Mesothelioma is a rare and insidious neoplasm and is characterized by its highly malignant and aggressive nature. The most common etiology is asbestos exposure, but there are some reports without known asbestos exposure and other factors leading to malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Here, we present the case of a 58-year-old woman with … [Read more...]
Asbestos — two to three times more deadly than known
"Clouds of dust were falling on us at every blow of the truncheon, but at that time we knew nothing about asbestos," recalled Jesús Ropero Calcerrada, a 73-year-old man who was tasked with scraping asbestos from railway carriages during his working life in Beasáin, in the Basque country in Spain. He and others were not offered any protection from … [Read more...]
They inhaled asbestos for decades on the job. Now, workers break their silence
Henry Saenz remembers when he first learned what even the tiniest bit of asbestos could do to his body. He was working at a chemical plant where employees used the mineral to make chlorine, and his coworkers warned him about what could happen each time he took a breath: Tiny fibers, invisible to the eye, could enter his nose and mouth and settle … [Read more...]
Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality in Women — United States, 1999–2020
Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause malignant mesothelioma, a rapidly progressing and lethal cancer of the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissues surrounding internal organs in the chest and abdomen. Patients with malignant mesothelioma have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of 1 year from diagnosis. The estimated median interval from … [Read more...]
Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib Combo Shows Positive Clinical Activity in Recurrent Pleural Mesothelioma
The combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and lenvatinib (Lenvima) demonstrated promising clinical activity with no unexpected toxicities in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), according to results from the PEMMELA study (NCT04287829) presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2022 World … [Read more...]
The silent malignant mesothelioma epidemic: a call to action
Malignant mesothelioma, recognised as a new disease in the 1950s, is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure and usually diagnosed decades after first exposure. The disease was initially restricted to asbestos workers, but diagnoses after non-occupational exposure continue to surge. Despite the acknowledgment by WHO and the International … [Read more...]
Second Surgery for Recurrent Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma after Multimodality Treatment: A Systematic Review
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive asbestos-related tumour with poor prognosis. To date, a multimodality treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery, with or without radiotherapy, is the gold standard therapy for selected patients with epithelioid and early-stage MPM. In this setting, the goal of surgery is to achieve the … [Read more...]
Clinical-pathological characteristics and prognostic factors for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in the elderly
Background: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare disease characterized by atypical symptoms, difficult diagnosis, variable course and poor prognosis, and it develops mainly in elderly individuals. The authors aimed to identify the clinical-pathological characteristics, prognosis, and prognostic factors in elderly [ malignant … [Read more...]
A Case Report of Hypophosphatemia Leading to the Diagnosis of Mesothelioma
Hypophosphatemia can be commonly encountered as an electrolyte imbalance and is defined as a value less than 0.8 mmol/l (2.5 mg/dl). It can be an incidental finding, but it is not uncommon to see it presenting with varied symptoms. It is good to have a clear diagnostic approach to this so adequate treatment can be instated. We present a … [Read more...]
CDC: Mesothelioma Deaths Up Among Women
While use of asbestos has gone down in the U.S., deaths from mesothelioma still increased 25% among women over the last two decades, researchers found. From 1999 to 2020, mesothelioma deaths among women rose significantly from 489 to 614, though the age-adjusted death rate per 1 million women fell from 4.83 to 4.15, reported Jacek Mazurek, MD, … [Read more...]