Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
New British Research Suggests Link Between Asbestos and Heart Disease, Stroke
A new study of British workers finds that asbestos may cause other serious illnesses in addition to mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that produces tumors in the lining of the lung.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, reports that workers in Great Britain exposed to asbestos in the workplace are more likely to die from heart disease than people in the general population.
Asbestos is recognized as a cause of serious respiratory disease in humans, including asbestosis, a scarring of lung, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of lining of the lungs and abdomen. But it hasn’t been established whether asbestos exposure is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.
But it’s well established that inhaling or swallowing asbestos causes inflammation. And inflammatory processes are involved in the development of cardiovascular disease, which includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
So researchers, led by Anne-Helen Harding of Britain’s Health and Safety Laboratory, analyzed the presence of cardiovascular disease and death rates among nearly 100,000 asbestos workers between 1971 and 2005. Many of the workers had jobs that involved asbestos removal.
The researchers reported a significantly higher number of deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke among asbestos workers than the general population. Male asbestos workers were 63 percent more likely to die of a stroke and 39 percent more likely to die of heart disease.
The researchers also observed a correlation between the length of exposure to asbestos and the likelihood of developing ischemic heart disease, a reduced blood supply in the heart muscle. The researchers said the findings provide some evidence that workplace asbestos exposure contributes to heart disease in exposed workers.
Asbestos exposure is the leading cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain, accounting for approximately 4,000 deaths per year, according to the Health and Safety Executive, a British government agency that oversees workplace safety. In the United States, approximately, 2,500 to 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States each year and similar numbers of people die of mesothelioma each year. Symptoms of asbestos disease typically take 20 years to 40 years to appear, so workers exposed in 1970s may only recently have begun noticing symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain beneath the ribs and a persistent cough.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices Can Benefit Mesothelioma Patients
The National Cancer Institute reports 95% of the cancer diagnoses are dependent on choices we make every day, such as food selection, smoking decisions, sun exposure and exercise habits. Making poor choices can negatively impact our ability to age gracefully and to enjoy a full, productive life. Although Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma doubtful had control over the circumstances leading to their disease, a lifetime of healthy living can help the patient maintain a higher quality of life while battling the cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to spread this message throughout the world as it invites all nations to join in the celebration of World Health Day on Monday, April 7. WHO has chosen “ageing and health” as the theme this year. With the slogan of “Good health adds life to years,” WHO has developed an ad campaign featuring elderly people enjoying time with their grandchildren, dancing, working in the fields and even bungee jumping.
“2012 is a year of reflection, work and celebration dedicated to promoting life that is not only longer but also more active and healthier,” said Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the announcement of World Health Day.
By 2020, according to PAHO, the Americas will have 200 million older people, with more than half living in Latin America and the Caribbean. The increase in life expectancy and consequent growth in the older population has brought about a health transition characterized by a rise in non-communicable disease and disability and a wider demand for healthcare.
World Health Day is the kickoff for a year of advocacy activities and should not be seen as a one day event, said the organizers of the day. “Preventing diseases through immunization, good nutrition, and healthy lifestyles will result in an elderly population that is a rich resource for families, communities and nations,” Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s regional director for South-East Asia.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer causally linked to asbestos exposure. With a latency period of up to 50 years, most people exposed to the toxic material do not develop symptoms of mesothelioma until they are over 65. While the average survival time of mesothelioma patients typically varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis, many factors determine the life expectancy. Factors include type and stage of mesothelioma, treatment plan, whether the patient has ever smoked, the lifestyle, diet and fitness level of the patient, as well as age, sex and family traits.
According to a recent study by Belgian researchers, nearly half of older cancer patients have unrecognized medical problems that may also need to be addressed. Although not all of the conditions can be prevented, World Health Day is meant to bring awareness to the fact that a long, healthy life begins at childhood and depends on choices made throughout life.
By maintaining a healthy lifestyle through exercise and proper nutrition, those that do fall victim to mesothelioma may have an easier time of battling the disease and may enjoy a higher quality of life during treatments.
Panel Recommends Adding Mesothelioma To Conditions Covered by 9/11 Health Program
A medical advisory panel has recommended that mesothelioma be added to the list of cancers for which 9/11 firefighters and first responders are eligible to receive compensation for treatment under the James Zadroga Act. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung linked to inhaling asbestos. Asbestos was among the toxic substances in the dust cloud created by the collapse of the World Trade Centers.
After reviewing the emerging pattern of 9/11 health effects in recent scientific studies, the World Trade Center Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee recommended that the federal government cover cancers affecting the respiratory and digestive systems, as well as thyroid cancer, breast cancer, eye cancer, oral cavity cancer, urinary tract cancer, mesothelioma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomas and all childhood cancers.
The 15-member panel of doctors and health experts is responsible for tracking medical studies and recommending which illnesses should be covered by the Zadroga Act. Passed by Congress in 2010, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act provides $4.3 billion to monitor, treat and compensate people suffering health problems associated with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Cancer was not initially included among the illnesses covered by the federal law.
The advisory panel, which met last week, had until today to submit its recommendations to the World Trade Center health program administrator Dr. John Howard. Howard now has 60 days to review the recommendations and decide which cancers will be covered.
According to a 2011 study in British medical journal The Lancet, New York firefighters who worked at ground zero in 2001 were 19 percent more likely to develop cancer than firefighters who were not exposed to the hazardous conditions at the World Trade Center site. The researchers analyzed health records of nearly 10,000 New York firefighters and compared the rates of cancer among the firefighters who were exposed to toxic dust at the World Trade Center and firefighters who were not at ground zero. They found 263 cases of cancer among the exposed firefighters, reflecting a cancer rate 19 percent higher than in the group not exposed.
After the advisory panel’s recommendation, members of New York’s congressional delegation including U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Peter King and Jerold Nadler sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting a meeting to discuss how the agency will proceed with a decision on whether to add the various forms of cancer to the 9/11 Health Program Coverage.
Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Most are exposed to asbestos in a workplace setting. Symptoms of asbestos-related disease typically take 20 years to 40 years to appear. Asbestos was used in thousands of building material products because it adds strength and resistance to heat, but its use has limited since the 1980s.
Climber Who Survived a Night at Mt. Everest Succumbs to Mesothelioma
Six years ago, Australian mountain climber Lincoln Hall was given up for dead after reaching the summit of Mount Everest and then developing a severe form of altitude sickness. Broadcast reports of Hall’s death were premature though. The tough mountain climber managed to survive a freezing night alone at more than 28,000 feet without food or shelter. Delirious and frostbitten, he greeted an astonished group of ascending climbers at sunrise the next morning. Three days later, he walked off the mountain.
Mount Everest couldn’t vanquish Lincoln Hall. But the rugged climber faced a still greater risk: childhood exposure to asbestos. Six years after his miraculous feat of mountaintop survival, Hall, age 56, died of mesothelioma last Tuesday at a Sydney, Australia hospital after a year-long struggle with the disease, according to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by inhaling toxic asbestos. Hall was exposed to cancer causing asbestos-cement sheets as a child in the mid-1960s while helping his father build playhouses on their property, the newspaper reported. Most people are exposed to asbestos in the workplace, but some people inhale asbestos in the home as well. The microscopic fibers can lodge deep in the lung and remain there a lifetime, causing inflammation and eventually disease.
Many people exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are still at risk of developing mesothelioma or may only recently have been diagnosed with mesothelioma symptoms. The respiratory cancer has a long development period and is difficult to diagnose. A skilled author who wrote several best-selling books about mountaineering, Hall was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2011.
Through his experiences, Hall developed a spiritual affinity with the Himalayas and helped establish the Australian Himalayan Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that raised money for schools in his beloved mountains, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hall’s death surprised many of his friends who believed that Hall was virtually invincible and could overcome mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer.
Mesothelioma Patient Urges Registry of Buildings with Asbestos
A Canadian food inspector who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma wants the Canadian government to establish a registry of buildings containing asbestos to warn others of the workplace hazard. Once widely used as a building material, asbestos is associated with serious respiratory diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities.
Howard Willems, 59, a federal food inspector for more than 30 years, contracted mesothelioma while inspecting a number of older food plants in Saskatchewan, according to a recent report by the CBC, Canada’a national news network.
Willems contends that everyone has a right to know when they enter a workplace that it is safe. He said he now realizes that he was exposed to asbestos when he inspected food plants while they were undergoing renovation. He said there were no warning labels that asbestos was harmful.
Workplace asbestos exposure is common among people diagnosed with mesothelioma, including construction workers exposed during remodeling and demolition of older buildings. Approximately, 2,500 to 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year and most are retired workers and veterans who breathed asbestos fibers in a workplace. In Canada, approximately 350 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually, according to the Canadian Medical Association. The numbers have increased significantly in the last two decades.
The Canadian Cancer Society also has called on the federal and provincial governments to maintain a public registry of buildings that contain asbestos. A registry would help ensure that asbestos is properly removed from them by trained workers. The government has not responded.
Willems had one diseased lung removed in 2011 and is undergoing monitoring of his remaining lung. Typically, mesothelioma symptoms appear 20 years to 40 years after exposure to asbestos. But once it appears, the cancer is aggressive and difficult to treat.
Willems said the Canadian provincial and federal governments had been aware of the harm caused by asbestos for years and had been negligent in allowing continued exposure to the cancer-causing material. He said the government had relied on questionable scientific studies to justify continued production and export of asbestos. Canada is a leading exporter of asbestos, primarily to developing nations, despite calls by many medical and health organizations for Canada to cease asbestos exports.
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