MESOTHELIOMA CLINICAL TRIAL IN NORTH CAROLINA
Researchers investigate the genetic susceptibility of patients contracting mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-caused cancer

Is there a tendency for mesothelioma to run in families with a history of cancer? That is just one question a new clinical trial in North Carolina will attempt to answer.

Mesothelioma clinical trial seeks volunteers

November 3, 2009 – Researchers are actively seeking North Carolina patients diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer for a clinical trial to discover more about the development of this asbestos-related cancer.

Mesothelioma claims the lives of some 3,000 Americans every year.

FirstWatch of the Carolinas and researchers from the Wake Forest Medical School in North Carolina are conducting the breakthrough study.

“Over years of research, we have determined that there is a strong tendency for mesothelioma to run in families and it tends to be associated with a family history of cancer, which suggests a genetic susceptibility,” said Dr. Jill Ohar, the study’s lead investigator.

Mesothelioma – an occupational disease

According to the personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, which has defended asbestos-injured workers successfully for nearly 30 years, mesothelioma is usually contracted through occupational exposure to asbestos and the negligence of employers more focused on quick profits than the expense of maintaining a safe working environment.

The Wake Forest clinical trial will focus on the genetic reasoning behind mesothelioma and the progression of this cancer, which is quickly claiming more victims than ever before. That’s because mesothelioma develops over a long period of time. Retired workers exposed to asbestos decades ago are only now being diagnosed with the disease.

According to a news release issued by FirstWatch, the North Carolina clinical study will examine “the associated environmental factors and genetic markers of people diagnosed with mesothelioma, basically identifying how frequently encountered environmental pollutants affect the body and determining the genetic factors that make some families more susceptible than others to mesothelioma and other forms of cancer.”

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by job-related asbestos exposure.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.