Researchers in Denmark have discovered a chemotherapy combination that is proving to be highly effective for people with non-resectable malignant mesothelioma, according to a recent report on CancerConsultants.com. The study was published in a June issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

According to the report, the study evaluated a regimen of Navelbine (vinorelbine) and Platinol (cisplatin) for the treatment of 54 patients with newly diagnosed non-resectable mesothelioma. The median number of cycles of chemotherapy administered was four. There were two complete responses and 14 partial responses.

The median survival was 16.8 months, and the median time to tumor progression was 7.2 months. The one-year survival was 61 percent, the two-year survival was 31 percent, and the three-year survival was 4 percent.

The authors of the study say these results are as good as or better than currently used combinations for treatment of mesothelioma.

This is a reminder to those who haven’t yet contacted their representative in U.S. Congress about H.R. 3339, the Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act. Please take the time to do this right now! It’s very important to let your Representative on Capitol Hill know that you support this measure to finally ban asbestos in the U.S. and provide funding for mesothelioma research.

The bill is currently in committee, with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Even if your district’s representative is not on this committee, it is important to let him or her know that you support the bill so that they know how to vote. The more voices they hear from their constituency, the better chance they will pay attention when this finally comes to the House floor.

If your representative IS a member of this committee, it is even more important. Many bills “die” in committee, never making it to a vote of the full House or Senate. Please make sure your representative helps get this bill approved in committee and to the floor for its vote.

My representative, Terry Everett (2nd District, Alabama), acknowledged his receipt of my request with a letter, in which he said he will keep my thoughts in mind should the bill make it to the floor, although he is not a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

According to information provided by Everett’s office, H.R. 3339 would require several actions to be taken by the federal government in addressing asbestos and its harmful effects. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would establish a plan to increase awareness of the dangers posed by asbestos-containing materials in homes and workplaces and encourage participation in research and treatment endeavors of asbestos-related disease patients.

The bill also would require the disposal of asbestos-containing materials within two years and the prohibition on the importing, manufacturing, processing or distributing of asbestos-containing materials, except for specific exemptions sought by the Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

If you are not sure of the representative for your Congressional District, visit the House of Representatives online. You can also find out here if your representative is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Please take the time to do this today. Your one voice is SO important. Let it join thousands of others to finally make a real difference.

Today Alfacell, the manufacturer of ONCONASE, announced it will begin distribution of the mesothelioma drug in Israel. The company will partner with Megapharm, Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical company in Israel. ONCONASE recently completed an international confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical trial for unresectable malignant mesothelioma.

The news comes just a day after Haaretz.com, a leading news outlet in Israel, noted that asbestos-related cancer is 10 times more prevalent in Nahariya, a city of approximately 50,000 located in the North District of Israel on the Mediterranean sea, just south of the Lebanese border at Rosh HaNikra, than it is in the rest of the country. The report is based on data submitted by the chief doctor of the Health Ministry’s Acre District.

The medical report was presented to the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee, which is currently calling for greater action from Nahariya’s government to address the problem. The story quotes Tamar Bar On, head of the Environment Ministry’s Asbestos Department, as saying that “between 70 to 150 thousand cubic meters of asbestos [can] be found scattered across the Western Galilee, mainly in private yards.”

Committee MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) has been selected by the committee to chair a panel dedicated to addressing the asbestos problem in Nahariya.

Alfacell will manufacture and supply ONCONASE to Megapharm, while Megapharm will be responsible for all activities and costs related to regulatory filings and commercial activities in a defined marketing territory, according to an Alfacell press release.

ONCONASE is a first-in-class therapeutic product candidate based on Alfacell’s proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology. A natural protein isolated from the leopard frog, ONCONASE has been shown in the laboratory and clinic to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE triggers apoptosis, the natural death of cells, via multiple molecular mechanisms of action.

ONCONASE has been granted fast track status and orphan-drug designation for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma by the FDA. Additionally, ONCONASE has been granted orphan-drug designation in the European Union and Australia.

Today I came across a blog that explores alternative treatments for cancer, of all types. Our friend Charlene Kaforey, who recently experienced good results for her mesothelioma with an alternative cancer vaccine program at the ITL Alternative Cancer Treatment Clinic in the Bahamas, posted her story to the site. The blog is a project of Jonathan Chamberlain, who authored two books about alternative therapies after losing his wife, Bernadette, to cervical cancer in 1994.

The blog, called the Cancerfighter’s Weblog, explores “alternative cancer therapies and ideas,” touching on a wide range of topics that also includes general health and wellness through alternative, holistic or natural medicines and practices. He encourages people like Charlene, who are trying non-traditional therapies, to share their stories and experiences with others, and provides a forum for people to ask questions.

John has another web site, Fighting Cancer: A Survival Guide, where he shares some personal stories of his and Bernadette’s life, and addresses topics including how to deal with a diagnosis of cancer, advice for caregivers, stories of good and bad experiences with alternative treatments, and good and bad stories about orthodox treatments.

An English teacher living in Hong Kong, John has authored textbooks for secondary school students, and also has written a number of other books on topics including Chinese folk religion, a profile of a famous Chinese gambler, and a touching biography about the life of his daughter, Stevie, who had Down Syndrome.

A couple days ago I talked about the NPR blogger Leroy Sievers, who writes “My Cancer” about his experiences since being diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago. Sievers will be featured on the NPR program Talk of the Nation tomorrow, July 9, along with Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate and Senator John Edwards, for a special show about living with cancer. The special program will be hosted by Ted Koppel, and you can participate!

Elizabeth Edwards is a breast cancer survivor who currently is battling a recurrence of her cancer, as a small tumor in her bone.

Sievers worked with Koppel for 14 years on the news program Nightline before joining NPR, and their conversations about Sievers’ experience were the core of Koppel’s three-hour primetime Discovery Channel special Living with Cancer that aired in 2007.

Talk of the Nation airs midday. For local stations and broadcast times in your area, visit www.NPR.org/stations.

Listeners can participate in this program by calling 1-800-989-8255 or emailing talk@npr.org. The program also is available as streaming audio and as a daily podcast at www.NPR.org and on the “NPR Now” and “NPR Talk” 24/7 public radio channels on Sirius satellite radio.

A New York medical center specializing in the treatment of mesothelioma has announced a new clinical trial accepting patients. The Mesothelioma Center within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center is launching a program of targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol for pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung’s lining that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

It is hoped the new treatment will replace or delay the need for the standard treatment in these cases, a pleural pneumonectomy, which involves removal of the lung and which can be extremely debilitating to patients.

According to a press release from the medical center, Dr. Robert Taub, the study’s principal investigator, director of the Mesothelioma Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, says, “Current surgical and chemotherapy treatments of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma are unsatisfactory, and have not been shown to significantly prolong survival. In this study, we will investigate whether a combination of chemotherapy and radiation targeted directly at the lung’s lining can improve outcomes while avoiding surgery. In addition, this approach has shown to have minimal toxic side effects compared to systemic chemotherapy.”

The Mesothelioma Center is the only one nationwide that is offering this experimental therapy to treat pleural mesothelioma.

The study is being conducted at the Mesothelioma Center within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center. According to the release, participating patients will receive several rounds of targeted chemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and doxorubicin via surgically implanted catheters. Some patients will be randomly selected to receive additional systemic (intravenous) chemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and pemetrexed. All patients will receive targeted radiotherapy using the P-32 radioisotope.

Patients may elect to receive additional surgical treatment, including removal of the affected lung lining or lung. Subsequently, patients will be offered outpatient systemic chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed.

For more information, visit www.hiccc.columbia.edu.

I was very sad today to learn that Rear Admiral Phil Coady, U.S. Navy (Ret.) passed away yesterday, June 30. Admiral Coady served as Chairman of the Board for the Lung Cancer Alliance, and was kind enough to share his story with this blog in April. A non-smoker, Coady was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 2005. The diagnosis spurred him to advocacy, particularly on behalf of Veterans.

Although Coady didn’t suffer from mesothelioma, he was very much aware of the risks posed by asbestos. His work during his time in the Navy very often put him in contact with the substance, he said, and seven of his friends died from mesothelioma since his retirement. In addition, for 10 years following his retirement, Coady worked as president of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, a non-profit veterans benefit group and life insurance service, where he said he saw what he thought was a disproportionate amount of lung cancer deaths.

When he began investigating lung cancer research efforts, Adm. Coady was shocked at the relatively few dollars spent by the Veterans Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense, considering the number of veterans affected by the disease. He also was disappointed at the overall lack of funding for lung cancer research in comparison to spending on other cancers, especially since lung cancer is the leading cancer killer.

He dedicated himself as Chairman of the Board for the Lung Cancer Alliance, fighting the battle for lung cancer awareness and funding under the organization’s motto “No More Excuses. No More Lung Cancer.” He led efforts in lobbying Congress to make lung cancer a national health priority.

Just last week, Coady saw some of the first fruits of his efforts, when Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate creating and authorizing at least $75 million for lung cancer research. This is the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at reducing lung cancer mortality.

Perhaps the best memoriam Adm. Coady could receive is for supporters of lung cancer awareness and research to contact their U.S. Senators NOW and ask them to add their support to S. 3187, the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act. Remember him and take action for those to come after him! You can view his obituary here.

Blessings to Adm. Coady’s family at this time of loss.

There is an absolutely amazing blog over at NPR (National Public Radio), written by Leroy Sievers. A journalist for more than 25 years, Leroy has worked at CBS News and ABC News, where he was the executive producer at Nightline. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Doctors estimated he had between 3 and 6 months to live. He began the NPR blog, called My Cancer, accompanied by a weekly podcast and monthly broadcast on Morning Edition, to talk about cancer.

During those two years, Leroy battled his brain tumor, and then cancer that attacked his spine. Now, his latest scan shows his cancer has all but taken over his body, affecting his brain, liver, lungs and bones. He’s managing his pain, realizing his time is short.

Leroy never really expected to still be writing the blog two years after his initial diagnosis, and yet the time is still too short. In a recent post, he wonders if there is a lesson in this unique struggle. He asks, “Have I missed something? A lesson that the disease was trying to pass on?”

In the years that he’s been writing the blog, Leroy has inspired so many people who are waging their own battles with cancer - all types of cancer. And so he posed this question to them. He asked them to “Finish this sentence: My Cancer….”

The results are emotional - they span anger, despair, heartbreak, peace, humor, strength - the tumble of feelings experienced by cancer patients and their caregivers, family members and loved ones.

Take a look. Add your thoughts about your own struggles with mesothelioma, as a patient or someone who loves another afflicted with this terrible illness.

And send a little prayer for Leroy as he faces what may be the final steps on this long and difficult journey. Thank you, Leroy, for sharing of yourself so honestly, and through your experiences providing comfort and hope and laughter, and an assurance that it’s ok to sometimes be weak, or afraid, or angry, or despairing, to so many people.

As part of the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma, held last week in Washington, D.C., 13-year-old Lexi Miletto presented a keynote address to more than 200 top-level cancer researchers, scientists and physicians, as well as mesothelioma survivors, caregivers and their families. The Symposium is an annual event presented by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation). Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, died from mesothelioma three years ago.

When her grandfather passed away, 9-year-old Lexi, who lives just outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, channeled her grief into a letter-writing campaign, hoping to raise awareness of mesothelioma. According to an article in The Morning Call, a publication that serves Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, Lexi wrote medical research organizations, political leaders including President George Bush, and even television celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, hoping to spread the word about asbestos danger and mesothelioma.

This year, the Meso Foundation invited Lexi to give the keynote address Friday, June 27, at its International Symposium. The Morning Call quotes Chris Hahn, the foundation’s executive director, as saying, ”We wanted to show the full spectrum of the disease’s effect on families. How inspiring it is that this young gal going into eighth grade has this concern for a much bigger national problem.”

Today, the U.S. Senate is considering landmark legislation that will create a multi-agency, comprehensive program to target lung cancer, and that will authorize $75 million for the first phase of a five-year program to reduce lung cancer mortality. the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008 was co-sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE). Mesothelioma sufferers can benefit as a result of this increased focus on lung cancer research and early detection.

Senators Feinstein and Hagel were instrumental in authoring a policy resolution in 2007 to designate lung cancer as a public health priority, which was passed unanimously. The resolution called for research, better treatments, and early detection, with a goal of reducing lung cancer mortality by 50 percent by 2015.

This new bill would establish that comprehensive program under law and authorize funding, according to a release from the Lung Cancer Alliance, which today issued a call to action for its support.

“We have seen great advancements in prostate and breast cancer survival rates and we must commit ourselves to making the same progress with lung cancer,” Sen. Hagel said, noting that lung cancer currently accounts for 28 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States.

Each year, lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancer, combined.

Senator Feinstein said, “It’s time for the federal government to step up its efforts and make fighting lung cancer a national priority.”

Contact your Senator TODAY!