On this day we salute you who served and protected this great country. Those of us who have not served in the military will never fully know your sacrifice, but realize that you are greatly appreciated. Your gift to our country of time away from family, education, or career is worthy of more than one day of remembrance each year, but know this day of appreciation is heartfelt.
May you feel the love and respect of your country today and every day. God bless you and God bless America!
The VA, Washington University, and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have joined to initiate a new Radiation Oncology Practice Assessment (ROPA) program. For the first time, radiation oncologists will be provided continuous feedback on the headway made in cancer therapy through new and innovative information technology techniques.
There are three major treatments for cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Approximately 60 percent of patients undergo radiation. This program plans to use the information gathered to improve cancer treatment for our Veterans who comprise a large portion of cancer victims. The first year will concentrate on the review of treatments for prostate and lung cancers, including mesothelioma.
Bruce D. Minsky, MD, FASTRO, chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors, stated, “ASTRO is deeply committed to improving the quality of cancer care for our Veterans and all Americans. Our cancer experts are enthusiastic about this new opportunity to better measure and enhance radiation delivery with the goal of producing high quality patient outcomes.”
With this assessment, a more complete determination of a patient’s therapy and their response to it can be provided to the oncologist. The goal is the ability to more closely pinpoint therapies that succeed in the fight against cancer.
DuBose Law Firm remembers our veterans on this Veterans’ Day. We recognize the great sacrifices the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces have made to protect our freedoms in the United States of America and for others throughout the world. The deadly danger from our enemies was not their only threat; danger also lurked aboard their own ships, aircraft or other machinery.
U.S. Navy veterans serving from World War II through Vietnam faced a toxic threat from the asbestos aboard their own ships. Many decades later that exposure surfaced in the form of asbestos-related diseases. Of the 2,500 to 3,000 Americans diagnosed annually with malignant mesothelioma, a significant percentage of those individuals served in the U.S. Navy. Still more veterans may suffer from asbestos-related lung cancer.
From the 1940s through the 1970s, asbestos was used in virtually every area of naval ships in hundreds of applications including: fireproofing, steam lines, pumps, boilers, condensers, evaporators, distillers, turbines, deck material, and electrical equipment. Veterans who served below deck such as machinist mates and fireman are at particular risk for the development of asbestos-related diseases.
Aircraft mechanics also had exposure from performing brake repairs on certain military aircraft as well as in the engine and exhaust systems of certain planes. Similarly, motor pool mechanics from the 1940s through the 1970s may have had exposure to asbestos performing brake jobs and other maintenance work on jeeps, trucks and other equipment.
Both lung cancer and mesothelioma develop 30, 40, 50 years, or longer after an individual was exposed to asbestos. So, even though asbestos was finally removed from most active naval vessels by the 1980s, service men and women who served decades ago are being diagnosed today with these deadly cancers.
If you served in these occupations you should inform your doctor that you were likely exposed to asbestos while serving in the military and ask them to monitor you for asbestos-related disease. Diagnosing these illnesses early can truly save your life.
To all current members of our armed forces and to all of our veterans – thank you for serving in harm’s way in the defense of freedom and liberty. God bless you and God bless America.
