Archive for category Mesothelioma Treatment
Why being a bad mesothelioma patient (or any other kind) can save your life
Posted by Katy in Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment, Support on August 31, 2010
Evan Handler photo: sitcomsonline.com
In his two books about his experiences – “It’s Only Temporary” and “Time on Fire”- Handler reports egregious mistakes in his care that could have been disastrous if he had not been so vigilant. He was given intravenous drugs meant for another patient, almost given medications by nurses that his doctors had forbidden for him and that other hospital staff refused to follow the hospital’s posted hygiene precautions for immunosuppressed patients like himself. During his eight months in the hospital, Handler became the ultimate empowered patient by learning to double-check everyone’s work and trust no one – including doctors and nurses completely. He even started forging his doctor’s signature on his blood tests so that they would make it to the lab faster.
“I was lucky to be able to maintain my strength and do it as long as I did, and my girlfriend at the time, Jackie, was willing to sit by my side and advocate for me, and she was very skilled at doing it. You wonder, how many people die from illnesses because the strength to keep up vigilance runs out?”
Unfortunately, many do die. It is estimated that medical errors in hospitals kill between 44,000 – 98,000 patients a year. If you have mesothelioma cancer or any other medical condition, being vigilant, informed, and an all-around bad patient may save your life.
Read the interview between Handler and CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
Another mesothelioma survival story
Posted by Marc in Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment on July 29, 2010
In another amazing tale of survival from a disease that takes so many, a Beaumont, Tex. television station profiled local firefighter David Chesser — who is now back on the job after battling mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Having a tough time recovering from a shoulder injury, doctors discovered something far worse. Up for promotion, Chesser was named the new fire chief at the time of his struggle fighting the disease but could not make the ceremony for obvious reasons. His wife stood in his honor to receive the award.
On leave for fourteen months getting treatment in Nebraska, he vowed to return to the department.
“I wanted to be back with these guys. I didn’t want the cancer to make me quit my job,” said Chesser to Beaumont’s KFDM news.
A 36 year veteran at the department, he’s amazingly back on the job fulfilling the duties he vowed to fulfill when he was appointed chief — an act Chesser acknowledges helped him in his fight against meso.
Also giving him strength was a woman he responded to while on the job before his diagnosis:
“I made a run on a sick person she was in her 20′s. I can’t even tell you her name but she reminds me of, probably of an angel. She was so sick she had a brain tumor, but she smiled. She knew she may never come home and that made an impact on my life,” said Chesser.
Boston woman conquering mesothelioma
Posted by Marc in Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment on July 23, 2010
Working around the subjects of mesothelioma and asbestos can be a drag sometimes. The outlook for those diagnosed is often grim — usually with only months to live — and many a gut-wrenching story is passed around the office from patients and family members alike.
Occasionally, though, we come across a story like the one below.
With our offices here in the Boston area, we are surrounded by some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world, and often hear tales of amazing medical feats in the news.
But the story of 34 year-old Karen Grant’s battle with mesothelioma is one of the most amazing stories we have come across in awhile. Diagnosed at the incredibly early age of 29, Grant was given only a few months to live.
Developer of mesothelioma treatment honored by Princeton
Posted by Marc in Clinical Trials, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment, Research on June 22, 2010
Those fighting malignant pleural mesothelioma have had a new drug at their disposal since it was approved by the FDA in 2004, and it has worked wonders for many – stopping the growth and spread of the cancer, in addition to extending life and relieving patient suffering.
The developer of that drug — Alimta — was honored with a doctoral degree at Princeton’s 263rd commencement exercises earlier this month.
Prof. Edward C. Taylor has been a mainstay at Princeton since 1954, when he first joined the faculty. In 1966, he was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry – a position he held until 1997, when he was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry Emeritus and Senior Research Assistant.
With over 450 published scientific papers and the holder of more than 50 patents in the chemistry field, Taylor is one of Princeton’s most tenured and respected researchers.
Developments in new therapies against Mesothelioma
Posted by Marc in Clinical Trials, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Treatment, Research on June 2, 2010
A new study indicates promising results in therapies to combat mesothelioma and other cancers.
The results of a joint study (“Pro-tumorigenic Effects of miR-31 Loss in Mesothelioma,”) between Rosetta Genomics and NYUs Langone Medical Center shows the potential of miR-31 – a micro RNA recently discovered to be a suppressor of breast cancer metastases – to inhibit proliferation, migration, invasion and clonogenicity of mesothelioma cells.
“Over the past several years, microRNAs have been hailed as one of the most significant scientific and medical discoveries. They have been described as the body’s ‘master switches’, holding significant potential for therapeutic applications,” said Kenneth A. Berlin, President and CEO of Rosetta Genomics.
Berlin also noted how the study is yet another demonstration of microRNAs potential role in cancer therapeutics and how significant an impact a single microRNA can have on the course of a disease.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered, small RNAs that play the “master regulator” of protein synthesis, and are highly effective biomarkers. Early data has shown that cancer cell growth may be reduced by controlling levels of specific microRNAs.
Founded in 2000, Rosetta Genomics is a company on the forefront of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics and was the winner of the Wall Street Journal’s Technology Innovation Awards in the medical/biotech category.
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