth rate.
• Anti-angiogenetic genes stop the genes that create blood vessels to feed tumors. With this therapy, the goal is to starve the tumors.

Gene therapy is being considered for many different types of tumors, including mesothelioma, and all of these types of gene therapy have some level of promise. However, it will likely be many years before they are available to treat large numbers of mesothelioma victims.

The expense of mesothelioma treatment is one of the reasons to file a mesothelioma lawsuit. If you have been diagnosed with the condition, a lawsuit can save you and your family from the unfortunate financial consequences of this illness.

To learn whether you may be able to receive compensation with a mesothelioma lawsuit, please contact the mesothelioma lawyers at The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely today for a free consultation.

posted by Megan P at 7:29 AM

Thursday, April 12, 2012

What Is Malignant Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer in which malignant cells are found in the lining of the chest or abdomen. There are generally less than 2500 cases diagnosed each year, compared to the nearly 250,000 cases of lung cancer diagnosed annually. When it affects the lining of the chest, it is called pleural mesothelioma. When it affects the lining of the abdomen, it is called peritoneal mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma is generally caused only by asbestos exposure. It is unknown how much asbestos exposure is necessary for you to develop mesothelioma. Nor is it known how long it takes for mesothelioma to develop. A lag time of 50 years between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma diagnosis is not unusual.

Symptoms of malignant mesothelioma are often generic, and may include coughing, fatigue, shortness of breath, and weight loss. Pain in the chest or abdomen is often the first signs that bring mesothelioma sufferers to the doctor.

Treatment of mesothelioma is very difficult. After diagnosis, the average untreated mesothelioma patient survives nine months, but treatment is not an effective cure. The five-year survival rate for mesothelioma is less than 10%.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness. To learn more about getting compensation, please contact the mesothelioma attorneys at The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely in Baltimore for a free initial consultation.

posted by Megan P at 7:27 AM

Monday, April 9, 2012

What Is the Difference between Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer?

Mesothelioma and lung cancer are two types of cancer. To that extent, they are related, but otherwise they are quite different.

Lung cancer affects the lungs proper. This includes the bronchi (tubes that carry air into the lungs) and the alveoli (air sacs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide cross to and from the blood stream). Most often lung cancer originates in the most immediate parts of the lung, the epithelial cells of the bronchi.

Mesothelioma, on the other hand, affects the membrane that enfolds the lungs, which are called the pleura.

Lung cancer is relatively common, the third most common type of cancer (after breast and prostate cancers), and it results in more cancer deaths than any other type. Mesothelioma is a relatively rare type of cancer, with only 2500 cases diagnosed per year, about 1/100 the number of lung cancer cases.

Lung cancer has many potential causes. Most lung cancer is attributable to smoking, but it may also be caused by car and chemical fumes, radon exposure, and asbestos exposure. However, pleural mesothelioma has only one cause: asbestos.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness from those who exposed you to asbestos.

To learn whether you might be able to receive compensation for your illness, please contact The Law Office of Matthew E. Kiely for a free consultation today.

posted by Megan P at 7:20 AM