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 diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Scientific studies and the World Health Organization have identified a link between long-term genital use of talcum powder and cancer. In June 2013, Cancer Prevention Research shared a study that determined females that have a history of using talc-containing powder on their genital region have a twenty to thirty percent increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Presented with scientific determination, expert testimony, and factual evidence, a court in St. Louis determined that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers about the risk of ovarian cancer associated with the genital region 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 compensation 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 Correlation Between Talcum Powder & Ovarian Cancer The earliest scientific paper to outline a possible link between talc and ovarian cancer presented itself in 1971. Detailed were pathology examinations of tissue samples from ten females diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The researchers noticed 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 conducted by Dr. Daniel Cramer of Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital demonstrated a statistical connection between a history of genital talc containing product use and ovarian cancer.
baby powder cancer of the research show an increase in risk of ovarian cancer. An article regarding Dr. Cramer’s study was published in the August 12, 1982 edition of The New York Times. The research examined the wellness history and genital talc use 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 continuing years, no fewer than 15 studies have demonstrated that long-term, frequent, genital use of talc-containing powder by women posed a 33% increase of the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Though a few studies have suggested no link between the usage of baby powder and ovarian cancer, those studies have been discredited for not holding into account the duration and frequency of talc use 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, information has come to light that reveal company worries about asbestos contaminated talc that dates back several decades and that the company conducted a fierce 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, in addition to other brands of talc containing products could have been contaminated with asbestos, has focused most of the nationwide litigation. Though most asbestos litigation and claims focus on employment, military and industrial-related exposure to asbestos, and asbestos related products as causing mesothelioma, the growing recent litigation is now focused on the link between asbestos, talc and ovarian cancer.
Focused on both the factual and scientific connections between exposure to asbestos contaminated talc powders and the development of ovarian cancer, the legal war is continuing to evolve and being joined by many women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Additional Information About Ovarian Cancer Ovarian Cancer and The Subtypes Ovarian cancer is a broad phrase which includes several subtypes which are known and distinguishable by their various characteristics and their location. Most ovarian cancer is found in the epithelium, that is the layer of tissue which surrounds the ovary. Approximately ninety percent of all ovarian cancers are located in the epithelium. There are several subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers that includes serous cell and endometrioid.
Another subtype is peritoneal ovarian cancer. A low percent of ovarian cancer cases start in the peritoneum that is bodily tissue that is separate and distinct from the ovaries. The peritoneum is a membrane that surrounds, protects, and assists in supporting the stomach 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 surrounds 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, accounting for approximately sixty percent of newly found cases of ovarian cancer. When diagnosed, serous cell epithelial ovarian cancer is commonly 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 can frequently develop in connection with other cancers, diseases, or issues that may affect the endometrium such as endometriosis.
Mucinous, Clear Cell, and Unclassified/Undifferentiated These 3 are less frequent subtypes of ovarian cancer. Though distinguishable for diagnostic purposes, the prescribed treatment for each of them is the same.
Peritoneal Ovarian Cancers Peritoneal ovarian cancer originates outside of the ovaries, in one or more areas of the peritoneum tissue. It might expand to other locations in the abdomen which includes, in some cases, the ovaries. The peritoneum is a membrane that covers, protects, and helps support the abdominal organs including, for women, the uterus and all of the other female reproductive organs. The peritoneum includes epithelial cells and, in this way, is similar to the epithelium tissue that surrounds the ovaries. Due to this, treatment of epithelial and peritoneal cancers is commonly similar. However, peritoneal cancer may be confined to the peritoneum and not affect the ovaries. It might develop in women who have had their ovaries removed. Primary peritoneal cancer could appear in any location in the peritoneum and not implicate 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 communicate with 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 Once ovarian cancer is diagnosed, peritoneal, it is then staged to understand its severity and possible treatment options. A common 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 and the tumor is limited to the inside 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 — Growth is limited to both ovaries minus any tumor on their outer area. There are no ascites present 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 are present: tumor is confirmed 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 II — Growth of the cancer includes one or both ovaries with pelvic extension.
Stage IIA — The cancer has migrated to and involves the uterus or the fallopian tubes, or both.
Stage IIB — The cancer has extended to other pelvic organs.
Stage IIC — The tumor is classified as either Stage IIA or IIB and one or more of the following appear: tumor is present 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 III — Presence of the cancer includes one or both ovaries, and one or both of the following are appearing: the cancer has spread past 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 migration to the small bowel or omentum.
Stage IIIA — During the staging operation, the practitioner might observe cancer including one or both of the ovaries, yet no cancer is grossly observable in the abdomen and it hasn’t migrated to lymph nodes. Yet, when biopsies are observed under a microscope, very small deposits of cancer are discovered in the abdominal peritoneal surfaces.
Stage IIIB — The tumor is in one or both ovaries, and deposits of cancer are appearing in the abdomen that are big enough for the surgeon to observe but not exceeding 1 inch in diameter. The cancer has not 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 deposits of cancer are bigger than 2 cm in diameter and are found in the abdomen.
Stage IV — This is the most advanced stage of ovarian cancer. Growth of the cancer includes 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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