NIH Mesothelioma Publication - Pleural Mesothelioma

This is an abstract of an article about pleural mesothelioma published at PubMed by the NIH.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Hughes RS.
Division of Hematology/Oncology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390-8852, USA. Randall.Hughes@UTSouthwestern.edu
Am J Med Sci. 2005 Jan;329(1):29-44.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an uncommon tumor; only about 3000 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Cases were described early in the 20th century, but their relationship to asbestos exposure was not documented until 1960.

Since then, the incidence has appeared to increase, and numerous epidemiologic studies have confirmed that exposure to asbestos in a variety of settings and occupations is the most significant risk factor for the development of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

More recently, the oncogenic virus SV40 has also been implicated as a potential etiologic agent. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have each been used in the treatment of mesothelioma, but generally with little impact on survival.

New directions in therapy include aggressive multimodality programs for potentially resectable patients and targeted therapies, including antifolates, antiangiogenesis agents, and drugs directed at epidermal growth factor receptor for the majority of patients presenting with unresectable disease.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, contact our lawyers today for a free review of your case. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.