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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2007)
L.A. lab works to improve odds against asbestos cancer When Olympic Gold medalist Terry McCann began having chest pains, he knew something was wrong. He never drank or smoked. He worked out daily in the gym and was a member of the San Clemente morn- ing surf “dawn patrol” in California. The chest pain went away, but mesothelioma, the deadly cancer within his chest wall, did not. Before Terry passed away last year at age 72 — more than two years after his symptoms had surfaced — he had al- ready beaten the odds. Ten years ago, men and women with mesothelioma faced a certain and swift death. The cancer, which kills 2,000 to 4,000 men and women a year, oftentimes misdiagnosed as pneumonia or as an inflamed lining of the lungs, would quickly surround the victim’s lungs and heart sac with a concrete-like sheath, and crush the patient to death. People with mesothelioma still face a tremendous struggle, but in Los Angeles cutting-edge research and treatment to detect and manage the ill- ness is is being conducted at the non- profit Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood In- stitute and its Punch Worthington Research Laboratory (PWR), in col- laboration with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Robert Cameron, a surgeon and scientist who directs the PWR Lab, has put together an aggressive agenda to tackle mesothelioma head-on. The lab’s Risk Reduction Program is fo- cusing on prevention of mesothelioma in workers exposed to asbestos and early detection through breath and blood tests. The Lab’s Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Treatment Program is seeking to improve therapies for peo- ple with already existing disease. Mesothelioma is caused by inhala- tion of asbestos fibers. It has a long la- tency period (the time between first exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis of the disease). In rare cases the la- tency period has been as short as 10 to 15 years. Typically, however, mesothelioma occurs 20, 30, 40 or more years after the first exposure. Workers in the construction trades are particularly vulnerable to expo- sure, but the illness itself doesn’t dis- criminate based on the color of the collar. “This disease affects Olympic athletes, drywallers, congressmen, Roger G. Worthington, P.C. leads the fight to find a cure for Mesothelioma cancer caused by asbestos exposure Since 1989, we have been dedicated to helping asbestos cancer patients get justice in the courtrooms and help in the hospitals. In the last ten years, we have recovered over $725 million for our clients. $34 Million: $20 Million: $12.6 Million: $10 Million: $8.4 Million: 60 year-old Navy veteran and carpenter 54 year-old engineer 69 year-old psychiatrist exposed at home 54 year-old woman exposed via father’s clothes 60 year-old Navy veteran and crane operator 800-831-9399 For a free booklet of medical/legal information, including medical experts, patient profiles, clinical trials and asbestos products, call us or visit our website. www.mesothel.com Mesothelioma typically We’ve helped hundreds develops 20 to 60 years after the first asbestos exposure. Each year about 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the U.S. of patients find the best doctors, coast to coast and we’re known for providing up-to-date medical information and patient education. Asbestos lawyers for life. Offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Dallas, Texas • Lawyers licensed in California, Oregon, and Texas Roger G. Worthington, P.C. has donated more than $2.5 Million to medical research working on a cure for mesothelioma — more than all the asbestos companies combined. PAGE 8 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS pipefitters, admirals in the Navy, Hol- lywood icons, insulators, young women college students, painters, in- terior decorators, boilermakers and everyone in between,” said Roger Worthington, an attorney and board member of the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. The Punch Worthing- ton Laboratory was named in the memory of Roger’s father, David “Punch” Worthington of Salem, a union organizer and Ph.D. in genetics who died last year from asbestos-re- lated cancer. The Portland area is considered a hotspot for mesothelioma due to its historic shipbuilding and paper mill industries, yet the closest treatment centers with doctors who specialize in mesothelioma are in Seattle (at the Swedish Cancer Institute) and Los Angeles, Worthington said. “It’s too bad the local doctors haven’t responded to the asbestos epi- demic here in Oregon,” said Greg De- block, a retired business manager of Portland-based Steamfitters Local 235, which later merged to become the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 290. In No- vember, Deblock was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. He is strug- gling to find specialized care in Port- land. Worthington says too many doctors are resigned to “doomsday” with as- bestos cancers. “They assume that mesothelioma cannot be cured,” he continued, “ but the sad truth is nei- ther industry nor the government has invested in finding cures for this or- phan cancer. How do we know it’s ‘incurable’ if we don’t try to cure it?” To date, there isn’t a reliable test to detect mesothelioma at an early stage. Imaging tests, such as X-rays and CT scans, are not satisfactory. Screening tests exist for breast cancer, colon can- cer, prostate cancer and lung cancer, and have resulted in better diagnosis of early disease and improved cure rates. Early detection for mesothe- lioma could lead to similar benefits. One promising test under study at the PWR Lab involves identifying ev- idence of mesothelioma and even as- bestos exposure through markers in a person’s exhaled breath or blood. The Institute is recruiting volun- teers — particularly workers and their families residing on the West Coast — for the early detection breath and blood screenings, although the start date has not been finalized, the Lab is taking names and will contact volunteers once the trials begin. Since asbestos inflames the lining of the chest (pleura), the lab’s preven- tion program also is testing agents that inhibit inflammation as a means of preventing the disease. Doctors be- lieve that interrupting the long cycle of inflammation could break the pro- gression of changes that lead to can- cer. Indomethacin, celecoxib, aspirin and other agents may hold the key. The PWR Lab is testing celecoxib right now. This trial is for people who have been exposed to asbestos and who have a history of smoking. (The testing is free, but participants will have to go to Los Angeles to partici- pate.) For more information about the celecoxib test, call Jessica Like, executive director of the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, at 310-622-4960. For more information about the early detection program, or for information about meso treatment options, contact Dr. Cameron at 310-622-4960. 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