Guest Speaker April 17, 2019

Dr. Eudice Goldberg is the co-founder of the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation (CMF).  She and her sons started this charitable foundation to help patients and families affected by mesothelioma in Canada.  She did this initially to commemorate her partner who lost his battle against mesothelioma in 2005.  She presently chairs the Board of Directors of the CMF.

 

In addition to her work with the CMF, Dr. Goldberg has been the inaugural Division Head and then Program Director for the Division of Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Paediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, and is presently a staff physician in the Division.  She also chaired the Exam Board in her subspecialty at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is currently the immediate Past Chair.   

 

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that attacks the middle layer of the lining around the lungs (pleura), the abdomen (peritoneum), the heart (pericardium), or the testes. It is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos, and the latency period between exposure and development of mesothelioma is usually between 10 – 50 years.

 

Since 1992, mesothelioma has more than doubled in Canada to nearly 600 cases annually. In 2012, 470 men and 125 women were diagnosed with mesothelioma. Of these 383 men and 102 died from it. Sadly, this is expected to increase beyond 2020.

 

Until recently, patients diagnosed with mesothelioma weren’t expected to live more than a year or two after their diagnosis; however, recent advances have suggested that the prognosis may be improved for early-diagnosed disease.

 

 

Founded in 2008, the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation is a largely volunteer-run registered charity, dedicated to raising awareness and understanding about mesothelioma in Canada. The CMF supports mesothelioma patients and their families, as well as the development of a network of expertise in mesothelioma diagnosis, treatment and care across Canada.

 

The Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation was founded to serve three broad groups of people: patients and their families; healthcare professionals; and those concerned with the policy and advocacy around mesothelioma and asbestos.

 

 

CMF responds to inquiries about mesothelioma, answers basic questions, and provides information on resources and how to access state-of-the-art care across Canada.  In addition to providing public information, CMF awards grants to support training initiatives and other medical educational activities related to mesothelioma.

 

The CMF is also mandated to act as a resource for anyone working with asbestos and having to deal with the related health consequences. This includes labour unions whose workers are or have been exposed to asbestos, a multitude of other professionals who are affected by asbestos in their work, as well as other Canadians who may have also been exposed to asbestos.

 

In 2011 Canada stopped mining and exporting asbestos, and in December 2018, the Canadian government banned asbestos. However, many workers are still at risk of exposure to asbestos through imported brake pads, pipes, some exemptions to the ban, and renovations of old buildings. There is an urgent need for a plan on how to deal with the asbestos in our environment. This may include a registry of asbestos contamination, and more rules for the safe handling and disposal of asbestos. The CMF is working with others on developing such a strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

The soon to be launched Mesothelioma Health Network will provide a forum for the exchange of information amongst mesothelioma experts in Canada, and the development of new tools and education/training opportunities for frontline health care workers. Ultimately it is hoped that the network will help to improve patient outcomes by making it easier for all Canadians with mesothelioma or suspected of having mesothelioma to access state-of-the-art care no matter where they live in our country.  

 

 

CMF has identified, from a clinical and research perspective, the need for a mesothelioma patient registry. As a result, they have been working with others to have a national registry in Canada. Their justification for such a registry has recently been submitted to the Federal government, and is awaiting feedback.

 

 

Funding is urgently needed to maintain the CMF’s efforts to participate on asbestos strategy planning post ban, continue the development of the Mesothelioma Health Network, provide additional options for support groups, and provide annual medical training grants. Other priority areas may also be identified in the future.

 

For more information, please visit the CMF website at http://cmfonline.org/