There are currently talcum powder lawsuits where women, with a history of usage of talc products; Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower® Body Powder on their genitals, were found to have ovarian cancer. Scientific studies and the WHO have identified a link between long term genital usage of talcum powder and cancer. In June 2013, Cancer Prevention Research published a study which concluded women that have a history of using talc containing powder on their genital region have a twenty to thirty percent increase in risk of developing ovarian cancer. Presented with scientific studies, expert opinion, and factual evidence, a court in St. Louis determined that Johnson & Johnson neglected to warn consumers regarding the risk of ovarian cancer connected to the genital area use of its talc-based powders. Company documents disclosed during the trial show that Johnson & Johnson was aware of the studies and tried to discredit them. The jury awarded $72 million in damages to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer and had a history of using Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Body Powder.
The Correlation Between Talcum Powder & Ovarian Cancer The earliest scientific research to describe a possible connection between talc and ovarian cancer appeared in 1971. Chronicled were pathology observations of tissue samples from ten women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The scientists discovered talc in each of the tissue samples, a sign that each woman’s talc containing powder had moved from her external genitalia to her internal organs. Eleven years later, an epidemiological study performed by Dr. Cramer of Brigham & Women’s Hospital showed a statistical link between a history of genital talc containing product usage and ovarian cancer.
Results of the study reveal an increase in risk of ovarian cancer. talc lawsuit about Dr. Cramer’s study appeared in the August 1982 issue of The New York Times. The research examined the health history and genital talc use of 215 women that were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and measured them to women who didn’t use talc. The results indicated an association between the genital use of talc and ovarian cancer. Across the continuing years, more than fifteen studies have demonstrated that long term, regular, genital use of talc-containing powder by women posed a 33% increase of the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Though some studies have implied no connection between the use of baby powder and ovarian cancer, those studies have been discredited for not holding into account both duration and frequency of talc usage which is the only true measurement of a woman’s exposure to talc.
Asbestos and Ovarian Cancer During the formal discovery portion of recent litigation that involves Johnson & Johnson, documents have come to light that expose company worries over asbestos contaminated talc dating back several decades and that the company fought an intense effort 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 might have been contaminated with asbestos, has re-focused most of the nationwide litigation. Though most asbestos litigation and claims focus on work, military and industrial-related exposure to asbestos, and asbestos related products as a source of mesothelioma, the ever increasing recent litigation is now focusing on the connection between asbestos, talc and ovarian cancer.
Focusing on both the factual and scientific connections between exposure to asbestos contaminated talc products and the development of ovarian cancer, the legal war is evolving and being joined by many women that have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
More News Regarding Ovarian Cancer Ovarian Cancer and The Subtypes Ovarian cancer is a general phrase that combines various subtypes which are identified and distinguishable by their various characteristics and their location. The majority of ovarian cancer is located in the epithelium, that is the layer of tissue which surrounds the ovary. Almost ninety percent of all ovarian cancers are observed in the epithelium. There are numerous subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers including serous cell and endometrioid.
Another subtype is peritoneal ovarian cancer. A low percent of ovarian cancer issues originate in the peritoneum which is bodily tissue which is separate and away from the ovaries. The peritoneum is a thin membrane that covers, protects, and assists in supporting the stomach organs including all of the reproductive organs.
Epithelial Ovarian Cancers The most frequent type 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 common subtype of all epithelial ovarian cancer, at approximately sixty percent of newly found cases of ovarian cancer. When diagnosed, serous cell epithelial ovarian cancer is frequently classified as either low grade or high-grade depending upon the nuclei and mitotic characteristics of the cells.
Endometrioid ovarian cancer This subtype is identified from its connection 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 issues which may affect the endometrium such as endometriosis.
Mucinous, Clear Cell, and Unclassified/Undifferentiated Those three are less frequent subtypes of ovarian cancer. Though recognizable for diagnostic purposes, the prescribed treatment for each is the same.
Peritoneal Ovarian Cancers Peritoneal ovarian cancer originates outside of the ovaries, in one or more areas of the peritoneum tissue. It could expand to other locations in the abdomen which includes, in some cases, the ovaries. The peritoneum is a membrane that surrounds, protects, and assists in the supporting of the abdominal organs that includes, for women, the uterus and all 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. Because of this, treatment of epithelial and peritoneal cancers is often similar. However, peritoneal cancer can be confined to the peritoneum and not affect the ovaries. It could develop in women that have had their ovaries removed. Primary peritoneal cancer could appear anywhere in the peritoneum and not include the ovaries.
Peritoneal ovarian cancer generally means that 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 way, cancer cells could migrate, through shedding or other processes, between the two. When cancer cells are present 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 potential treatment options. A frequent ovarian cancer staging protocol is as follows:
Stage I — Growth of the cancer is limited to the ovary or ovaries.
Stage IA — Growth is limited to one ovary and the tumor is confined to the interior of the ovary. There’s no cancer on the outer surface of the ovary. There are no ascites appearing containing malignant cells. The capsule is intact.
Stage IB — Presence is limited to both ovaries minus any tumor on their outer area. There are no ascites observed containing malignant cells. The capsule is intact.
Stage IC — The tumor is determined as either Stage IA or IB and one or more of the following appear: tumor is confirmed on the outer surface of one or both ovaries; the capsule has ruptured; and there are ascites that contain malignant cells or with positive peritoneal washings.
Stage II — Growth of the cancer includes one or both ovaries with pelvic extension.
Stage IIA — The cancer has expanded to and involves the uterus or the fallopian tubes, or both.
Stage IIB — The cancer has migrated to other pelvic organs.
Stage IIC — The tumor is determined as either Stage IIA or IIB and one or more of the following appear: tumor is appearing on the outside surface 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 includes one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following are present: the cancer has migrated past the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen; and the cancer has expanded to lymph nodes. The tumor is limited to the true pelvis but with histologically proven malignant extension to the small bowel or omentum.
Stage IIIA — During the staging operation, the practitioner might observe cancer involving one or both of the ovaries, but no cancer is grossly visible in the abdomen and it hasn’t moved to lymph nodes. However, when biopsies are observed under a microscope, very small amounts of cancer are discovered in the abdominal peritoneal surfaces.
Stage IIIB — The cancer is in one or both ovaries, and traces of cancer are present in the abdomen that are large enough for the surgeon to see but not exceeding 1 inch in size. 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 spread to lymph nodes; and the amounts of cancer exceed 2 cm in size and are found in the abdomen.
Stage IV — This is the most advanced stage of ovarian cancer. Growth of the cancer involves one or both ovaries and distant metastases have occurred. Discovering ovarian cancer cells in pleural fluid is also evidence of stage IV disease.
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