WASHINGTON, D.C (July 10, 2012) – This week, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation will hold its 9th annual Meso Foundation Symposium, a conference for the mesothelioma community, including patients, families, medical experts and asbestos advocates.  The event will feature presentations by experts in the medical field, question and answer sessions, and a chance to meet elected officials who are influential in asbestos-related policy.

The three-day event kicks off Wednesday evening with a Celebration of Life memorial ceremony for family and friends who have lost loved ones to mesothelioma. The following two days will be filled with discussions on the latest medical breakthroughs, fundraising efforts and caregiving techniques.

Representatives from Baron and Budd, one of the first law firms to successfully handle a mesothelioma lawsuit, will attend the Gala Celebration of Hope Dinner Thursday, July 12. The firm is a proud sponsor of the dinner and reception. Dr. Axel Hanauske and Rich Mosca will speak at the event.

Dr. David Sugarbaker, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, will be receiving the Pioneer Award at the dinner. Dr. Sugarbaker founded the International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) at Brigham and Women’s, one of the largest programs of its kind. The IMP offers clinical, research and support programs, with a clinical focus on developing treatments that can significantly extend the lives of mesothelioma patients. Baron and Budd was a cornerstone donor Executive Advisory Board member of the IMP.

Other awards being given are the Bruce Vento Hope Builder Award to Bonnie Anderson and the Volunteer of the Year Award to Janice Malkotsis and Erica Lacono.

The Meso Foundation, formally known as MARF, is a national non-profit organization committed to ending the suffering caused by mesothelioma.  It provides comprehensive educational, social and medical resources to patients and families with the disease, helping them to obtain the most up-to-date information on treatment options and to connect with mesothelioma treatment specialists, providing them assistance, emotional support and community with others.

To find out more about the 2012 Meso Foundation Symposium and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, visit www.curemeso.org

The national mesothelioma law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has been “Protecting What’s Right” for asbestos sufferers and their families for nearly 40 years. As one of the first law firms to successfully litigate an asbestos lawsuit, Baron & Budd continues to actively represent veterans, industry workers and others who are suffering as a result of exposure to asbestos. Contact Baron and Budd at 1.866.855.1229 for additional information on mesothelioma treatments, mesothelioma cancer doctors and treatment centers and mesothelioma attorneys.

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Promising new research indicates that mesothelioma may one day be treated with advances in something called photodynamic therapy.

Our mesothelioma lawyers read with interest the announcement made by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

To understand why this medical research news has caused a stir, you need to know that mesothelioma is a devastating disease. It takes many years to develop, but when it is ultimately diagnosed, it's always fatal. Patients rarely live more than a year or so beyond diagnosis.

That's what makes further mesothelioma research so critical - and what makes the results of this study particularly exciting.

Here's what we know, as indicated in a university press release:

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported "unusually long" survival rates for mesothelioma sufferers who underwent photodynamic therapy (also sometimes called PDT). Now, "long" is a relative term when we're talking about mesothelioma. The researchers reported that the individuals who were treated by PDT were living as many as two years longer than those who weren't.

Dr. Joseph Friedberg, co-director of the university's Mesothelioma and Pleural Program and the lead researcher of this study, said he does not consider this a cure. Further, he doesn't consider anything short of a cure to be a victory against this devastating asbestos-related disease. However, the findings of this study have prompted the university to dedicate even more funding to further research of mesothelioma treatments.

We're talking about one of the deadliest - and most aggressive - forms of cancer that currently exists. It is almost exclusively caused by some form of asbestos exposure, which in the vast majority of cases happened decades earlier. However, once a person is actually diagnosed, they have sadly lost any hope of long-term survival. In fact, some 40 percent of patients don't live beyond one year.

The most common form of treatment is a major, invasive surgery to remove all or part of a mesothelioma victim's lung, followed by intense, whole-chest radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Even then, the person isn't likely to live more than a couple years.

Previous research by the university indicated that lung-sparing surgery, combined with this PDT, yielded better results than other currently available treatments.

What these researchers did was treat 38 mesothelioma victims with surgery that kept the lung in tact, combined with PDT, a light-based treatment. Of those 38 patients, all but one were deemed to be in the advanced stages (that is, 3 or 4) of the cancer's development. Prior to the study, it was estimated that the patients would live an average of 31.7 months. However, at a follow-up a few months later, doctors increased that survival rate approximation to 34.4 months. What it actually ended up being was 41.2 months.

This is extremely encouraging.

The doctors said that while of course they are ultimately seeking a cure, the main goal at this point is to extend the patients' lives as much as possible, and to further to improve the patient's quality of life during their remaining months and years. By enacting a treatment that allows the patient to keep both lungs, not only is his or her quality of life improved, but it also means the patient is going to be more likely to be physically able to withstand treatments over a longer period of time.

While this is all great news, it's important for mesothelioma sufferers to also seek legal counsel, mainly on behalf of their families. Because this disease is so devastatingly fast in its progression, it's possible that patients may not live long enough to see the outcome of the case. However, they may take some comfort and solace in knowing that not only is it possible to make the company or companies responsible for their illness pay, but their loved ones may be taken care of in their absence.