Researchers affiliated with a multi-center U.S. trial reported in the July 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that the combination of Alimta® (pemetrexed) and Gemzar® (gemcitabine) was active in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common than pleural mesothelioma, making up less than 20% of all cases. Moreover, the latency period for peritoneal mesothelioma (sometimes referred to as abdominal mesothelioma) appears to be 20-30 years, which is shorter than the latent period for pleural mesothelioma. The most common treatment strategy for peritoneal mesothelioma involves a multimodality approach with surgical debunking followed by systemic and/or intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Due to the relative rarity of this disease, controlled trials of various treatment options are not available for peritoneal mesothelioma. Therefore, few studies of chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma, treatment regimens are derived from studies in patients with pulmonary mesothelioma.

This current study involved 20 patients treated between 2002 and 2004. Patients received Alimta and Gemzar every 21 days. In addition, patients also received folic acid, vitamin B12, and dexamethasone. The results from the study are listed below.

- The overall response rate was 15%.

- The disease control rate was 50%.

- The median time to disease progression was 10.4 months.

- The median survival time was 26.8 months.

- Toxicities appeared to be tolerable but with a grade 3-4 neutropenia rate of 60%.

The researchers have concluded that Gemzar and Alimta is an active regimen that is an alternative to standard therapies. This is one of the first studies devoted to systemic chemotherapy treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma and provides important baseline information.

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Awhile back we wrote about the documentary, “Libby, Montana” that aired on PBS. Since then, the documentary has garnered rave reviews for its intimacy, perception, sense of humor and mostly, for the genuine voice it gives the people of Libby. The documentary is now in the running for an Emmy in the “Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story—Long Form” category.

The film, made in 2004 by High Plains Films’ Doug Hawes Davis and Drury Gunn Carr is about the town that was brought to its knees by asbestos poisoning and then embroiled in the battles with W.R. Grace Corporation and the EPA that followed.

For more information on the documentary, click here.

Gliese Bergeron, a former Texas pipe-fitter, has recently filed his second asbestos related lawsuit, this time naming 19 defendants. Gliese, who once filed a lawsuit and received a claim when he developed an "asbestos-related disease," is now seeking additional monetary compensation for a different malignant asbestos-related injury.

Bergeron's petition says the A.O. Smith Corp., along with the 18 other companies named in the suit, knowingly and maliciously manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing products throughout Jefferson County. The suit claims that, “Bergeron worked as a pipe-fitter and maintenance planner for various employers, which caused him to suffer from industrial dust diseases caused by breathing the asbestos-containing products.”

The suit also alleges the defendants in the lawsuit were negligent for failing to effectively test their asbestos-laced products before swamping the market with dangerous goods and for failing to warn consumers of the dangers of asbestos exposure. Along with A.O. Smith Corp., the CBS corporation and iron supplier Zurn Industries have been named in the suit, as well. Additionally, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corp. (3M Corporation) and American Optical Corp. have been named in the suit for manufacturing defective masks that failed to provide respiratory protection.

Prior to the year 2000, Texas residents were not able to file more than one asbestos related lawsuit. However, after the landmark hearing of Pustejovsky v. Rapid-American Corp., the Texas Supreme Court held that a victim of asbestos may later have a second lawsuit for an asbestos-related cancer if he develops the cancer at a future date. Thus, this hearing has allowed Bergeron to file this second lawsuit.

Bergeron is suing for exemplary damages, plus physical pain and suffering in the past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement in the past and future, physical impairment in the past and future, and past and future medical expenses.

For more information, click here.

Hospice care is a unique form of medical care that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than halting or delaying progression of the disease itself or providing a cure. With hospice care, patients are allowed to remain in their homes and live their final days in comfort and in the company of their loved ones. Professional hospice staff and volunteers are available around the clock to ease the patient's transition through the final stages of life.

While hospice care is quite useful and beneficial for patients, many do not fully understand the scope of services that hospice care can offer. Below you will find a list of some of the different services that hospice care is able to provide.

- Pain and symptom control. Keeping the mesothelioma patient comfortable and pain-free is the primary goal of hospice care.

- Spiritual care. While not a religious program in itself, hospice offers support for mesothelioma patients and families in meeting their spiritual and religious needs. These needs are often important to people who are facing the end of life.

- Respite care. Providing constant care for a seriously ill patient can put a tremendous strain on a family. When a break is needed, hospice can provide respite - or "relief" - care in a hospital or other inpatient facility. This allows the family a few days of rest and relaxation.

- Home care or inpatient care. In general, hospice strives to help terminally ill patients remain at home. However, if inpatient care is needed temporarily, hospice staff works with hospital staff to ensure continued care.

- Bereavement care. Hospice care is for families as well as patients. After a hospice patient dies, specially trained members of the hospice care team are available for a year or more to help surviving family members through their grief.

To Read More About Hospice Services, Please visit our MesoRC Page

Or Click Here for General Hospice Care Information

Some cancer patients find that putting their emotions down in writing may help ease their pain and improve their overall well-being. The writing, part of a concept called "narrative" medicine, has always been seen as a way to aid communication between seriously ill patients and their doctors. However, new research shows that the actual act of writing may help patients better understand themselves and their needs, according to a study team, led by Dr. M. Soledad Cepeda of Tufts-New England Medical Center.

As part of the research, 234 cancer patients who were suffering from at least moderate levels of pain from their disease were randomly assigned to one of three groups: one that was asked to perform narrative writing; one that filled out a standard questionnaire about pain symptoms; and one that stayed with standard care only. Those in the narrative-writing group were asked to spend 20 minutes per week, for three weeks, writing about the ways in which cancer was affecting their daily lives. Also, over the span of eight weeks patients in all three groups completed a standard questionnaire about their well-being and rated their pain levels.

On the whole, the research team found that patients in the writing group who were open about their emotions showed less pain and greater well-being over time than the rest of the study subjects. As for the patients whose writing was generally unemotional - similar positive effects were not seen. According to Cepeda’s team, the findings suggest that the emotional release of writing, specifically, is what helps patients deal with their cancer pain.

The research team said it’s possible that the most seriously ill patients find it more difficult to write about their feelings. Therefore, more studies are needed, to see whether encouraging seriously ill patients to reveal their emotions in writing benefits their well-being as well.