There is currently talcum powder issues where women, with a history of using talc products; Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower® Body Powder on their genitals, were found to have ovarian cancer. Scientific research and the WHO have determined a link between long-term genital use of talcum powder and cancer. In June 2013, Cancer Prevention Research published a study which concluded females that have a history of using talc containing powder on their genital areas have a twenty to thirty percent increase in risk of contracting ovarian cancer. Presented with scientific studies, expert opinion, and factual evidence, a jury in St. Louis found that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers regarding the risk of ovarian cancer connected with the genital region use of its talc-based powders. Internal company documents disclosed during the trial show that Johnson & Johnson was aware of the studies and attempted to discredit them. The jury awarded $72 million in damages to the family of a woman who succumbed to ovarian cancer and had a history of using Johnson’s® Baby Powder and Shower to Shower® Body Powder.
The Connection Between Talcum Powder & Ovarian Cancer The earliest scientific research to outline a possible link between talc and ovarian cancer appeared in 1971. Chronicled were pathology examinations of tissue samples from ten women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The scientists found talc in each of the tissue samples, an indication that each woman’s talc containing powder had moved from her external genitalia to her internal organs. 11 years later, an study conducted by Dr. Daniel Cramer of Brigham & Women’s Hospital showed a statistical association between a history of genital talc containing powder usage and ovarian cancer.
Results of the study show an increase in risk of ovarian cancer. An article about Dr. Cramer’s study was published in the August 12, 1982 issue of The New York Times. The research examined the wellness history and genital talc usage of 215 women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and compared them to women who didn’t use talc. The results showed a link between the genital use of talc and ovarian cancer. Across the ensuing years, no fewer than 15 studies have demonstrated that long-term, frequent, genital application of talc-containing products by women posed a 33% increase of the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Though a few studies have implied no connection between the use of baby powder and ovarian cancer, those studies have been discredited for not taking into account the duration and regularity of talc usage which is the only true measure of a woman’s exposure to talc.
Asbestos and Ovarian Cancer During the formal discovery portion of recent litigation involving Johnson & Johnson, documents have come to light that reveal company concerns over asbestos contaminated talc that dates back several decades and that the company fought a fierce campaign to degrade test results, scientific papers and other information that talc in its Baby Powder® contained asbestos. The fact that Johnson & Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Body Powder, as well as other brands of talc containing powders could have been contaminated with asbestos, has re-focused much of the nationwide litigation. Though most asbestos litigation and claims focus on employment, military and industrial-related exposure to asbestos, and asbestos containing products as causing mesothelioma, the growing recent litigation is now focused on the connection between asbestos, talc and ovarian cancer.
Focusing on both the factual and scientific links between risk to asbestos contaminated talc products and the appearance of ovarian cancer, the litigation is evolving and being joined by numerous women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
More News Regarding Ovarian Cancer Ovarian Cancer and The Subtypes Ovarian cancer is a generic term that combines various subtypes that are identified and distinguishable by their various characteristics and their location. Most ovarian cancer is located in the epithelium, that is the layer of tissue that surrounds the ovary. Almost 90% of all ovarian cancers are found in the epithelium. There are several subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers that includes serous cell and endometrioid.
An additional subtype is peritoneal ovarian cancer. A low percentage of ovarian cancer cases start in the peritoneum which is bodily tissue that is separate and distinct from the ovaries. The peritoneum is a membrane that covers, protects, and helps support the abdominal organs including all of the reproductive organs.
Epithelial Ovarian Cancers The most common types of ovarian cancer are the epithelial cancers, all that are found in the epithelium — the layer of tissue that covers the ovary. In this group are the following subtypes:
Serous cell epithelial ovarian cancer This is the most frequent subtype of all epithelial ovarian cancer, at approximately sixty percent of newly discovered cases of ovarian cancer. When diagnosed, serous cell epithelial ovarian cancer is commonly classified as either low grade or high-grade determined by the nuclei and mitotic characteristics of the cells.
Endometrioid ovarian cancer This subtype is identified from its relationship to the endometrium, that is the membrane which is the interior lining of the uterus. Endometrioid ovarian cancer might often develop in connection with other cancers, diseases, or abnormalities affecting the endometrium such as endometriosis.
Mucinous, Clear Cell, and Unclassified/Undifferentiated These 3 are less frequent subtypes of ovarian cancer. Though recognizable for diagnostic purposes, the prescribed treatment for each of them is the same.
Peritoneal Ovarian Cancers Peritoneal ovarian cancer starts outside of the ovaries, in one or more locations of the peritoneum tissue. It could expand to other locations in the abdomen including, in some cases, the ovaries. The peritoneum is a membrane that covers, guards, and helps support the abdominal organs which includes, for women, the uterus and each of the other female reproductive organs. The peritoneum consists of epithelial cells and, in this manner, is similar to the epithelium tissue that encapsulates the ovaries. Due to this, treatment of epithelial and peritoneal cancers is often similar. However, peritoneal cancer could be isolated to the peritoneum and not affect the ovaries. It can develop in women that have had their ovaries removed. Primary peritoneal cancer can appear in any location in the peritoneum and not include the ovaries.
Peritoneal ovarian cancer generally is defined as cancer cells are present in each of the peritoneum and one or both ovaries. The serous cell lining of the ovaries and the serous cell composition of the peritoneum signal each other and, in this manner, cancer cells could migrate, through shedding or other processes, between the two. When cancer cells appear in both of the ovaries and the peritoneum, the diagnosis is peritoneal ovarian cancer.
Staging of Ovarian Cancers When ovarian cancer is diagnosed, peritoneal, it is then staged to determine its severity and possible treatment options. A frequent ovarian cancer staging protocol is as follows:
Stage I — Presence of the cancer is limited to the ovary or ovaries.
Stage IA — Growth is limited to one ovary while the tumor is confined to the interior of the ovary. There’s no cancer in the outer surface of the ovary. There are no ascites appearing containing malignant cells. The capsule is intact.
Stage IB — Growth is limited to both ovaries minus any tumor on their outer area. There are no ascites appearing that contain malignant cells. The capsule is intact.
Stage IC — The tumor is classified as either Stage IA or IB and one or more of the following appear: tumor is observed on the outer surface of one or both ovaries; the capsule has ruptured; and there are ascites containing malignant cells or with positive peritoneal washings.
Stage II — Presence of the cancer involves one or both ovaries with pelvic extension.
Stage IIA — The cancer has extended to and includes the uterus or the fallopian tubes, or both.
Stage IIB — The cancer has moved to other pelvic organs.
Stage IIC — The tumor is classified as either Stage IIA or IIB and one or more of the following are present: tumor is present on the outer area of one or both ovaries; the capsule has ruptured; and there are ascites containing malignant cells or with positive peritoneal washings.
Stage III — Presence of the cancer involves one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following are present: the cancer has spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen; and the cancer has spread to lymph nodes. The tumor is confined to the true pelvis but with histologically proven malignant extension to the small bowel or omentum.
Stage IIIA — During the staging operation, the practitioner could see cancer including one or both of the ovaries, yet no cancer is grossly observable in the abdomen and it hasn’t expanded to lymph nodes. Yet, when biopsies are observed under a microscope, very tiny deposits of cancer are discovered in the abdominal peritoneal surfaces.
Stage IIIB — The tumor is in one or both ovaries, and traces of cancer are present in the abdomen that are large enough for the surgeon to observe but not bigger than 2 cm in diameter. The cancer hasn’t expanded to the lymph nodes.
Stage IIIC — The tumor is in one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following is present: the cancer has migrated to lymph nodes; and the amounts of cancer exceed 1 inch in size and are discovered in the abdomen.
Stage IV — This is the most advanced stage of ovarian cancer. Presence of the cancer involves one or both ovaries and distant metastases have happened. Discovering ovarian cancer cells in pleural fluid is also evidence of stage IV disease.
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