In Massachusetts, doctors removed cancer cells from patients with non-small cell lung cancers that had spread to the bloodstream.  The researchers discovered that fluctuations in the concentration of cancer cells in the blood reflect how well current therapy is working.  Furthermore, the cancer samples also helped the doctors monitor changes in the genetic composition of the malignant tumors. 

This new ability to track cancer in the blood allows doctors to administer individualized therapy plans to patients.  They can quickly assess the content and make-up of a single patient's tumor and then establish a treatment regime accordingly. 

In December, the same group of researchers announced their ability to extract cancer cells--circulating tumor cells, or CTC-- from the blood using a specialized chip.  They now say that examining the collected cells can help guide therapy. 

"If there were a way of measuring an earlier response, that would be fantastic. The CTC chip offers the promise of non-invasive continuous monitoring," one researcher stated.  The chip is 100 times more sensitive than a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved technique that uses magnetic beads to try to extract cancer cells.  The system requires only two teaspoons of blood, which are then filtered through a series of 80,000 tiny tubes that search for the presence of certain proteins.  The process takes only eight hours.

 To read more, click here for the full article.

Unlike chemotherapy, CimaVax causes very few side effects.  It uses a modified protein that attacks only the cancer cells, causing minimal adverse reaction in patients.  Development for the vaccine began in 1992.

The cost of the treatment has not yet been determined.  Cuban officials, however, have stated that they will welcome foreigners who seek vaccine administration.  "It's possible to provide this vaccine to any patient, because it's available in Cuba, it's approved by the Cuban drug agency so we can market the vaccine in Cuba and we can receive patients from outside," said director of clinical investigations at Havana's molecular immunology center.

Americans, however, will have difficulty accessing CimaVax.  The trade embargo enacted in 1962 restricts travel to Cuba and will serious impede Americans' ability to try this new therapy.  In the US, CimaVax is in clinical trials and is not slated to finish for another two to three years.

Other cancer vaccines under development elsewhere include one made by Antigenics Inc against melanoma, and another made by Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc and licensed by drug giant Pfizer Inc that attacks deadly brain tumors.  For the full story, click here.

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Scientists call it a "gene-environment interaction." Carbone says he and his team are close to isolating that gene, which means more hope for early detection, treatment and a cure. They also identified the exposure to erionite as the likely trigger for developing the disease. Carbone became determined to reduce residents' contact with the mineral fiber and persuaded officials in Cappadocia, Turkey to construct a new village to prevent more illnesses and deaths. They wasted no time and eventually more than 2,000 people had new brick and mortar houses.

Carbone decided to take things a step further. He invited the Turkish surgeon general to attend the National Cancer Institute meeting last August at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in which he hosted. Of course, the visit included a multi-course gourmet dinner that Carbone prepared himself. During the visit, he convinced the surgeon general and members of the cancer institute that he needed to study early detection of mesothelioma in Cappadocia, where the high incidence allowed him to “get an answer in a short time at a fraction of the cost.” Unfortunately, no infrastructure existed, but the surgeon general agreed that the research called for a new hospital, and by April, the structure was completed.

Carbone has taken his research to the states and is currently studying three families with a high incidence of mesothelioma. For this work, the American Association for Cancer Research presented the prestigious Landon Innovator Award for the best international collaboration related to the advancement of cancer prevention research - a $100,000 grant over two years - to Carbone and his team of researchers in April. Carbone says, “This is a big issue and it’s my passion.”

For Full Article, Click Here

Although she never heard back from Oprah or the president, she did get a call back in May from June Breit of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF). Breit invited Lexi to give the keynote address Friday, June 27, at the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma held in Washington, D.C. Lexi enthusiastically accepted the invitation. ''I was very excited about it,'' she said. ''It means a lot to me because I want to raise awareness for others so they won't have to suffer like my grandfather did.''

Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, worked a string of hard-labor jobs, including demolition and brick-making, where he could have been exposed to asbestos. His widow, Diane, thinks he inhaled the asbestos that would kill him when he served in the Navy, building ships.

Lexi’s goals are to increase mesothelioma research and raise money for it through fundraisers. She also wants to push a strong Capitol Hill lobby for a national asbestos ban.

To Read Lexi's Full Story, Click Here

The American Lung Association categorizes lung disease as one of the following:

· Obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and COPD which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These all affect a person's airways and limit or block the flow of air in or out of the lungs.

· Infectious illnesses such as pneumonia, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and tuberculosis (TB). Bacteria or viruses cause these diseases that can also affect the membrane (or pleura) that surround the lungs.

· Lung cancer. A disease characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.

· Respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension. These conditions are caused by problems with the normal gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs.

· Pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.

· Occupational diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, caused by exposure to hazardous substances.

The American Lung Association strongly believes that if cigarette smoking, preventable premature childbirth, disregard for workers' safety and violation of clean-air laws were to end today, a future largely free of the most lethal forms of lung disease would be possible.

Click Here For Full Article.

The employer, papermaker Ahlstrom Labelpack, was ordered to pay the 17 workers between €9,000 and €85,000 ($14,044 and $132.634 USD) each for the loss of 35% of their earnings up to the legal retirement age. In addition, it ordered the company to pay €10,000 ($15,604 USD) for stress and anxiety to the workers, none of whom has so far contracted an asbestos-related disease.

If confirmed by an appeal court ruling in September, the decision could add significantly to compensation costs for asbestos-related diseases, expected to total between €11.7 billion and €22 billion ($18.26 billion and $34.33 billion) over the next 20 years, according to a report to parliament in 2004.

For the Full Article, Click Here

The new MesoRC Community Marketplace offers insightful books on mesothelioma and other cancers, and novelties that seek to raise awareness of mesothelioma. With 2,500 new cases diagnosed annually in the US, mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, is often called an orphan cancer. As such, there are few research funds and often little help for patients who want to seek treatment at the twelve medical centers focused on advanced treatment options. LOJS may receive compensation from some of websites with links on MesoRC.com. LOJS donates all compensation received from websites based on these links to charitable organizations that benefit mesothelioma patients.

Another new MesoRC feature is the Tribute Wall to remember those affected by mesothelioma. This rolling recall of names by family, friends and loved ones is dedicated to the memory of mesothelioma victims.

You can read the Full Press Release Here

The Lung Cancer Alliance hails the bill as historic and the biggest step so far in the fight against lung cancer.  Included in the bill are facts about the disease and its impact: lung cancer claims more victims each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancer--combined.

The bill, known as the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008, outlines a five-year multi-agency plan that will expand research and boost development in the field of lung cancer drug treatments. Agencies such as the National Cancer Institute, the departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute for Environmental Health are all involved in the program.  To ensure accountability, these firms must submit annual reports to Congress documenting their work and progress.

Senator Feinstein co-sponsored the bill.  She said, "Its time for the federal government to step up its efforts and make fighting lung cancer a national priority. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, but efforts to fund research and innovative new drug therapies have been shortchanged when compared to other cancers."  The new legislation will certainly bring necessary political and scientific attention to lung cancer.

To read the entire press release, click here.

The new study, however, focuses on a combination of chemotherapy and radiation targeted directly at the lung's lining. Researchers anticipate that the radiation therapy will kill the cancer cells on the surface of the lung while sparing other parts of the lung and surrounding vital tissues.

To Read More About the Study, Click Here