Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that effects the lining around the lungs and other organs. The latency period for the diseases ranges from 10 years to 30 years. The cause of Mesothelioma is from breathing in asbestos, a known carcinogen that was once widely used in a range of items, from ceiling and wall tiles to insulation and auto brakes.

There are three forms of Mesothelioma: pleural Mesothelioma, peritoneal Mesothelioma and pericardial Mesothelioma. Pleura Mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane surrounding the lungs and lining the wall of the chest cavity. Peritoneal Mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. Pericardial Mesothelioma is cancer of the tissue around the heart. Mesothelioma symptoms are usually not diagnosed until it's too late because they are usually attributed to having a common cold.

• Royal doctor forced to quit after developing lung cancer 'caused by exposure to asbestos' (Daily Mail)
  A trusted doctor to the Queen has been forced to quit after developing lung cancer, which he claims was caused by exposure to asbestos more than 40 years ago. Dr Ian Campbell held the title of Apothecary to the Royal Household at Sandringham for 15 years before being forced to retire last year after contracting mesothelioma, a cancer of the membranes of the lungs

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• NICE Gives Green Light To Treatment For Asbestos-Induced Lung Cancer (Medical News Today)
  The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on Alimta(R) (pemetrexed), the only licensed treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma - a form of lung cancer resulting from exposure to asbestos.

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• State funeral for Bernie Banton at Acer Arena (Southern Highland News)
  The people of NSW farewell a national hero tomorrow, Wednesdy, as Bernie Banton is laid to rest at a state funeral at Acer Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.p> Tributes have flooded in from around the country for the asbestos disease campaigner since his death from the aggressive cancer - mesothelioma - last week.

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• Alfacell signs Onconase distribution agreement with BL&H (Pharmaceutical Business Review)
  Alfacell Corporation has entered into a distribution agreement with BL&H for the commercialization of Onconase in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Onconase is currently being evaluated as a treatment for unresectable malignant mesothelioma in a confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical trial.

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• First Time Federal Funding for Mesothelioma Research (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
  The Department of Defense (DoD) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program was appropriated $50 million in the Defense Appropriations Bill that the President signed in mid- November. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) is excited to announce that, for the first time, mesothelioma will be included as a research priority within the DoD's Medical Research Program, to begin ...

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• (AFX UK Focus) 2008-01-15 14:00 GMT: Par unit buys licensing rights for malignant mesothelioma drug from Alfacell (Interactive Investor)
  NEW YORK (Thomson Financial) - Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc.'s proprietary products division said Tuesday it has acquired the exclusive licensing and commercialization rights to Onconase from Alfacell Corp.

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• State funeral for Bernie Banton at Acer Arena (Hastings Gazette)
  The people of NSW farewell a national hero tomorrow, Wednesdy, as Bernie Banton is laid to rest at a state funeral at Acer Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.p> Tributes have flooded in from around the country for the asbestos disease campaigner since his death from the aggressive cancer - mesothelioma - last week.

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• One Million for Meso (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
  The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation announced that it has awarded an additional $1 million to researchers at top national and international universities and institutions devoted to finding a cure for mesothelioma.

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• One Million for Meso (Centre Daily Times)
  The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) announced that it has awarded an additional $1 million to researchers at top national and international universities and institutions devoted to finding a cure for mesothelioma. To spur the research critically needed to develop treatments for this long- overlooked, asbestos-related cancer, the Meso Foundation annually funds the top ...

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• may occur 30 to 50 years after ex-posure to asbestos. Many work-ers were exposed (El Campo Leader-News)
  may occur 30 to 50 years after ex-posure to asbestos. Many work-ers were exposed from the 1940s through the 1970s. Industrial main-tenance and operators are among those at risk for mesothelioma, throat cancer or lung cancer. Call us for professional insight.

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• Subsidy paves way for thalidomide trial (Daily Telegraph)
  THE Federal Government subsidy of the mesothelioma drug Alimta has paved the way for a national clinical trial of follow-up treatment using the controversial drug Thalidomide.

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• Randy Roderick, 41 (Provincetown Banner)
  Randy Roderick, 41, of Boston, died Dec. 21 of mesothelioma in Boston. He was the life partner of Chris Collins. He was born to a large family in Provincetown in 1966 where he stood out as an original in a town known for its artists and colorful characters.

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• New thalidomide trial possible (Herald Sun)
  THE Federal Government subsidy of the mesothelioma drug Alimta has paved the way for a national clinical trial of follow-up treatment using the controversial thalidomide.

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• Subsidy paves way for thalidomide trial (Perth Now)
  THE Federal Government subsidy of the mesothelioma drug Alimta has paved the way for a national clinical trial of follow-up treatment using the controversial drug Thalidomide.

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• Asbestos disease drug gets govt subsidy (AAP via Yahoo!7 News)
  Sufferers of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

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• Asbestos disease drug gets subsidy (Herald Sun)
  THE legacy of asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton was sealed today as mesothelioma victims across Australia were universally given cheap access to treatment.

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• Asbestos disease drug gets govt subsidy (The West Australian)
  Sufferers of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment from Tuesday, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

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• Asbestos disease drug gets govt subsidy (AAP via Yahoo!Xtra News)
  Sufferers of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

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• Asbestos drug listed on PBS (ABC via Yahoo!7 News)
  The drug that the late anti-asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton fought to have added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), will be cheaper for sufferers of mesothelioma from today.

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• Mesothelioma drug listed on PBS (Adelaide Now)
  SUFFERERS of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment from today, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

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