mesothelioma blog

The approximate etymology for mesothelioma is:

Meso – middle

Theli (thele) – chest

Oma – “to take root” but is now used to describe tumors

The New York Times health blog reprinted Hamilton Jordan’s advice from his 2001 memoir:

No. 1: Be an active partner in the medical decisions that are made about your life.
No. 2: Seek and know the truth about your illness, and prognosis.
No. 3: Get a second opinion.
No. 4: Determine upfront how broad or narrow your physicians’ experience is.
No. 5: If you have a poor prognosis, or a rare form of cancer, try to get to a center of excellence.
No. 6: Do not allow your caregivers to project their values, goals and expectations onto you.
No. 7: Understand the economics of cancer care.
No. 8: Ultimately, find a doctor that you trust and believe in.
No. 9: Treat your mind as well as your body.
No. 10: Your attitude and beliefs are your most powerful weapon against cancer.

Hamilton Jordan - Jimmy Carter’s campaign genius in 1976 and later his White House Chief of Staff. He had four different types of cancer during his life. He eventually died from mesothelioma last week after a long battle with the illness. Big tribute in Atlanta last week.

The federal Dept of Veterans Affairs put out a press release noting their leadership in providing hospice care for veterans: “Nearly 9,000 veterans were treated in designated hospice beds at VA facilities in 2007, and thousands of other veterans were referred to community hospices to receive care in their homes.” Care for veterans should be one of our nation’s highest priorities, and the veterans affairs department, through their network of veteran service officers, helps provide that care.

U.S. News is reporting that Georgia Tech researchers developed a small device that could detect cancer. It’s an acoutic sensor that detects small amounts of mesothelin in the blood. Mesothelin is one of the markers of mesothelioma. “Early detection is a holy grail of cancer research,” the article says. Indeed it is, and although this new development probably won’t yield practical applications for a few years, it is encouraging news.

There were slightly fewer cancer deaths in the US in 2004 than in 2003.  A minor drop, but it is somewhat good news.  Mesothelioma remains intractable to treatment, however, and its incidence continues steady or a slight increase, due to the long latency time.The National Center for Health Statistics report actually shows that while cancer deaths did decline, other diseases such as strokes, influenza, and diabetes declined faster.  The Pump Handle blog notes that the “cancer burden” on the living is important to consider also.  Fewer people dying is great, and there are as many people as ever, or more getting cancer, meaning that the economic and psychological burden on people with the cancer and their families is increasing.  The blog also notes that childhood cancer incidence has been steadily going up, although it is still low compared to rates of older adults.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization announced they will give an award to Senator Patty Murray for her work in trying to get asbestos outlawed.  Murray has been a leader in this area.  Sadly, asbestos products can still be sold in the US under existing law. 

Interesting study out of the UK.  Four women with pleural effusions were determined to have malignancies.  The authors conclude:

“The diagnosis of malignant pleural mesotheliomas should be actively
considered in all patients presenting with effusion relating to
previous malignancies regardless of asbestos history.”

There is a report in the Journal of Biology stating that more than 80% of cancer patients develop memory and concentration problems.  This study was done at the University of Rochester and looked at the effects of three common chemotherapy agents.  “Chemobrain”, the loss of cognitive abilities, has long been a complaint of patients, although sometimes dismissed by doctors.  The BBC quotes a leading medical expert as saying “no patient should stop their treatment because of this research.”  Learning the causes of side effects of chemotherapy on the brain may help efforts to mitigate those effects.

Scientific American has an interesting article about the study of dogs.  And not just dogs as laboratory animals, but epidemiological studies of pet dogs.

It makes sense.  Pet dogs can live to be quite old (for dogs) and many develop cancer.  Bone cancer is particularly common in dogs.  Further, dogs have been living with humans and have been exposed to more or less the same environment.  Laboratory studies, which are frequently done on rodents, are controlled situations where the animal is fed or injected with suspect carcinogens or treatments.  These can yield some good results, but this epidemiological and other information from animals that actually live with humans on a closer scale to humans can also be beneficial to researchers.  They can also do experiments on pet dogs to see what treatments are effective in them before trying the treatments on humans.