Hundreds of cancer patients participate in clinical trials each year. They take part to give themselves a chance of extra life, to help future generations of cancer sufferers and also to involve them in something positive at an otherwise depressing time. No one is more thankful for the innovative new drugs and therapies tested in the clinical trials than Brian Cramp.

Cramp, a retired electricity distribution engineer, was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given only a few years to live. His right lung was filled with cancerous fluid, making it difficult to breathe, walk up stairs, or even talk a light stroll. He decided that his only choice for a prolonged survival was to participate in a clinical trial.

Cramp had his right lung drained and began to take the first of two experimental drugs. This helped reduce his tumor, but the side effects were unbearable. He said, “Frankly life wasn't worth living because the side-effects were so awful. I had terrible pain in the nerve endings around my toes, I was throwing up, I was in bed most of the time and I couldn't eat what I wanted because my taste buds were messed up.”

However, the second drug taken by Cramp, called Chilob, has shown great results. Chilob is an antibody developed to tell the body’s immune system to fight the cancer. The best part about the drug is that there are, “No side-effects at all,” according to Cramp. Moreover, when doctors compared the scan taken after this trial with the one they'd taken before the trial, it showed that the tumor hadn’t changed and the cancer was stabilized.

Cramp is planning on taking his wife, four children, and four grandchildren on vacation soon and he couldn’t be more excited. “When I booked it in May, I thought it might be our last family holiday together. Now I'm feeling that I might get to go on another one next year.”

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An Illinois man has filed an asbestos lawsuit against 79 companies. Raymond Hostert, who suffers from mesothelioma, is claiming that his disease was wrongfully caused while working as a drill press operator, truck driver, machine operator and mechanic from 1952 through 1999 at various locations throughout Illinois.

Hostert claims that during his employment with various companies, he was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers that originated from products he was using.  The complaint officially says that, "The plaintiff's exposure and inhalation, ingestion or absorption of the asbestos fibers was completely foreseeable and could or should have been anticipated by the defendants.” He also claims that the defendants included asbestos in their products even when sufficient substitutes were available. Moreover, the defendants failed to provide any or adequate instructions concerning the safe methods of working with asbestos.

Hostert has been unable to locate documents regarding asbestos-use among his former employers.  He believes these documents were destroyed and has noted that this may be harmful to his case. Hostert is seeking over $400,000 in damages for negligence, willful and reckless acts, conspiracy, and negligent spoliation of evidence among other allegations. Defendants in the case include Bondex International, CBS, Chrysler, Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Trust, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Goodyear, Honeywell International, Ingersoll-Rand, International Paper, John Crane, MetLife, Philips Electronics and Trane US.

Next month, the nation will join together to spread the word about mesothelioma. September 26^th, 2008 is National Meso Awareness Day and we encourage everyone to help raise awareness about mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos. The momentous day is also a time to pay honor to those currently struggling with the disease and for those who have lost their battle to this terrible disease.

Although September 26^th is more than a month away, there is still a lot people can do before the day arrives. For instance, Jordan Zevon, son of beloved musician Warren Zevon, has a radio campaign designed to bring awareness to mesothelioma. Warren Zevon was a legendary singer and songwriter who died of mesothelioma in September 2003. Between now and September 26^th, people are encouraged to contact their local radio stations and request Warren Zevon’s music, which will be followed by a 20 second segment where Jordan Zevon speaks out about mesothelioma. Secondly, individuals can help by contacting their local government officials to declare September 26^th as Meso Awareness Day in their areas.

In a recent American Cancer Society report, researchers revealed that up to 61% of cancer patients use complementary therapies to help combat their disease.  In this study, complementary medicine was characterized as prayer, relaxation techniques, massage, supplementary vitamins, hypnosis, acupuncture, and spiritual counseling.

The report, which echoed findings of many smaller studies, found that complementary therapies were most commonly used among younger patients and women.  Dr. Ted Gansler, co-author of the report, gathered his information from 4,139 cancer survivors in order to determine not only which complementary methods are common, but which are effective.  The patients were interviewed 10 to 24 months after diagnosis.

According to a summary in Forbes, among cancer survivors:

• 61.4 percent used prayer;
• 44.3 percent used relaxation techniques
• 42.4 percent used faith/spiritual healing
• 40.1 percent used nutritional supplements such as vitamins
• 15 percent used meditation
• 11.3 percent used religious counseling
• 11.2 percent used massage
• 9.7 percent participated in support groups

The study also found that other methods were occasionally used: 0.4% used hypnosis, 1% used biofeedback therapy, and 1.2% used acupuncture or acupressure.

In general, complementary therapy was used by 59% of women, compared to only 43% of men.  Specifically, techniques such as tai chi and yoga were used by 10.1 percent of women, but only with 1.9 percent of men. Massage was used by 16.6 percent of women, and 3.9 percent of men.

Alternative medicine expert Dr. Harold Burstein, an instructor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said, "This study, like many before it, confirms that cancer patients actively pursue a variety of alternative and complementary therapies, usually in conjunction with standard approaches to cancer treatment."

This study is only a stepping stone in discovering the efficacy and impact of complementary therapies.  The study could not determine the correlation between some factors.  For example, complementary therapy was most used among ovarian and breast cancer patients.  Because all ovarian and nearly all breast cancer patients are women, this fact was not surprising.  But why, then, was complementary medicine not used as frequently among uterine cancer patients, who are also all female?

Gansler aims to unlock the mysteries of complementary treatments.  "As more studies are done to evaluate effectiveness, we will want to know whether men are missing opportunities to use some effective complementary methods that are far more popular in women, or whether women use ineffective complementary methods more than men. Or whether some complementary methods are more effective for women than they are for men," he said.

The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Disease Society (Meso Society) is a nonprofit group that seeks to raise awareness about mesothelioma and the risks of asbestos. The Meso Society was established by the Harahan family after a family member of theirs lost their life due to mesothelioma. The family runs the Meso Society with the help of volunteers who have been diagnosed with or have experienced a family loss due to mesothelioma.

Recently, the Meso Society presented Assumption BVM School in West Grove, Pennsylvania with a $13,535 grant to help the school fund removal of asbestos ceiling and floor tiles from its main building. Now, thanks in part to the generosity of the Meso Society, the near 1,000 children and adults that use the school’s classrooms on a weekly basis will be safer from the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos. Patricia Harahan, chair of the Meso Society——said, "It's a great feeling to be able to help Assumption BVM with their asbestos removal project. People often naively think of asbestos as a thing of the past. The truth is that asbestos is a current danger; it's a toxic material that is unfortunately not yet banned in this country."

Harahan was eager to help Assumption BVM when she found out that the school was in need of asbestos removal funding. She encouraged Assumption BVM to take part in the Meso Society's 5th Annual Meso Walk, an annual event that pays tribute to families and individuals affected by asbestos cancer. Additionally, Harahan promised to match all the funds raised by the school's participants up to $6,000.

Students, parents and teachers of Assumption BVM came together to raise $7,535 for the 2008 Meso Walk which took place on April 13^th. The Meso Society generously returned all of Assumption BVM's fundraising efforts to the school for its asbestos removal project, along with the promised $6,000 in matching funds, amassing the grant to over $13,000.

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