The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted final approval of a new brand of a chemotherapy drug already in use by oncologists to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma and advanced stage non small cell lung cancer. Starting in February 2020, doctors will be allowed to prescribe Pemfexy, a type of chemotherapy drug called pemetrexed, and provide an alternative treatment to the name brand drug Alimta.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave approval to the first new mesothelioma drug treatment combination for patients in the last 16 years. The drug combination, Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab) are a first-line treatment for adults with malignant pleural mesothelioma that cannot be removed by surgery. “Today’s approval of nivolumab plus ipilimumab provides a new treatment that has demonstrated an improvement in overall survival for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D.

Pleurectomy and Decortication Surgery may provide mesothelioma patients with a better quality of life. Aggressive cancers brought on by asbestos exposure like mesothelioma can be debilitating in more ways than one. Often times, patients may forgo surgery with the belief their quality of life may suffer after going under the knife. However, a recent study by Loyola University Health System revealed that some patients can benefit greatly from undergoing specialized surgery.

A diagnosis of mesothelioma is frightening, and the emotional reactions can be counterproductive when time is of the essence. It is important for victims to come to terms with the illness to face treatment, and for family members to understand the psychological stages and symptoms and support the person through the process: Shock can inhibit the person from comprehending important information and moving forward with treatment. Denial can be paralyzing if the person pretends nothing is wrong, doesn’t want to discuss the disease, or refuses treatment.

A Louisiana state jury recently handed down a substantial verdict in a mesothelioma cancer lawsuit brought by a former longshoreman who claims he developed a serious form of lung cancer from years of asbestos exposure during the 1960s. The New Orleans jury found that defendants Ports America Gulfport Inc., Cooper T. Smith Stevedoring Co. Inc. and South African Marine Corp. were all responsible for the plaintiff’s mesothelioma diagnosis, and awarded the victim $10.3 million in total compensation for his injuries.