New medical research, which has isolated a gene that appears to protect against lung cancer, has been welcomed by Asbestos campaigners as a potentially massive breakthrough.Mesothelioma, which is caused by ingesting asbestos dust, has resulted in the deaths of many former manual workers in the UK. Around 2000 people every year are diagnosed with the disease, resulting in a great cost to the NHS and terrible suffering for patients, who have to undergo chemotherapy and other cancer battling medical procedures.Breakthrough offers hopeThe new research, by scientists at the University of Nottingham, has revealed a possibility for treating not just mesothelioma but other forms of cancer as well. The scientists discovered that lung cancer samples they analysed were missing a gene called LIMD1, which they believe acts as a tumour depressant in the body.Ed Yong from Cancer Research UK commented that: “This study fills in another piece of the lung cancer puzzle. Anne Craig, whose husband David died of the disease said that she hoped for a cure for the illness.”This breakthrough could have very significant implications for research into mesothelioma. Researchers discovered that people without this particular gene were more likely to die from lung cancer, but seemed to be protected if they had it. Personal injury claimsMesothelioma is one of the major causes of personal injury claims related to work in the UK and many thousands of families have won compensation from their loved-ones former employers. A recent ruling in the high-court found that relatives were also able to claim compensation from insurers even if the company that was responsible for the disease had gone out of business. As well as the workers themselves, relatives of workers have also been affected by the disease. In a recent case, a pensioner has been awarded a
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