Mesothelioma Blog

A 2002 report released by the Institute of Medicine concluded that there is “overwhelming evidence” that disparities in cancer treatment exist in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health disparities can be defined as “differences in the occurrence, frequency, death and burden of diseases and other unfavorable health [...]

In Roanoke, Virginia, a time capsule buried beneath the floor at the Roanoke City Health Department office has officials stymied. The time capsule was originally scheduled to be exposed Thursday, January 7. That was until Virginia Department of Health officials discovered that the capsule was concealed beneath post-1950s flooring that likely contains asbestos. The asbestos [...]

Quebec health officials recently sent a letter to Canada’s federal Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, calling for an end to the government’s support of asbestos mining in the country. Within the letter, which was penned and backed by members of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Rideau Institute, health officials make known their concern [...]

Big changes may be coming to how chemicals are approved and monitored in the United States. Presently, Lisa Jackson, administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is promoting the formation of a new chemical law that would force additional responsibility onto chemical manufacturers in proving the safety of their components. The new bill is in [...]

Morphine is a common pain reliever that has been prescribed along with chemotherapy and other cancer treatments for decades. Now, new lab tests suggest that morphine, along with other opiate-based painkillers, may actually encourage the spread of cancer. A team of researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center recently reported the findings of two [...]

In chemotherapy, drugs that destroy malignant cells are used to treat cancer. These drugs may be used to reduce the size of the tumor before surgery (neo-adjuvant therapy), help destroy malignant cells that may remain untreated after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy), improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy and radiation therapy, or destroy cancer that has reappeared or [...]

Cancer advocacy describes actions by a group or an individual that enhances the worldwide effort to manage and eventually defeat cancer. When an individual dies of cancer, you often hear a loved one’s call for donations to the local cancer society, with contributions to be made in the deceased’s name. This survivor’s plea for donations [...]