In Australia, which has the highest per capital rate of mesothelioma in the world, doctors and researchers are seeing a new wave of younger people diagnosed. They call these patients the “third wave” or the “bystander wave.”
Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that typically affects the lining of the lungs or abdomen, and it is caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos. The “first wave” of victims were those who worked in mines. In Australia, this was primarily the Wittenoom blue asbestos mine in Pilbara. The second wave was made up of people who worked with asbestos products, usually in factories, shipyards, or as builders and electricians.
The “third wave” of asbestos victims, also called “bystanders,” were just that – simply people who came into contact with people who had asbestos on their clothes, such as family members of asbestos workers, or those who unknowingly came into contact with asbestos through activities such as home renovations.
According to a report in the Brisbane Times, Australia stopped mining asbestos in 1983 and banned it from building products in 2004, for years it was included in upwards of 3,000 products ranging from insulation to brake linings. It is estimated that asbestos was widely used in Australian buildings between 1945 and 1980.
As a result of this “bystander” exposure, medical experts expect to see new cases continue to rise until at least 2020. Even people with only distant or very brief exposure to asbestos 30 or 40 years ago are being diagnosed now.
Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose. Jane Krsevan, now 47, told to the Brisbane Times she began experiencing problems with fluid on her lungs when she was 34. She chalked it up to her smoking habit and immediately quit. But her symptoms only got worse. She developed stabbing back pain, which doctors thought was possibly a pulled muscle.
As her health continued to deteriorate, finally when she mentioned to a doctor that her father was a builder whom she had watched make insulation boxes for hot water heaters –40 years ago – he put the puzzle pieces together. Two years ago she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. She underwent a pleural pneumonectomy, removing one lung and part of her diaphragm.
Australia’s Asbestos Diseases Research Institute (ADRI) maintains a database of mesothelioma patients. They report the number of cases with no occupational exposure is increasing.
The situation is much the same in the United States, Great Britain, Italy, and other areas of the world. Wherever asbestos has been, death has followed. Despite this grim reality, asbestos is still mined in some countries and is still used regularly in countries such as India. In many places – including the United States – asbestos is still not completely banned.
On a hopeful note, in June Australia’s ADRI researchers presented information to the American Society of Clinical Oncologists meeting in Chicago about a new treatment for mesothelioma. The details have not yet been made public, but the ADRI says clinical trials may begin as soon as later this year.
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Kirsty and her husband Mark are dedicated to care for their dogs and the dogs are included in many aspects of their lives, such activities include camping trips, a pint in the pub. . not to mention on their wedding day! Beautiful picture below:
but in October 2011 Grace began to show respiratory problems. They turned out to be breathing faster when her right side. Kirsty took her to the emergency vet and the vet said that one of her lungs was noisy and a chest infection diagnosed and prescribed anti-biotics. Kirsty requested that Grace must be weighed as they had noticed that they had gained 2 pounds in weight during the last 8-12 weeks and Kirsty, (being as usual on the ball) wanted to make sure that Grace would be the right dosage.However – Grace seemed to be no progress on the anti-biotics and Kirsty had reservations about the original diagnosis so she took grace to her usual vet for a second opinion. His diagnosis contradicted what the previous vet had thought as one of her lungs worrying quiet was, ' the lung on the same side that grace was having problems sleeping on '. He booked her for x-rays and the results came a lot of fluid (pleural effusion), a common symptom of pleural mesothelioma. But I have to say that that pleural effusion may occur also in other lung related conditions. The fluid had to be evacuated manually using a syringe and in total-2 litres were removed.Grace was then referred to a more specialized veterinarian for more extensive tests including an ultrasound. She had her build up of fluid drained from her chest again, and ' frusimide ' a drug used to prevent the construction of fluid was prescribed. Her blood work indicated that Grace lose protein which they thought was the cause of the fluid (protein release from entropathy). In all of this grace protein levels remained low but Kirsty and Mark gave her a high protein diet to try and counteract and they managed to a normal layer.Kirsty felt unhappy and perplexed by Graces treatment in so far as she felt that she was not offered much in the way of a statement about Graces condition, and the loving sensitive person she is-she found it heartbreaking to see Grace endured long recovering time after her anaesthetic procedures.Kirsty then took Grace to see veterinarian's Don Sheehan ' on Bridgewater Court, Manchester, one of the most respected veterinary practices in the North-West. He studied all Graces ' tests and mentioned as a possible diagnosis mesothelioma. Kirsty asked the dreaded question ' was the terminal? ' and the vet been answered ' yes '. Graces ultrasound was repeated and her breast emptied of liquid again. Then at a later appointment that Grace returned to the surgery for a thorocoscopy and biopsies on her chest wall, that a specialist surgeon was called to perform the procedure with specialized equipment, would be different Grace have to endure an operation to open up her breast.The biopsies confirmed that Grace had fingernail size lesions on her chest wall, and they then ' Liverpool small animal Oncology Department ' was mentioned. Kirsty and Mark discussed the best possible course of treatment for her. Her first treatment (December, 2011) had to a pleural port mounted, this would allow the liquid to be drained from her chest without the need for subsequent anesthetic.Although Kirsty realized deep down that Grace disease was terminal she was desperate to try and to give her the best possible chance and decided to try IV (intravenous) chemotherapy on Grace. Unfortunately, Grace did not respond to the chemotherapy (carboplatin), so that this was discontinued after one cycle.For the next next 3 months-Grace quality of life was quite comfortable, with a regular dose of steroids and the port left to drain from a buildup of fluid. Unfortunately-Grace passed lost her battle with mesothelioma on 21 March, 2012. The only 2 reasons that really comforted me during following Grace story on Rakesh facebook profile page is: reason 1 – see how Kirsty and Mark cared for her, and it was incredibly heartwarming to see. Grace enjoyed a selection of delicious home-cooked meals (lamb was one of her favorites), a King-size duvet to sprawl on and her own Chair with propped-up pillow: see below There Is one facebook post where Grace could not get so comfortable on her quilt-Kirsty in the middle of the night with her gets up and goes down with her to see that she settles on her favorite bank. Reason 2-is how happy and relieved I was that it was Kirsty who had saved her! 
Scheme of PARP1/SIRT1/Akt/mTOR signaling
SB-431542, an inhibitor of activin receptors, decreases cell growth and migration of mesothelioma cell lines in a dose-dependent way.