Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

The Cancer Center at the University of Hawaii, one of the world's leading cancer research centers,  was the recipient of an anonymous donor’s $3.58 million dollar gift recently.  That’s the second largest gift the research center has ever received.  The money, however, was designated specifically for research pertaining to the deadly asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a deadly disease which strikes nearly 3,000 Americans every day.  The disease itself is caused by asbestos fibers which enter the body and decades later cause tumors to grow in the membranes that line the interior of the lungs, abdomen or heart cavities.  Initial asbestos exposure can occur years, even decades before a diagnosis is ever made.  In fact, a recent study in Germany found that the average latency period between exposure and the development of symptoms for mesothelioma can even be over 50 years. 

The rates of mesothelioma are set to peak in the near future here in the United States because the use of asbestos was severely curtailed in the 1970s and outlawed by the Clean Air Act in the 1980s.  However, potential victims are still being put at risk by asbestos materials leftover from the pre-ban era.  Many older buildings that get damaged by natural disasters, deterioted with time, or renovated cause the in-place asbestos containing materials to be disturbed, creating a potential for exposure to the public and environment.

While traditional treatments for mesothelioma, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, are used to combat the disease, their effectiveness has been limited.  Therefore newer procedures are constantly being investigated, including gene therapy and the use of genetically modified diseases, in hopes to cut the lethality rate of the disease.  Even with combined therapies, such as surgery followed by radiation,  and specifically targeted treatments, such as light therapy or pinpoint radiation,  the best a patient can hope for is an extended life span and better quality of life. 

For now, every new mesothelioma diagnosis carries with it the weight of the knowledge that there is no cure.  Every case ends in death. 

With the $3.58 million gift, the University of Hawaii can continue to pave the way in cancer research and will no doubt unearth discoveries that could possibly turn the tide in the war against mesothelioma.  Affiliated with the University of Hawaii Manoa, the Cancer Center is one of 65 such organizations designated by the National Cancer Institute as official research partners.  The current heads of the mesothelioma research at the center are Michele Carbone, Haining Yang, and Giovanni Gaudino.