Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in the Carolinas have partnered to study causes and factors related to a rare cancer called mesothelioma. FirstHealth is an acute care, nonprofit hospital that serves as a referral center for a 15 county region in the Carolinas. Wake Forest Baptist operates one of the nation's leading cancer centers, offering more than 200 cancer-related clinical trials.
Jill Ann Ohar, M.D. is the principal investigator of this study. She is a professor of medicine at Wake Forest whose primary interest is in the genetics of occupational diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. The purpose of clinical trials is to research causes and genetic factors leading to disease. Clinical trials also look for novel therapies to treat mesothelioma, including alternative combinations of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Dr. Ohar is hoping to uncover genetic factors that may predispose one to malignant mesothelioma. If done, this could help to identify high risk patients must sooner, which could aid diagnostic and treatment efforts.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral used in many industrial and commercial products until the mid 1980's. As such, many workers in the mining, milling, automotive, shipbuilding, and construction industries were likely to have been exposed during their daily job duties. Not only were workers exposed directly, but many family members were also exposed when workers would bring home asbestos particles on their clothing or bodies.
Exposed workers and family members would then not show signs of mesothelioma until many years after initial contact, anywhere from 10 - 40 years after. Once diagnosed, prognosis is usually poor. To date, despite increase in research, mesothelioma remains an incurable form of cancer. Preventing any exposure is essential, for even a single incident of inhalation can lead to an asbestos related disease.
Mesothelioma is caused when asbestos fibers lodge in the mesothelium, or protective lining surrounding the lungs, heart and abdomen. Early diagnosis is difficult due to the long latency period between exposure and development of symptoms. More than 3000 alone in the United States develop mesothelioma, a particularly painful form of cancer.
Dr. Ohar hopes to reduce that number by being able to identify patients who are at higher risk due to genetic predisposition. Ohar hopes that identifying clinical and genetic characteristics that increase risk of developing mesothelioma might lead to earlier detection, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, resulting in longer survival times or even a cure.
For anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma who is interested in participating in the study, please contact Dr. Ohar at 866-487-2344 or FirstHealth at 910-715-2200. Anyone who would like more information on other mesothelioma clinical trials, doctors or medical centers or who would like more information on how to get financial help to cover the cost of treatments, please call toll free and speak to a mesothelioma attorney who specializes in asbestos litigation at 1-800-440-4262.
Jill Ann Ohar, M.D. is the principal investigator of this study. She is a professor of medicine at Wake Forest whose primary interest is in the genetics of occupational diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. The purpose of clinical trials is to research causes and genetic factors leading to disease. Clinical trials also look for novel therapies to treat mesothelioma, including alternative combinations of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Dr. Ohar is hoping to uncover genetic factors that may predispose one to malignant mesothelioma. If done, this could help to identify high risk patients must sooner, which could aid diagnostic and treatment efforts.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral used in many industrial and commercial products until the mid 1980's. As such, many workers in the mining, milling, automotive, shipbuilding, and construction industries were likely to have been exposed during their daily job duties. Not only were workers exposed directly, but many family members were also exposed when workers would bring home asbestos particles on their clothing or bodies.
Exposed workers and family members would then not show signs of mesothelioma until many years after initial contact, anywhere from 10 - 40 years after. Once diagnosed, prognosis is usually poor. To date, despite increase in research, mesothelioma remains an incurable form of cancer. Preventing any exposure is essential, for even a single incident of inhalation can lead to an asbestos related disease.
Mesothelioma is caused when asbestos fibers lodge in the mesothelium, or protective lining surrounding the lungs, heart and abdomen. Early diagnosis is difficult due to the long latency period between exposure and development of symptoms. More than 3000 alone in the United States develop mesothelioma, a particularly painful form of cancer.
Dr. Ohar hopes to reduce that number by being able to identify patients who are at higher risk due to genetic predisposition. Ohar hopes that identifying clinical and genetic characteristics that increase risk of developing mesothelioma might lead to earlier detection, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, resulting in longer survival times or even a cure.
For anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma who is interested in participating in the study, please contact Dr. Ohar at 866-487-2344 or FirstHealth at 910-715-2200. Anyone who would like more information on other mesothelioma clinical trials, doctors or medical centers or who would like more information on how to get financial help to cover the cost of treatments, please call toll free and speak to a mesothelioma attorney who specializes in asbestos litigation at 1-800-440-4262.
About the Author:
Sally Clapper is a representative for the law firm of Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason in Sausalito, CA. If you or someone you know is in need of a mesothelioma attorney, please contact the firm at 1-800-440-4262. As experts in the field of mesothelioma, the firm's attorneys are recognized as some of the leading plaintiffs' asbestos litigation attorneys in the nation.
