New Study Investigates Asbestos Related Mesothelioma

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has partnered with FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina to conduct research with the hopes of being able to find ways to better identify patients who are at high risk of developing mesothelioma. Dr. Jill Ohar is the principal investigator of the study and is trying to narrow down the factors that lead to the development of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related lung diseases.

 

FirstHealth of the Carolinas conducts clinical trials to investigate the causes and explore possible treatments of a variety of cancers. Dr. Ohar has been researching mesothelioma and other occupational diseases for more than twenty years. Through her years of work, she suspects that there is a genetic disposition making some more susceptible to mesothelioma than others despite levels of exposure.

 

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral found naturally in rock formations. Asbestos was added to many industrial and construction products in the last century because of its insulating properties and durability.   Because of this, many in the mining, milling, shipping or construction industries had high levels of occupational exposure. Family members of workers were also exposed second hand when asbestos fibers would be brought home on clothes, the body or hair. 

 

Asbestos is now known to cause cancer, one form of which is mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer that starts in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or chest and typically has a short survival time. Symptoms of mesothelioma do not develop until ten to forty years after exposure, and can be awfully difficult to diagnose.

 

Dr. Ohar’s aim is to examine how environmental exposure to asbestos affects the body and which genetic factors make some more likely to develop mesothelioma and other asbestos related cancers. Ohar studies genetic markers in those already diagnosed as well as investigating how different levels of exposure and smoking affect the likelihood of developing mesothelioma.

 

If you or someone you know have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and are interested in participating in this clinical study, please contact First Health Clinical Trials Department at (910)715-2200 or call Dr. Ohar toll free at 866-487-2344. Interested patients must be willing to give a blood sample and complete a two page questionnaire at the FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Chest Center.