There is no easy way for a doctor to tell a patient that they are suffering from mesothelioma and that there is not cure.

However it is suggested that the best approach is one of being honest and direct but also that each patient is different. The language should be language that the patient and the family can understand and not peppered with complex medical and scientific jargon.

At the same time the patient and the family should be allowed to express their emotions and not feel they have to bottle up their feelings. It should be clear exactly what the medical issues are and all questions should be answered clearly as well as future plans discussed and the patient should try and begin to discuss his or her preferences when it comes to treatment options.

The patient should also be encouraged to stay with the family as many will want to be alone having heard the news but being alone does not always improve the situation, it can in fact make it worse. Involving the family in the diagnosis and the potential future treatment plans help both the patient and those who may be left behind.

If you have been diagnosed with any an asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out how we can help you recover for your asbestos related claim, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Firefighter training in San Francisco now includes how to protect against cancer.

The Firefighter Cancer Support Network is a nationwide organization that educates firefighters on how to prevent and screen against cancer and if they are diagnosed, provides support to them and their families. The organization says that firefighters carry a higher risk of cancer than the population as a whole due to the amount and wide range of carcinogens, toxins and other potentially dangerous materials to which they are exposed.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) carried out research among firefighters in three American cities which were San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago. They looked at over 29,000 firefighters and discovered that the main cancers among them were of the lungs, the digestive system and the urinary system. However, in addition they had a rate of mesothelioma which was double that of the average in the United States, and that was probably due to asbestos exposure given the amount of asbestos present in older buildings.

If you have been diagnosed with any an asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out how we can help you recover for your asbestos related claim, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

You may think your home is safe but many homes built before 1980 have flooring which may contain asbestos which if disturbed can enter the lungs as microscopic fibers and lead to the deadly disease, mesothelioma.

Before 1980 many homes had asbestos used in building the floors ranging from the cement base to the vinyl floor tiles. According to the American Cancer Society, asbestos was used to not only keep the home warm but also to protect it in the event of fire.

If the flooring is in good condition, you do not need to be concerned as long as you leave it alone. It is not the asbestos which is present which causes the damage, it is only if the fibers are released when the flooring is repaired or removed. If you decide to renovate you need a professional to check the flooring and if they say it does contain asbestos, which is probably only known by taking a sample, then it will have to be taken up by asbestos removal certified professionals.

If you have been diagnosed with any an asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out how we can help you recover for your asbestos related claim, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Following a two day meeting to discuss the studies which show a correlation between the jobs of firefighters and cancer, it appears that nothing is being done to lessen the risk.

The report stated that firefighters need information on how to reduce the risks of cancer including work related preventative measures such as proper maintenance of their personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as lifestyle changes such as diet, stopping smoking and exercise.

One of the studies showed that when firefighters were researched in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago they found above average cancers of the digestive tract, kidney, bladder, prostate, oral and respiratory cancers and mesothelioma.

The report went on to state that the current studies just look at exposures during a fire and not before or after, nor other environments so there is still a need to look at everything including stand by duties, and the toxins found within the fire house itself.

If you have been diagnosed with any an asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out how we can help you recover for your asbestos related claim, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

On Monday, May 11, the case began in California of a former U.S. Navy officer who developed terminal mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos on the ship on which he served for more than 20 years. He is now seeking damages from the shipbuilders and suppliers that he says exposed him.

Barry Kelly was diagnosed in 2011 with peritoneal mesothelioma, which is cancer of the membrane surrounding the abdominal organs and which did not respond to either chemotherapy or other treatments. Mesothelioma usually comes from exposure to asbestos, and Navy ships were filled with the insulation material in order to conserve energy and protect against fires.

Kelly first noticed symptoms of his illness in 2010 some 50 years after he started serving on naval ships, which is the classic latency period for mesothelioma. Kelly is seeking damages for his loss of income, as well as his medical expenses and his wife’s economic losses after he dies.

The defendants at trial include Todd Shipyards Corporation, which built the ship on which Kelly served, along with suppliers Cleaver Brooks Inc. and Crane Company.

The defendants said that they had built the ships under naval guidelines which included the use of asbestos, and that they were only doing as instructed by the Navy.

If you have been diagnosed with any an asbestos related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. To find out how we can help you recover for your asbestos related claim, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Researchers with the National Cancer Institute have announced that the first phase II human trial of the experimental cancer drug amatuximab for pleural mesothelioma has produced some encouraging results.

When administered along with the traditional chemotherapy, amatuximab appears to be able to enhance the effectiveness of treatment and extend survival. The drug was granted orphan drug status in the U.S. in 2012 for its potential to improve mesothelioma treatment.

The study was led by Raffit Hassan, MD, of the National Cancer Institute and involved 89 pleural mesothelioma patients from 26 centers.

The good news is that, not only was the treatment well tolerated, but it was shown that it either shrank mesothelioma tumors or stopped their growth in 90% of patients.

Although the treatment did not significantly extend survival in these patients, overall survival was better than standard treatments. The average overall survival among mesothelioma patients on the combination treatment with amatuximab was 14.8 months, with a third of patients still alive and five still on amatuximab for maintenance when the tests were concluded. With standard therapy, mesothelioma survival is often less than 12 months.

If you have been exposed to asbestos, and have developed an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately. Or contact us online for a free consultation.

A recent article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology has outlined the changes in the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma which have taken place over the last ten years. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs on the peritoneum, which is the lining around the abdominal organs and accounts for less than a third of mesothelioma cases.

These latest studies show that the outlook for people with this type of asbestos linked cancer is improving all the time.

The latest study discusses how surgeons with Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine and the Massey Cancer Center in Richmond have used a combination of surgery and chemotherapy which has significantly improved survival rates for peritoneal mesothelioma patients. Previous treatments resulted in an average survival rate of around a year, but these new treatments have more than doubled that and in some case patients are living up to 9 years.

Lead investigator, Doctor Ali Raza, highlights that there are also other treatment approaches which are looking promising such as the identification of molecular targets that will allow them to peritoneal mesothelioma from the inside out.

If you have been exposed to asbestos, and have developed an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately. Or contact us online for a free consultation.

In Australia in 1994, Stephen Wickham bought a house and like most home buyers, he carried out a number of renovations, including the demolition of an old corrugated fibro shed and the replacement of a section of fence made from the same material.

Stephen knew of the dangers of asbestos, but as he had only recently moved to Australia from England he had no idea that fibro made in Australia before the mid-1980s contained asbestos.

Nineteen years later, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer caused by asbestos.

Stephen Wickham argued in court that the manufacturers of the fibro, James Hardie, should have warned home renovators about the dangers of the asbestos it was made from. In a landmark legal case he highlighted that the company had the money to run a campaign, providing documents showing money was spent flying VIPs in private jets to events, but they chose not to.

The annual number of deaths from asbestos diseases in Australia is now higher than the numbers killed on the roads.

During two days of hearings, James Hardie’s former chairman admitted that not only had they not run a public awareness campaign but that he thought the dangers of asbestos were exaggerated by the media.

The case went on to settle for a confidential amount.

Anyone renovating a home should always check for and be aware of the dangers of exposure to asbestos.

If you have been exposed to asbestos, and have developed an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately. Or contact us online for a free consultation.