Cancer Genetics Symposium Planned in Hawaii to Focus on Mesothelioma

Researchers in cancer genetics will gather in Hawaii in December to discuss the recent discovery of the BAP1 genetic mutation and its link to mesothelioma, melanoma and possibly other cancers. The University of Hawaii Cancer Center and the Queen’s Medical Center will host the international symposium on Dec. 2

Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdominal cavity, is typically associated with exposure to asbestos or erionite, a mineral fiber similar to asbestos. Microscopic fibers of asbestos are inhaled and may remain deep in the lung, causing inflammation, scarring and eventually disease.

The third annual Translational Cancer Medicine Symposium will feature more than 20 global experts on cancer genetics including Carol M. Croce, M.D., Director of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at Ohio State University; Joseph Testa, Ph.D., Director of the Genomics Facility at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Michele Carbone, M.D., Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

A mesothelioma research team at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center led by Carbone announced in August the discovery of BAP1 gene mutation’s link to mesothelioma and other cancers. It is the first study to demonstration that family genetics can influence susceptibility to mesothelioma.

“We are excited to bring these experts to Hawaii to work together to find ways to reduce the suffering and death caused by this mutation,” Cabone said in a prepared statement issued by the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

Mesothelioma causes the deaths of about 2,500 to 3,000 people a year in the United States and tens of thousands worldwide. People typically develop mesothelioma symptoms 20 years to 50 years after exposure to asbestos, though only a portion of those exposed to asbestos develops mesothelioma. Rates of new cases of mesothelioma in parts of the world including Europe and China, have risen steadily in the past decade.

The identification of the BAP1 cancer syndrome, caused by an inherited mutation of the BAP1 gene, offers a new tool to identify people at high risk of developing mesothelioma. It may lead to early detection of the cancer and benefit people who have an occupational hazard of exposure to asbestos in the workplace. When individuals with the BAP1 mutation are exposed to asbestos, mesothelioma may cause the death of 50 percent of the family members—a far greater incidence than in the population at large, the researchers found.

Managing Mesothelioma Symptoms Through Holistic Treatments

Mesothelioma is a serious and rare cancer that occurs in individuals that have either inhaled or swallowed asbestos fibers. The fibers then travel through the body becoming lodged, resulting in cancer typically decades later. Currently there is no known cure for mesothelioma, and the prognosis is grim with the average survival time varying from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.

Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many current treatments. Patients often face surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as being barraged with prescription medicines to relieve the symptoms of the disease and the side effects of the treatment.

More and more mesothelioma patients are looking for non-traditional ways to beat the cancer and to improve their quality of life. Doctors are becoming more supportive, and even encourage their patients to look for alternative treatments of holistic care and alternative therapies that focus on improving their emotional and physical well-being.

What Is Holistic Medicine?

Holistic medicine is an alternative care approach that treats a patient as a “whole” person as opposed to simply treating the symptoms and illness. Holistic care looks at an individual’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in an attempt to improve the health and prevent further illness. The concept follows Aristotle’s theory that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”

Holistic practitioners believe that there is no limit to the range of diseases that can be treated, although alternative medicine does not specifically focus on a disease. For example, mesothelioma is not treated; rather the body and immune system are strengthened allowing the body’s defense mechanisms to heal the cancer. The approach works on balancing the body, mind, spirit, and emotions while improving the immune system as the entire being begins functioning smoothly. An illness, disease, or disorder is seen as an imbalance in the body’s systems.

Alternative medicine and holistic practice have been around for centuries, but only relatively recently has the modern medical field begun to accept it and begin to integrate it into the health care system and treatment for patients. Holistic therapies tend to emphasize proper nutrition, avoidance of chemical substances, use of homeopathic remedies, and meditation techniques. Holistic care techniques are non-invasive.

Some of the major holistic therapies include ayurveda, chiropractic, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, Unani, stress reduction, and reflexology.

Hypnosis for Pain Management

Trying to limit the amount of pills ingested into their system, some mesothelioma patients are turning to hypnosis as a way to manage their pain. Hypnosis is becoming more popular in clinical settings and is used to help people stop smoking, lose weight, and now, deal with pain.

Hypnotherapy, when performed by a trained specialist, has been proven to be a powerful and effective procedure for many people. The hypnotist slowly brings the patient to a state of high concentration allowing him to have a strict focus. The person then “projects” himself to, or envisions himself in, another place or state where he can block pain awareness or substitutes other sensations for the painful ones.

Hypnosis is considered an unconventional therapy and is often used with other holistic treatments including yoga and meditation. Hypnosis is not effective for everyone.

Supplements and Lifestyle Changes

Some mesothelioma patients decide not to embark on the path of standard treatment and opt instead for alternative treatments and lifestyle and dietary changes.

Through radical lifestyle changes and by altering their diet by adding a regimen of vitamins, herbs, amino acids and other immune boosting therapies and supplements, some find without the often debilitating side effects from chemotherapy they can continue to live their lives as they had before their diagnosis.

Focusing on the power of the mind-body connection choosing to be optimistic and positive is also beneficial. By reaffirming a focus in life and the reason living, taking on their emotional healing can bring physical healing.

By choosing to manage their shortened life outside a clinical setting, those that opt for holistic care feel empowered by their choices. Even though they know they will probably not be cured, they believe continuing to live their life as they choose is important for them and their families.

Is It Just A Cough Or Is It Mesothelioma?

Projected Rise of Asbestos Disease in South Korea During 21st Century

The number of people dying of mesothelioma is near its peak in the United States. But in many Asian countries, the wave of asbestos-related deaths is just starting to build. The Ministry of Environment in South Korea projected the number of people suffering from malignant mesothelioma will continue increasing until 2045, according to the Korea Herald.

Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer of the lining of the lung, chest cavity and abdomen linked to inhaling asbestos fibers. It is a preventable disease if exposure to asbestos is avoided. Mesothelioma sufferers typically develop symptoms of the respiratory disease 20 years to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos. Many patients are older workers, veterans or retirees.

According to the report, the number of mesothelioma patients in South Korea increased from 61 in 1996 to 152 in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of deaths from asbestos exposure more than doubled from 24 in 2001 to 57 in 2006. By comparison, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people die each year of mesothelioma in the United States.

In Japan, researchers have observed an increase in cases of mesothelioma starting in 2000. Japan banned asbestos in 2005. The incidence of mesothelioma in Japan is expected to peak around 2030.

In Korea, a new law regulating asbestos use will take effect in 2012 and reduce the occupational hazard of asbestos. The National Institute of Environmental Research expects the regulations to prevent up to 20,000 deaths from asbestos disease a year.

Asbestos was widely used in many building materials in the United States for much of the 20th century, even though the health hazards of asbestos were well understood. The U.S. finally began restricting the use of asbestos in the late 1970s.

Find more information about mesothelioma.

Victims of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Disease Have Rights to Compensation

People who are diagnosed with health problems such as mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer, may be entitled to compensation from companies that manufactured asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is strongly associated with malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic scarring of the lung.

A new report by the General Accounting Office, a government agency, estimates that 27 million to 100 million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos with peak usage of the mineral fiber occurring around 1973. During the 20th century, asbestos was widely used in commercial and household applications because of its insulating and flame-retardant properties. Many workers had an occupational hazard of asbestos exposure.

The GAO report notes that as early as 1900, asbestos was recognized as a cause of occupational disease. By 1960, the link between asbestos and mesothelioma—a cancer of the lining of the lungs, chest and abdomen—was established, the government report says. Even so, manufacturers continued to sell asbestos and allow people to be harmed by asbestos products.

Mesothelioma was not recorded as a separate cause of death on death certificates until 1999 and is still not recorded as a cause of death in all states. That suggests that the number of deaths due to mesothelioma has likely been undercounted. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people die of mesothelioma each year in the U.S, according to federal health researchers.

Asbestos manufacturers are liable for the harm caused by exposure to asbestos products because the manufacturers knew or should have foreseen the dangers of asbestos, but failed to disclosed them. Many asbestos manufacturers have created asbestos personal injury trust funds to compensate victims of mesothelioma and asbestos disease. Since 1988, 60 trust funds have been established. According to the GAO analysis, the asbestos trusts have paid about 3.3 million claims valued at about $17.5 billion dollars. In 2010, the trusts paid 461,000 claims totaling $3 billion.

A mesothelioma victim in New York may work with an experienced mesothelioma attorney to submit to an asbestos personal injury trust a claim with supporting documents showing evidence of exposure to asbestos products and diagnosis of a specific disease. A knowledgeable New York mesothelioma lawyer will have records of many employers that used asbestos. The trust may make the mesothelioma victim an offer of compensation that is a percentage of the full value of the claim. A knowledgeable mesothelioma lawyer can offer advice on legal options including accepting the offer or filing a personal injury lawsuit seeking the full value of the harm suffered.

Gene Testing May Eventually Transform Treatment for Mesothelioma Patients

In the future, patients with mesothelioma and other forms of cancer may receive medical treatment tailored to the genetics of their tumor. After all, cancer and other diseases stem from the complex interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors.

Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, is closely associated with inhaling airborne asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers lodge deep in the lungs causing inflammation that may cause genetic damage over time.

Mesothelioma produces an aggressive type of tumor. The median survival from diagnosis is just 12 months, creating a need for new treatment options to extend mesothelioma patients’ lives. Approximately, 3,000 people a year are diagnosed with mesothelioma. Many are retired workers and veterans who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Cancer centers at large university-affiliated hospitals are starting to adopt genetic testing of tumors to understand tumors at a molecular level. Gene testing seeks to identify specific genes that may mutate and promote growth of cancer cells. When a gene contains a mutation, then the protein that the gene encodes is abnormal.

If doctors can identify a specific broken or mutant gene to target in a cancer patient, doctors then may be able to silence or “knock out” the troublemaker. Some cancer-causing genetic mutations switch the proteins that signals a cell to grow and divide —proteins called tyrosine kinases—to the permanent “on” position. Blocking tyrosine kinases has proven effective for treating certain human cancers including breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, leukemia and non-small cell lung cancer.

In a January 2011 article in the journal Neoplasia, researchers at Harvard Medical School reported on their research focused on trying to block certain proteins in 10 lines of mesothelioma cells. The researchers reported that the greatest reduction in the viability of the mesothelioma cells occurred when they blocked multiple types of receptor Tyrosine Kinases proteins rather than singling out individual proteins.

Genetic testing is changing doctors perception of cancer. Identifying the right gene to target may mean malignant tumors are treated more like an infectious disease after doctors understand the virus or bacteria that causes the disease.

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