The president of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center says that a recent multi-million dollar donation will help solidify the center's role as the world leader in mesothelioma research.
The $3.58 million gift from an anonymous donor to research mesothelioma is the second-largest gift in the center's history.
Dr. Michelle Carbone, director of the cancer center, says the gift will help the center explore parts of the United States that contain carcinogens other than asbestos that cause mesothelioma, which have the potential to be more dangerous than asbestos.
Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw of the University of Hawaii at Manoa says the gift validates the efforts of her team and helps them remain at the forefront of thoracic oncology research.
Scientists and manufacturers have known for years that asbestos causes the deadly lung cancer mesothelioma and other health problems. However, manufacturers failed to inform the general public, so many who suffer from mesothelioma were breathing the harmful material long before they knew of its dangers. This is unfortunate as many who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are diagnosed when it is too late. Many patients do not experience any symptoms for up to thirty years after initial exposure. When they are finally diagnosed, the cancer has become so aggressive that these patients' prognoses are not favorable.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they become lodged in the lining of the heart, lungs, and/or abdomen, causing inflammation. When this inflammation occurs, DNA inside these tissues' cells mutate, causing uncontrolled cell division and growth.
Mesothelioma is the cancer that results from this process, and it is one of the most deadly and aggressive forms of cancer. Patients who are diagnosed with Stage 3 or greater are only given about six months to a year to live.
Mesothelioma stages are the levels that doctors use to diagnose the disease. The levels range from Stage 1 geo Stage 4. Stage 1 is characterized as localized disease, where the tumor affecting a limited area and organ tissues. Stage 4, on the other extreme, is extensive disease, where the tumor has spread to multiple tissues, including blood or bone tissues.
Basic staging can be determined by the use of various diagnostic techniques, including imaging scans, which provides cancer specialists with a visual representation of the extent of the tumor within the body. If the imaging scan is inconclusive or if it appears that the disease is not localized, a physician can request other diagnostic tests which may include using a needle or surgical biopsy. A biopsy can determine if the malignant cells have metastasized to the blood or lymph nodes.
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