Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center: February 4, 2009 is World Cancer Day

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center: February 4, 2009 is World Cancer Day

The World Health Organization, along with other cancer-related groups, encourage people worldwide to donate to cancer research today

Syracuse, NY 2/04/2009 04:42 PM GMT (FINDITT)



According to the World Health Organization (WHO) at least 84 million individuals worldwide will lose their battle with some form of cancer by the year 2015. The number of people who die from cancer each year, according to WHO, could be far more than 14 million worldwide unless more funding is allocated to important cancer research.

WHO, along with the International Union Against Cancer, has named February 4th of each year as a day for world citizens to not only donate to cancer research, but also to educate themselves about cancer in general.

Here in the United States, the American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that approximately 1,437,180 people died from cancer in 2008. Florida, California, Texas, and New York had the highest number of cancer-related deaths in the nation, while Wyoming had the smallest number of related deaths. Despite these discouraging statistics, the ACS also reports that, as of 2004, there were an estimated 10.8 million cancer survivors living in our country. The encouraging survival rates are attributed to advances in cancer treatment methods and an increase in individuals who detected their cancer early.

Unfortunately, Americans who are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma cancer do not generally receive such encouraging information about their treatment and survival. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused exclusively by previous exposure to asbestos, does not have a cure. Almost all mesothelioma sufferers will lose their battle with this disease in less than two years following their diagnosis, and mesothelioma treatment methods are essentially a temporary means of controlling pain and symptoms associated with the disease.

Mesothelioma is not a problem limited to the United States, however. In India, for example, the rate of mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases is incredibly high, and the number of individuals diagnosed with these illnesses continues to rise. India imports 43% of the world’s asbestos, almost exclusively from Canada, and the country has very loose asbestos safety regulations.

World Cancer Day is an ideal time for all citizens worldwide to take the time to educate themselves about different types of cancer and the risk factors associated with each. It is also a day to donate to cancer research. The options for donating are virtually endless. Those interested in donating to mesothelioma cancer-specific treatment research may wish to consider giving to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. For information about their organization, please visit their website at www.karmanos.org or send them an email at giving@karmanos.org.

Mesothelioma Treatment Gets Boost with New Diagnostic Test

Mesothelioma Treatment Gets Boost with New Diagnostic Test
Israeli-based MicroRNA company, Rosetta Genomics, has made a giant leap in cancer diagnosis by announcing the commercial availability of its third diagnostic test, miRview (TM) meso.

This breakthrough marks the first molecularly-based test that can accurately diagnose mesothelioma from other types of cancers found in the lung.

MicroRNAs are recently-discovered RNAs that consist of a chain of nucleotide units, each made of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar and a phosphate. Although similar to DNA, RNA is single-stranded, while DNA is double-stranded. MicroRNAs provide the ability to treat and diagnose a variety of human illnesses and conditions.

One of the most devastating types of asbestos-related disease is known as malignant mesothelioma, a fatal lung ailment that is directly linked to asbestos exposure. One of the most difficult tasks for physicians that treat mesothelioma is diagnosing the illness, making the test especially important to treating the disease at an early stage of development.

Diagnosis of the disease does not typically occur until the later stages of development have been reached, equating to a poor patient prognosis. Symptoms and warning signs of mesothelioma typically include shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss, resembling symptoms felt by other less serious conditions. Most individuals who develop mesothelioma contract the disease through occupational exposure where they inhaled airborne asbestos fibers were exposed to asbestos dust through other means while on the job.

Rosetta Genomics is one of the world’s leading developers of microRNA-based diagnostic tools that offer patients and physicians an objective method of identifying many types of cancer. The company believes that using microRNAs as biomarkers in the development of diagnostic tools will enable several advantages over other methods.

“Ruling out mesothelioma from lung cancer for individuals that were exposed to asbestos can be difficult and challenging,” noted Harvey Pass, MD, Division Chief for Thoracic Surgery and Oncology at the New York University Langone Medical Center.

The hope of early cancer detection for asbestos victims is to increase survival rates and address significant needs in the medical field for the next century. Rosetta Genomics’ efforts in leading the development of microRNA-based diagnostic tools will hopefully continue to advance future patient care and management.

“I am sure that this test will become an important tool for both oncologists and pathologists in obtaining the right diagnosis in these patients,” Pass said.

For more information on mesothelioma treatment, visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.