Mesothelioma Treatment: Pleurectomy/Decortication

When asbestos material has been disturbed, it is possible for asbestos fibres to loosen and become airborne. If breathed in, these fibres may become lodged in the thin membrane that lines the lungs; the pleural lining. Can then cause mesothelioma, the asbestos related cancer.

Mesothelioma can in some instances be treated through an operation known as a pleurectomy or decortication. Mesothelioma patients who undergo the treatment may be subject to varying degrees of such treatment. Mesothelioma patients may undergo ‘extended’ pleurectomy/decortication, which requires the removal of the entire pleural lining, or ‘partial’ pleurecotmy/decortication, which requires the removal of only part of the pleural lining. The treatments are aimed to give more space to the lungs, allowing them to expand, alleviating symptoms of mesothelioma such as shortness of breath.

Recent Australian studies on this form of mesothelioma treatment have shown that the more intense the treatment, the better results mesothelioma patients may receive, but at a higher risk. The study reports a trend in extended pleurectomy/decortication towards a higher number of complications and longer hospital stays, compared to mesothelioma patients who underwent partial pleurectomy/decortication. However, the studies showed that the mesothelioma patients that underwent extended pleurecotmy/decortication had more successful results, being more favourable to “overall and disease-free survival”.

Although mesothelioma has no known cure at present, treatments such as this have been shown to help those suffering mesothelioma. To support such treatments, mesothelioma compensation is also available to those whose disease came about due to exposure to asbestos in Australia.

It is critical that those suffering mesothelioma seek the advice of their medical specialists as to what, if any, mesothelioma treatment options in Australia should be undertaken. A particular treatment option for one person suffering mesothelioma in Australia may not be possible or helpful for another person suffering mesothelioma in Australia. It all comes down to the individual, thus you should seek specific and individual advice

Asbestos Clean-Up in Canberra

Homeowners in the Australian Capital Territory are calling for a public awareness campaign regarding the possible presence of asbestos in homes which were screened in the 1980s. The program cleaned approximately 1,000 homes of ‘Mr Fluffy’, an insulation material installed in the ‘60s and ‘70s, which was found to contain amosite asbestos; known to be one of the most dangerous forms of asbestos.

Most recently, a home in Canberra showed to contain a significant amount of asbestos which is soon to be removed. The asbestos was discovered by a licensed assessor who was called in by the owners after they had found a suspicious substance in their home. This is the fourth home in ACT to be discovered to have missed the official screening process. The toxicity of asbestos and the threats it poses to those exposed to its fibres mean that the clean up of this home will require the Canberra home to be encapsulated in a giant pressurized plastic bubble. This will ensure that the asbestos fibres, which are known to cause diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, are not spread to neighbouring areas.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General, Simon Corbell has stated, “While it is unfortunate that homes were missed, it is important to note that neither the Australian Capital Territory nor Commonwealth Government gave any assurances that all homes containing Mr Fluffy would be identified during the program.”

With this in mind, there are concerns that other houses that underwent the screen in the 1980s may still have remaining asbestos fibres in areas such as wall cavities. Homeowners should be cautious if undergoing even minor repairs to such homes. A series of internal reviews of the ‘Mr Fluffy’ program has begun.

Promising Breakthrough for Mesothelioma Treatment

Researchers in the United States have made advances in nanomedicine through the development of a new drug delivery system for those suffering mesothelioma, and other types of lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a serious illness of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

As a potential alternative to traditional chemotherapy, the drugs are inhaled, rather than injected. Animal and laboratory tests have shown that this approach may reduce the damage done to other organs, whilst improving the effectiveness of treatment. Further, the research has shown this method to be particularly effective, with the amount of anticancer drugs delivered to the lungs rising to 83%, compared to 23% with conventional chemotherapy.

At this stage, the research has only undergone laboratory and animal testing, nevertheless it marks a significant breakthrough for mesothelioma treatment. The treatment will require further testing before it may be used for human clinical trials. It is hoped that one day in the future, mesothelioma treatment in Australia will be able to use such findings to assist those suffering mesothelioma in Australia fight this terrible illness

Telstra’s asbestos clean-up in Australia

Several weeks ago, two New South Wales families in Penrith – the O’Farrells and the Lancasters – raised the issue of asbestos contamination in Telstra’s pits to the government. The residents were not only concerned for their own health and safety, but for the safety of the young men working in the pits. According to one particular resident, “They were only young blokes wearing normal clothes – no protective fear – but they didn’t seem to be worried.”

Despite being alerted of this asbestos issue several weeks ago, the Australian government has only recently commenced the removal of asbestos from the pits, which are located just outside the front doors of homes and shops. Penrith mayor, Mark Davies, has conveyed his disappointment in Telstra’s delay in cleaning up the dangerous fibres. He stated that “I don’t think it was acceptable that we had this problem in the first place; I was disappointed every day it wasn’t cleared up.” The trained asbestos removalists must wear protective clothing and facemasks so as to meet the Occupational Health and Safety standards.

There is also confusion regarding the number of pits that contain asbestos in Australia. Although remedial work has commenced on eleven pits in Penrith, there are still a multitude of sites that are possibly contaminated with this toxic substance. Australian workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten has stated that Telstra provided him with an estimate of the number of pits that contain asbestos. On 3 June 2013, Shorten announced that “There are eight million pits … between 10 and 20 percent of these pits may have asbestos-containing material in them.”

In response to this, Nicole McKechnie, Telstra spokeswoman, has submitted that Telstra could not possibly have provided these statistics to Mr Shorten. Telstra has only recently started recording the dates in which pits are put in; as such, it would be impossible to identify which pits contain asbestos, as the substance was banned from use in Australia in the early 1980s. However following the intervention from Mr Shorten’s office, McKechnie has since changed her position, and has admitted that “a very rough guesstimate was given to the minister”.

To date, the exact number of pits that contain asbestos remains unknown.

In the past, many workers have been exposed to asbestos in Australia whilst undertaking work in the Tesltra pits. Many old Telecom workers have been diagnosed with asbestos conditions in Australia.