Mesothelioma Help Cancer News
Donate to or Help a Mesothelioma Charity This Season of Giving
I have written before about how many wonderful people I have encountered in this community. These warriors are individuals whom I admire and I am honored to know. However, all too often, these friends pass on.
I find my heart breaking to see how much my mesothelioma family has to go through, along with their families. It is so sad to see good people suffer unreasonably. Mesothelioma is a completely preventable disease, these deaths are completely unnecessary.
At this time of giving, think about making a donation to a charity of your choice that helps to combat mesothelioma. Every little bit helps and makes a difference. Pray for those suffering with this awful disease, and help to spread mesothelioma awareness whenever you can.
Anti-Cancer Drug Found Effective in Rare Cancers Could Be Used as Mesothelioma Treatment
The ability to halt the growth of mesothelioma cancer cells, and to kill the cells, often relies on finding a drug that can inhibit the cells’ ability to communicate. Cells communicate via complex signalling pathways, and finding the right one to focus on can mean the difference in survival in patients. Now, researchers report that the Notch signalling pathway may be the key to stopping cancer growth in rare cancers, such as mesothelioma.
Patients with a wide range of cancers who had mutations of the Notch protein were selected for a study conducted by researchers from the Institut Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in France. They focused on the Notch signalling pathway because of its role in driving cancer cells to grow, divide, and spread throughout the body. In addition, they report the Notch pathway plays a role in growth of new blood vessels that feed tumor growth and helps cancers become chemo-resistant. The pathway uses four Notch proteins that transfer messages across the cell membrane.
Expert Insight
Dr. Christophe Massard
“One of the interesting results with implications for some patients is that the drug was active against rare cancers such as adenoid cystic carcinoma.”
When the patients in the Phase I clinical trial were given LY3039478, a novel and potent Notch inhibitor, some of the patients experienced tumor shrinkage, disease stabilization and no further progression. These results were also seen in the rare cancer, adenoid cystic carcinoma.
“The results from this phase I trial prove that LY3039478 has the effect on tumours that was expected, by inhibiting the Notch signalling and thereby preventing cancer cell growth and proliferation,” said Dr. Christophe Massard, senior medical oncology consultant and chair of the Early Drug Development program at Gustave Roussy.
Pleural mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. The cancer, that affects just 3,000 Americans each year, is highly aggressive and is resistant to many current treatments. Care often follows the same protocol as lung cancer. Currently, there is no known cure for mesothelioma, but research such as this brings hope to the mesothelioma community that an effective treatment is on the horizon.
The trial results were presented at the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Munich, Germany.
Caregivers and Nurses Deserves Recognition
November has come and gone, but do not forget the importance of taking the theme from the month, National Family Caregivers Month, forward throughout the year. “Taking Care to Give Care.” November is dedicated to caregivers throughout the country, and is also the month we give thanks for all our blessings. It is not a mistake that the two are in the same month.
The mesothelioma community is blessed with many vital, active, caregivers. The caregivers give of themselves totally for their loved ones- often neglecting their own health. The long term effects of this on the caregiver’s health is known. The continued stress that caregivers are under often leads to chronic conditions that many times go unrecognized. The stress of caregiving can have a negative long term effect on a caregiver’s health.
The statistics about the long term health effects of caregiving includes 17% of caregivers saying their health has generally gotten worse as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. The mental and emotional effects of caregiving show a staggering 40% to 70% of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression. These statistics, and many more, regarding caregivers can be found at https://www.caregiver.org/.
We have seen firsthand the important role caregivers play in the treatment and care of mesothelioma patients. Some would not have pursued additional treatment if it was not for a researching spouse, or an internet savvy grandchild. Every patient has a story to tell, and every caregiver does as well.
The toll that caregiving takes on people may not be evident to them as they are in the midst of caregiving. One caregiver whose focus for two months had been to get her husband well enough to get home accomplished her goal only to land in the hospital herself with a heart attack three days later. Another couple were walking in the hall and we immediately recognized the patient, the spouse’s appearance had changed drastically. Not only had she lost a considerable amount of weight, she had aged noticeably since his diagnosis.
Chances are all of us at one point in our lives will be in the Role of Caregiver. The importance of recognizing this role is not limited to one month a year. The statistics are impressive, but looking beyond the statistics, are the faces and lives of everyday people doing extraordinary things.
There are support and resources available for caregivers. Many of the resources offer different ways to connect for additional support. It is very important for you, as the caregiver, to realize that you need support and to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally.
21st Century Cures Act Could Get Effective Mesothelioma Drugs to Patients Faster
In October, MesotheliomaHelp reported on the millions of dollars allocated through the 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill for research into mesothelioma and other cancers. Now, through the 21st Century Cures Act, the U.S. government has allocated billions more to ensure Americans have the resources necessary to target many of the top medical issues today.
In a Nov. 30 press release from The White House, the Press Secretary reports that in addition to monies set aside to respond to the growing heroin and prescription opioid epidemic, to improve mental health, and to tackle Alzheimer’s, nearly $5 billion has been allocated to fight cancer. This includes $1.8 billion in new resources to transform cancer research and accelerate discoveries towards the Moonshot Initiative, and close to $3 billion towards the President’s Precision Medicine Initiatives, among other initiatives to improve health.
“This bill makes desperately needed changes to bring our laws into a modern era of medicine and to keep our nation at the forefront of health care innovation, by streamlining regulation to deliver new therapies to all patients,” said Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade in a Nov. 30 press release announcing the passage.
A statement from the Energy and Commerce Committee announced, “The House again overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century Cures Act on November 30, 2016. Next Stop: U.S. Senate.”
Expert Insight
“The 21st Century Cures Act: An innovation game-changer, a once-in-a-generation, transformational opportunity to change the way we treat disease.”
According to the Energy & Commerce Committee, the Act helps advance new therapies for patients by:
- Modernizing clinical trials and the means by which safety and efficacy data is accumulated and analyzed.
- Supporting broader, more collaborative development, qualification, and utilization of biomarkers, which help assess how a therapy is working, and on whom, earlier in the process.
- Streamlining regulations and provides more clarity and consistency for innovators developing health software and mobile medical apps, combination products, vaccines, and regenerative medicine therapies.
- Providing FDA with $500 million for regulatory modernization and give the agency the ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest scientists, doctors, and engineers.
“With today’s overwhelming bipartisan vote, we took a giant leap forward on the #Path2Cures,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), co-authors of the bill on Nov. 30. “21st Century Cures is the innovation game-changer that patients, their loved ones, and the nation’s researchers and scientists so desperately need. The White House has expressed its enthusiastic endorsement of this critical legislation.”
Mesothelioma is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year. There is no cure for the asbestos-caused cancer and survival is often less than 18 months after diagnosis. Many patients turn to clinical trials after all other treatments have failed, but trial regulations slow the lab-to-patient process considerably, preventing the majority of patients from accessing new drugs.
The 21st Century Cures Act aims to change this by streamlining clinical trials, providing more resources to support cutting-edge research, and helping young researchers.
Sources:
- The White House
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/30/statement-press-secretary-hr-34-21st-century-cures-act - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman
https://energycommerce.house.gov/news-center/press-releases/breaking-game-changer-curesnow-passes-house - Congressman Michael C. Burgess
http://burgess.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398210
2016 Reflections: What If There Was No Mesothelioma?
As the year draws to a close, it is a great time to reflect. It is a time to look forward with renewed hope for the coming year, but also to remember those who have been introduced to the mesothelioma community and the ones who have lost their fight.
Looking back on another full year without my Dad, I can’t help but wonder what my experiences over these last 365 days would have been like if he had been here. Birthday parties, holidays, and all of my memories with my now two year old daughter, would have been much sweeter with his smile present. Even my hardest times this year would have seemed more manageable with his calming demeanor and always perfect advice.
I know that I’m not the only person who feels this way. Countless others are asking themselves the “what-if” question that I grapple with every day. “What-if” Dad had been here for my little one’s first time at her music class? “What-if” Dad had been here for our fundraising events? “What-if” Dad had never been diagnosed with mesothelioma in the first place? These are hard questions to ponder; they have no tangible answer right now.
As I look forward, I know that I will always struggle with the loss of my father. Even so, I have to keep the faith that a cure for this cancer is right around the corner. With faith in God and the help of doctors, researchers, and regular supporters like myself, we can conquer this disease. Let’s work together to make 2017 the year where mesothelioma comes to an end. God bless you and have a peaceful, happy New Year!
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