DIYers urged to be asbestos aware

Monday 5 July 2010

A new survey has highlighted the need for Britons to improve their awareness of asbestos - a building material that was banned in the UK in 1999 after scientists discovered its link to a number of lung diseases, including cancer.

The substance was widely used after the end of World War II in 1945 as it has heat and fire-resistant properties, and is thought to have been used in nearly 14 million homes.

It needs to be handled carefully, as exposure is now known to cause mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs.

However, a survey by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) has revealed that 47 per cent of homeowners who do DIY in their properties - and may therefore come into contact with asbestos - do not realise it was used as recently as the 1990s.

The poll of 2,000 homeowners found that 65 per cent were not confident at identifying asbestos-containing materials in the home, such as floor tiles, toilet cisterns, textured ceiling coatings and boiler cupboard linings.

Just 29 per cent of people would check for the presence of asbestos before embarking upon DIY projects and 11 per cent even admitted that they would try to dispose of any asbestos themselves.

The BLF is urging people to become more asbestos aware as part of its annual Action Mesothelioma Day, as having the correct knowledge could help to prevent the disease.

One person dies from mesothelioma every five hours in the UK, according to Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation.

"Despite such a devastating illness, the general public knows very little about mesothelioma," she revealed.

"Our survey has highlighted that nearly half of all homeowners do not know that asbestos was actually used as a building material and could be in their homes today - in light of this there's definitely more work that needs to be done to ensure people are asbestos aware."

Jessica Harris, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "Exposure to asbestos is a major cause of several lung diseases, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. If you are concerned about asbestos in your home, get professional help to remove it rather than doing it yourself."

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Experimental vaccine shows early promise against mesothelioma

Friday 5 March 2010

A vaccine against mesothelioma, a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, has shown early promise in its first clinical trial.

The experimental vaccine is an example of dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy, in which the body's own immune system is harnessed to target and destroy cancer cells.

In the vaccine, a sample of the patient's 'dendritic' immune cells are mixed with proteins taken from their tumour.

When implanted back into the patient, these cells can then activate other elements of the patient's immune system, known as T-cells, and encourage them to attack and destroy the tumour.

Researchers at Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands have previously shown that DC vaccines bring about an anti-tumour response in mice and decided to test the technique in humans.

They enrolled ten people who had recently been diagnosed with a form of mesothelioma called 'malignant pleural' mesothelioma, and who had been previously treated with chemotherapy.

The team took a sample of dendritic cells from each patient's blood, and exposed them to proteins from their tumours.

The dendritic cell samples were also exposed to a 'marker' protein called keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH).

Patients then received three injections of their 'activated' dendritic cells over a two-week period.

Publishing their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers revealed that all ten patients had antibodies to the KLH marker in their blood, confirming that the vaccines had brought about an immune response.

Further tests on four of the patients' tumours revealed that three of the tumours had got smaller, although this could not be conclusively or directly linked to the vaccine.

The researchers noted that eight out of ten patients developed flu-like symptoms after being vaccinated, but that all but one had recovered from these symptoms within 24 hours. There were no other serious side-effects.

Dr Joachim Aerts, a pulmonary physician at Erasmus Medical Center, revealed that the study is the first to investigate DC-based immunotherapy in patients with mesothelioma.

"The possibility to harness the potency and specificity of the immune system underlies the growing interest in cancer immunotherapy," he said. "One such approach uses the patient's own DC to present tumour-associated antigens and thereby generate tumour-specific immunity."

Dr Aerts added: "We hope that by further development of our method it will be possible to increase survival in patients with mesothelioma and eventually vaccinate persons who have been in contact with asbestos to prevent them from getting asbestos-related diseases."

Dr Jodie Moffat, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "This study involved just ten people, and so much more research and testing is needed before we'll know if this will be a viable and effective treatment for mesothelioma in the future. Mesothelioma can be very difficult to treat, so finding new treatments to help beat the disease is crucial."

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Asbestos linked to cancer of the ovaries and larynx

Wednesday 27 May 2009

Exposure to asbestos, which is known to cause a form of cancer called mesothelioma, has also been shown to cause some cancers of the ovary and larynx (voice box) as well, scientists have said.

Experts have been aware of the link between asbestos and mesothelioma since the 1960s and the substance is known to cause most cases of the disease, which affects the tissue that lines the outer surface of the lungs.

Writing in a review in the Lancet Oncology this month, an international team of World Health Organisation experts claim that there is now "sufficient evidence" that asbestos can also cause cancer of the ovary and the larynx.

Basing their conclusion on a new 'meta-analysis' of previously published studies, the scientists revealed that people who have been exposed to asbestos are 1.4 times more likely to develop cancer of the larynx than those who have never been exposed to the material, while high levels of exposure are associated with a twofold increased risk of the disease.

Women who were heavily exposed to asbestos at work - including those who manufactured gas masks during World War II - consistently had an increased risk of ovarian cancer and research suggests that the substance can accumulate in the ovaries.

The scientists noted that "all types of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans" and say that there is also some evidence to suggest that the substance may increase a person's risk of cancers of the bowel, stomach and throat.

They also warned of the widespread nature of exposure to asbestos, with an estimated 125 million people around the world still thought to be exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Despite being banned in the UK since 1999, its use is increasing in Asia, South America and the former Soviet Union and it can often be found in common products such as brake linings.

Dr Alison Ross, Cancer Research UK's senior science information officer, said: "We already know asbestos can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma and this adds two more cancer types to the list.

"But it's important to know that the majority of ovarian and laryngeal cancers are not caused by exposure to asbestos.

"And thankfully, because of changes in the law relating to asbestos use in the 1980s, we should see the number of asbestos-related cancers declining in future years."

Mesothelioma can take up to 40 years to develop following exposure to asbestos.

The substance was used extensively in the UK after the second world war because of its insulating properties, so experts predict that the number of cases is likely to rise over the next 20 years before starting to fall.

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'Baby boom' carpenters at greatest risk of developing asbestos related cancer

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Cancer Research UK Press Release

One in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos - according to new research* published in the British Journal of Cancer.

In the largest global study of its kind - funded by Cancer Research UK and the Health and Safety Executive - more than 600 patients with mesothelioma and 1,400 healthy people were interviewed to examine UK rates of the disease linked to different occupations.

The researchers have calculated that men born in the 1940s who worked as carpenters for more than 10 years before they reached 30 have a lifetime risk for mesothelioma of about one in 17. For plumbers, electricians and decorators born in the same decade who worked in their trade for more than 10 years before they were 30, the risk is one in 50 and for other construction workers one in 125.

For every case of mesothelioma, asbestos also causes about one case of lung cancer so the overall risk of asbestos related cancer for this particular group of carpenters is about one in 10.

The risk was also increased in other industries and the study showed that two-thirds of all British men and one quarter of women had worked in jobs involving potential asbestos exposure at some time in their lives. There was also a small increased risk in those who had lived with someone who had been exposed to asbestos.

The risk of mesothelioma for the rest of the UK population who have not experienced these occupational exposures is about one in 1,000 and these apparently unexposed cases account for 60 per cent of all mesotheliomas in women** and 15 per cent in men.

Professor Julian Peto, Cancer Research UK funded epidemiologist and lead researcher based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "The UK has the highest death rate from mesothelioma in the world. The risk is highest in people who were exposed to asbestos before age 30. By getting information on all the jobs people had ever done we have shown that the risk in some occupations, particularly in the building industry, is higher than we previously thought.

"New regulations introduced in 1970 reduced exposure to asbestos in factories but heavy exposure to the much larger workforce in construction and various other industries continued."

Steve Coldrick, Head of HSE's Disease Reduction Programme, said: "The Health and Safety Executive and Cancer Research UK commissioned this research to learn more about the impact of asbestos related cancers upon our workforce, but particularly for those born in the 1940s who have potentially been more exposed to asbestos than later born tradesmen.

"We must continue to remember that asbestos maintained in good condition on-site is not a threat unless it's disturbed and the fibres become airborne. Also, other potential 'risk factors' such as residence in certain types of housing, living near industrial sites, or engagement in DIY activity, were not associated with an increased risk."

"In 2010, the second part of this research should provide more information about the role of amosite in causing mesothelioma in the younger generation. This is underway now and will provide valuable information about the extent of recent exposure levels (compared to past exposure levels) on our future tradesmen."

There are three main types of asbestos - white, blue and brown. White asbestos was the type most commonly used in the UK. Blue asbestos was not used in Britain after 1970, but the use of brown asbestos continued into the 1980s, and carpenters often cut and drilled brown asbestos insulation board with power tools. The researchers believe this was a major factor underlying Britain's mesothelioma epidemic.

There are just over 2,100 people diagnosed with mesothelioma in the UK each year with about five times as many cases in men as in women.

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of information, said: "This research is important in revealing who is at greatest risk from asbestos exposure. We now need to ensure that accurate information for workers and regulation of the asbestos still in buildings keeps pace with what we’ve learned."

ENDS

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HSE raises asbestos awareness

Friday 24 October 2008

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign this week to raise awareness of the risks of exposure to asbestos. 

Asbestos is an insulating material that was commonly used to fireproof and insulate buildings until the mid-1980s. The use of asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1999 as it is known to cause the majority of cases of a cancer called mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs.

When a person comes into contact with asbestos, they breathe in tiny fibres of the substance and these can irritate and damage the cells lining the lung. Up to 80 per cent of people diagnosed with mesothelioma have been in contact with asbestos, and the risk is greatest among tradesmen who can be exposed to the substance at work. 

According to the HSE, at least 4,000 people die as a result of asbestos every year. But scientists believe this rate could rise, since people who have been exposed usually do not develop mesothelioma for between 15 and 40 years. 

The organisation's new campaign, 'Asbestos: The hidden killer', is designed to improve awareness among tradesmen, many of whom underestimate the risk that asbestos still poses despite the ban. The campaign points out that any building which was constructed or refurbished prior to 2000 may contain asbestos, meaning that joiners, plumbers, electricians and those in other trades may be at risk if they disturb it without taking the necessary steps to protect themselves. 

HSE disease reduction programme director Steve Coldrick told the BBC: "We have a legacy of 500,000 commercial or industrial buildings in this country which still contain asbestos and it is tradesmen who are at risk from it now. 

"Unless we make them really understand the problems it can cause, in 20 or 50 years time we will have even more people dying."

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Survey finds widespread ignorance of asbestos, cancer link

Tuesday 26 February 2008

A new survey has revealed widespread ignorance of the health risks posed by asbestos, with under a third of tradespeople recognising that it can cause cancer.

Workers such as builders, plumbers, carpenters and electricians are particularly at risk from the banned insulating material, which is responsible for most cases of mesothelioma - a form of cancer that affects the cells on the outer surface of the lungs.

When a person is exposed to asbestos, they breathe in tiny fibres which work their way into the lining of the lung, irritating and damaging the cells. This in turn can lead to cancer.

Although all types of asbestos have been banned in the UK since 1999, it was heavily used after the second world war and is still found in many buildings.

However, a study by the British Lung Foundation found that 30 per cent of tradespeople wrongly thought it had largely been removed from UK buildings, and 74 per cent had received no training in how to deal with asbestos.

The survey, which polled nearly 400 people, also revealed that only 12 per cent knew asbestos exposure could be life-threatening, despite the fact that one person dies from mesothelioma every five hours in the UK.

The charity is seeking to raise awareness through its Action Mesothelioma Day on February 27th.

Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "It is a great worry that those most at risk of this cruel cancer know so little about a killer that could be lurking in the building they're working on today.

"We want mesothelioma to become a disease of the past, but until people put their health first, become asbestos aware and protect themselves against asbestos that goal can't be reached."

Mesothelioma takes between 15 and 60 years to develop after exposure to asbestos and, although asbestos is no longer in use in the UK, the number of cancer diagnoses is expected to rise over the next 20 years because of its heavy use until the 1970s.

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NICE approves drug for advanced mesothelioma

Monday 9 July 2007

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has revised its guidance on Alimta, a drug to treat mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lungs.

The institute had initially ruled that the drug should not be available to NHS patients in England and Wales and should only be used in new or ongoing clinical trials.

However, NICE agreed to reconsider its guidance last year after charities, support groups and the drug's manufacturer Eli Lilly appealed that its ability to extend the life of sufferers with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a lung cancer mainly associated with exposure to asbestos, outweighed the cost of treatment.

The drug has now been recommended for patients who are still able to carry out day-to-day tasks, but whose cancer is advanced and where surgery is inappropriate.

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "We welcome the change of heart shown by NICE who have now decided to recommend Alimta (pemetrexed) to mesothelioma patients with advanced disease and to those who cannot benefit from surgery.

"This is very good news for those patients who have one of the nastiest and deadliest forms of cancer as this is the only drug that can alleviate their suffering."

Dr Gillian Leng, implementation director at NICE, said: "Our initial review of the evidence available on Alimta suggested it was insufficient to demonstrate that the drug was better than other, far less costly medicines.

"But a number of significant factors have become apparent, which have enabled the independent appraisal committee to recommend it as a treatment option for the majority of people with (the cancer)."

Around 2,000 people develop advanced mesothelioma every year, and the disease is notoriously hard to treat successfully.

Restrictions on the use of asbestos are expected to lead to a sharp decline in the number of people with mesothelioma from 2015 onwards, meaning that an alternative treatment is unlikely to be developed before then and making NICE's new guidance all the more important.

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Asbestos cancer toll will not peak until 2015

Thursday 22 February 2007

Almost 200,000 people in the UK could still get asbestos-related cancers from exposure in the 60s and 70s, according to experts.

Professor Julian Peto, who holds the Cancer Research UK Chair of Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, estimated that 90,000 people would die from mesothelioma, and said that 30,000 had already done so.

And a spokesperson from the British Heart Foundation estimated that another 90,000 could die from non-mesothelomia asbestos-related lung cancer.

Exposure to asbestos causes two types of cancer. Mesothelioma - which affects the lining of the lungs and abdomen - and lung cancer. The symptoms can take many decades to emerge.

The lethal effects of asbestos led to its use being effectively banned in the early 1908s, but a generation of people exposed are still expected to develop cancer.

The number of people who are annually diagnosed with the disease is only expected to begin declining in 2015.

Speaking at a Science Media Centre briefing, Professor Peto said: "Mesothelioma is on a completely different scale from any other industrial cancer disease in the world.

"The highest risk group of all is carpenters. One in ten of all carpenters in Britain of that generation could be affected.

"Mesothelioma has already killed twice as many people as cervical cancer," he added.

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NICE to reconsider Alimta ruling

Friday 22 December 2006

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has said it is to reconsider its decision that a drug for asbestos-related lung cancer should not be available on the NHS.

Alimta is used to treat mesothelioma, a type of cancer mainly caused by exposure to asbestos. It is currently available in Scotland where it has been approved by national regulators.

NICE said it will reconsider the decision following an appeal by the drug's manufacturer, Eli Lilly. Cancer Research UK welcomed the announcement.

"Alimta is the only licensed therapy for the treatment of unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma in the UK," said Professor John Toy of Cancer Research UK.

"The treatment has been shown to improve survival in randomised trials and is used around the world.

"The majority of mesothelioma cases arose as a result of workplace negligence and, as such, we believe that patients should be entitled to the best care available."

He added that due to restrictions on the use of asbestos, the number of people with mesothelomia is expected to decline sharply from 2015 and an alternative treatment is unlikely to be developed between now and then.

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Cancer Research UK calls for reconsideration of Alimta decision

Thursday 16 November 2006

Cancer Research UK has contacted the health secretary to ask that Nice, the UK drugs regulator, reconsider its decision not to make the lung cancer drug Alimta available on the NHS for the treatment of mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung.

The announcement follows Monday's decision by the body not to make another drug, Tarceva, available for the treatment of metastatic or advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

While recognising the regulator's rationale for ruling out the drug for metastatic lung cancer, the charity said that Alimta had proven value in treating mesothelomia.

"It would seem that the cost of adopting Alimta for locally advanced lung cancer far outweighs the benefits to patients," said head of Cancer Research UK, Professor Alex Markham.

"But Cancer Research UK remains adamant that the drug should be available for those with mesothelioma where it is the only treatment available and can significantly improve patients' quality of life."

Alimta is the only recognised treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma and is widely used throughout the world. It has recently been approved for use in Scotland.

The majority of cases of the disease are caused by work-related asbestos exposure, and it is thought that the number of cases will fall from 2010 due to the ban on asbestos.

"It would seem perverse to deny patients access to Alimta over this brief period," added Professor Markham.

"It is very unlikely that any effective alternative therapy for mesothelioma will become available before the epidemic declines."

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Mesothelioma deaths to peak by 2015

Tuesday 15 February 2005

Cancer Research UK Press Release

Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer, will peak within ten years in the UK and then fall to a much lower level, according to new figures published in this week’s British Journal of Cancer¹.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer in the lining of the lungs or the lining of the abdomen. It is thought that the majority of cases are the result of exposure to asbestos, but the disease can take up to sixty years to develop. Mortality in Britain rose from 153 deaths in 1968 to 1,848 in 2001 and is still increasing, but the new study suggests the rate will begin to decline by 2015.

Researchers from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), together with Professor Julian Peto of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Institute of Cancer Research, have improved on previous forecasts by taking account of the changing patterns of exposure to asbestos following the sharp reduction in asbestos use around 1980.

Professor Peto, Chairman of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research, says: “The peak in mesothelioma deaths will be earlier and at a lower number than formerly thought. The abrupt reduction in asbestos exposure in 1980 has altered the lifelong patterns of exposure that people have experienced. This makes the previous age-related models inaccurate.

“Our new model for predicting mesothelioma mortality rates is more complex and takes account of the varying exposure to asbestos of different age groups at different times of their lives.”

For example, men born around 1920 who entered the construction industry would have had an increasing level of exposure to asbestos throughout their career. But for men born around 1950 the pattern of exposure would have been completely different. Early in their career, exposure would have been higher than in earlier generations, but their exposure would have abruptly dropped at about the age of 30 when asbestos use virtually ceased.

Mortality from mesothelioma in younger men has already been observed to be lower than in previous generations, which adds weight to the accuracy of the new model. However, uncertainties remain as to the future of mesothelioma mortality beyond 2020.

Professor Peto explains: “We’ve assumed that exposure to asbestos has now reached a negligible level, but we don’t know that for certain and it won’t be clear from the statistics for thirty years. We are currently starting a study of lung samples from young men operated on for a collapsed lung. This will give us a snapshot of the current asbestos exposure without having to wait.”

The study predicts the peak in mortality will come between 2011 and 2015, the highest number of deaths per year being between 1,950 and 2,450. After this peak, the mortality rate is expected to fall rapidly to a background level, depending on what residual exposure to asbestos, if any, still persists.

Professor Robert Souhami, Executive Director of Policy and Communication at Cancer Research UK, which owns the British Journal of Cancer, says: “A key part of our work is to monitor incidence and mortality rates for different types of cancer. It helps us to anticipate the future cancer burden, which is essential for planning in the health services.

“Mesothelioma is a devastating disease. This study suggests that mesothelioma will be a much rarer disease for the next generation, and it clearly highlights the benefit of preventing cancers by removing specific risk factors such as exposure to asbestos.”

ENDS

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New drug boost for lung cancer sufferers

Friday 2 August 2002

Cancer Research UK Press Release

Clinical trials of a new anticancer drug combination carried out by Cancer Research UK scientists at Newcastle University show that it has the potential to almost double the life expectancy of sufferers of mesothelioma - a form of lung cancer which affects around 1,700 people in the UK every year - according to a report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology¹.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleura - the membranes that line the inside of the chest and the outside of the lungs. It differs from other types of lung cancer in that it is caused by exposure to asbestos, rather than by smoking. The condition affects five times more men than women, and most commonly develops in men between 50 and 70 years of age.

Mesothelioma is very hard to treat. It is usually inoperable and not very responsive to  radiotherapy. With the anticancer drugs previously available, people diagnosed with the disease could expect to survive for only six to eight months.

Now, results of a study by Professor Hilary Calvert, Dr Andrew Hughes and colleagues at the Cancer Research UK Unit at Newcastle University in collaboration with Eli Lilley, have shown that, on average, patients who were given the drug combination, pemetrexed and carboplatin, survived for up to 13 - 14 months. In a handful of cases, patients have survived for three years or more.

Professor Calvert said: "The drug combination showed remarkable activity in mesothelioma. Our study provided the first convincing evidence that adding the new drug pemetrexed to carboplatin could be useful in the treatment of the disease".

Pemetrexed is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilley under the trade name Alimta. It is an anticancer drug based on being an analogue of the B-vitamin, folic acid. Drugs of this class were first developed by Professor Calvert and colleagues at The Institute of Cancer Research in London in the early 1980s with funding from Cancer Research UK, leading to the licensing of a drug called raltitrexed (Tomudex).

Because the interval between exposure to asbestos and developing mesothelioma can be 30 - 40 years, the incidence of the disease is still on the rise, as a result of industrial exposure to asbestos in the 70s and 80s. Currently there are about 1,700 cases per year in the UK, with that figure expected to more or less double by 2020.

The results of the Newcastle trial led Eli Lilley to sponsor a multinational randomised trial in mesothelioma, which was reported at this year's American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting. The trial showed an improvement of survival and symptoms for the first time in mesothelioma.

Dr Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information at Cancer Research UK says: "Mesothelioma is a serious condition that is difficult to treat so this is an important development. We now need to look closely at the drugs performance in the next stages of clinical trials to see how it compares to other anti-cancer drugs."

ENDS

1. The report of the Newcastle research team 'Phase I Clinical and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pemetrexed and Carboplatin in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma' is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology20 (16), 2002. The researchers involved are Andy Hughes, Paula Calvert, Ashraf Azzabi, Ruth Plummer, Rob Johnson, Jim Rusthoven, Melanie Griffin, Kevin Fishwick, Alan V. Boddy, Mark Verrill, and Hilary Calvert.

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