Mesothelioma may be caused by exposure to ultramafic rock

Everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, according to a study by UC Davis researchers. The study - the largest to examine the question - will be published this fall in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Exposure to asbestos in the workplace, particularly in shipyards, has long been recognized as a risk factor for mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer affecting the lining of the lung. But in the new study, researchers found a consistent and dose-dependent association between mesothelioma and residential proximity to ultramafic rock, the predominant source of naturally occurring asbestos. "Our findings indicate that the risks from exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, while low,...

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Nanotech could cause mesothelioma

Carbon nanotubes3D model of three types of single-walled carbon nanotubes. (Wikipedia: Michael Stroeck, file photo)In the 1990s scientists found a way to roll carbon atoms into a cylinder, called a nanotube. Now US researchers have found that the lungs of mice respond to some fibres from nanotubes as they would to asbestos, forming lesions and becoming inflamed.Dr Andrew Maynard from the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars told AM nanotubes are excellent at conducting heat and electricity. They're already being used in sports equipment because of their strength."Almost like a miracle material. If only we could make it in large quantities...

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Newest technique which can help diagnose mesothelioma

A new technique may help clinicians hone in on a diagnosis in patients presenting with a pleural effusion of unknown cause. The study will appear in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Pleural effusion, or the accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, can be maddeningly difficult to diagnose as a wide variety of malignant and benign causes exist," said Helen Davies, specialist registrar and research fellow at the Oxford Center for Respiratory Medicine and Oxford University, lead author of the study. "One of the causes, malignant pleural mesothelioma, is a relatively rare cancer, but its incidence is rapidly increasing on a global scale." Currently, the first-line test for mesothelioma in patients with a pleural effusion is pleural...

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