Mesothelioma Support in Texas

Exposed to asbestos in Texas?
We have options for mesothelioma victims and residents of Texas.

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Asbestos Exposure in Texas

Texas Asbestos Exposure Areas
Do you think you might have been exposed to asbestos? See a list with the areas containing asbestos throughout Texas.
Texas Asbestos Exposure Companies
Have you been exposed to asbestos at work? See a list with asbestos companies in Texas.
Asbestos Exposure Professions in TX
Professions that might have exposed you to asbestos? See a list with the professions that may have wrongfully exposed you to dangerous levels of asbestos.
Texas Asbestos Exposure Power Plants
See a list with the power plants containing asbestos throughout Texas. Locations of power plants may affect your health!

New CTC Test Could Be a Breakthrough in Tracking Mesothelioma Progress

If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos in your work environment, you should seek the help and the expertise of a mesothelioma lawyer to find out what your chances are in a mesothelioma case. According to the medical definition, pleural mesothelioma, an incurable disease, is not classified as a lung cancer. It is however a rare form of the cancer of the lining of the lung caused by prolonged exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. The symptoms of the disease appear very late and are usually non-specific, and as a result, diagnosis usually comes too late.

 

Recent findings of researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are encouraging, and if confirmed, may allow early detection. Researchers report the development of a sensitive test that allows identification of as few as three circulating tumor cells (CTC) in non-small cell lung cancer patients. CTCs detected through the test can offer indication about the existence of a tumor and its spreading. This is a major breakthrough and is also a non-invasive test for monitoring progress that allows medical teams to track cancer progress as well as the efficacy of treatments for lung cancer patients. Mesothelioma cancer progress may also be tracked with this type of CTC test.

 

According to Heidi S. Erickson, Ph.D., assistant professor of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the use of the “high-throughput matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry single nucleotide polymorphism analysis (MALDI-TOF MS SNP)” allows researchers to identify the genetic mutations, or biomarkers, from the few malignant cells that can be applied to CTC samples. The test is still being lab-tested, the next step being the identification of samples from actual lung cancer patients.