Libby Epidemiology Research Program Continues with New Doctors - Mesothelioma.com

Libby, Montana - There’s a new doctor in charge of the Libby Epidemiology Research Program (LERP), and the fact that he’s one of the best in his field brings more hope that researchers may continue to better understand asbestos-related lung disease caused by exposure to vermiculite at the Libby mines.

Last month, Dr. Raja Flores took over the reins at LERP, replacing Dr. Stephen Levin, who passed away last year. Levin had functioned as the primary investigator. Now Flores, who is the chief of thoracic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, will assume that role.

Dr. Flores is joined by Drs. Claudia Henschke and David Yenkelevitz, both professors of radiology at Mount Sinai and both experts in the field of lung imaging. Henschke and Yenkelevitz also formerly participated in an international lung cancer screening study, experience that will greatly benefit the people of Libby, Montana, where nearly 2,000 individuals have reported lung ailments, including diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma.

The program, which is currently in its fourth year, is a five-year study paid for with a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Specifically, the program studies individuals who suffered environmental exposure outside of direct participation in W.R. Grace and Company’s mining operations, including whose who were exposed as children and then left Libby. Those patients are compared to patients at Mount Sinai who were heavily exposed to the more common chrysotile asbestos.

There’s hope that the program will help with earlier detection of lung diseases like mesothelioma cancer, which often takes decades to surface.

“Their work will help collect statistical information to form a baseline for understanding and comparison of lung disease from exposure to amphibole fibers in Libby,” reports an article in the Billings Gazette.

“And then hopefully, there’s some treatment. But you can only get there by improving imaging,” explained Brad Black, CEO of the Libby Clinic, which has treated thousands of Libby residents suffering due to asbestos exposure.

“Scarring of the lungs is progressive in Libby patients who were exposed to asbestos fibers, so being able to see the scars and gauge its growth through scans is important for care,” added Black. “What we need now is better imaging to see this.”