California's Glyphosate Judgement – Emotion, Bad Science and Greed Win the Day

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 204-205
Author(s):  
Alex Berezow
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Agency ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Jurors in California have awarded $289 million to a man who claimed that his cancer was due to Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate, even though that is biologically impossible. Even the judge acknowledged that there was no evidence of harm. Yet, trial lawyers manipulated a jury's emotions and the public's misunderstanding of science to score another jackpot verdict. The plaintiff, Dewayne Johnson, claims that glyphosate gave him non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that occurs when the immune system goes awry. There are three major problems with this claim. First, as stated above, glyphosate does not cause cancer because it does not harm humans. It is an herbicide, so it is only toxic to plants. There is no known biological mechanism by which glyphosate could cause cancer, therefore its carcinogenicity is not even theoretically possible. That is why there is not a single reputable public health agency that believes glyphosate causes cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, and the European Food Safety Authority all reject claims of any link. The only organization of note that rejects this scientific consensus is a group within the World Health Organization called the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Contrary to all evidence, the group insists that glyphosate causes cancer – along with bacon and hot water. The truth is that IARC is a fringe outlier, staunchly ideological rather than scientific, and rife with financial conflicts of interest. Christopher Portier, a special adviser to the IARC working group that examined glyphosate, was also working for the activist organization the Environmental Defense Fund and received $160,000 from trial lawyers who stood to profit handsomely if IARC declared glyphosate a carcinogen because they could file suits in lawsuit-happy California. IARC's credibility has been so thoroughly shattered that Congress recently pulled its funding. Secondly, although the root cause of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is unknown, that does not mean its etiology is completely open to speculation. Lymphomas originate from white blood cells, so scientists believe that autoimmune disease or chronic infections play a role. Just because the plaintiff's attorneys can fool a jury into believing that glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma does not mean there is any scientific evidence – and there is not. Thirdly, glyphosate has been off-patent for 18 years, and about 40% of the world's glyphosate is made in China. So, why pick on Monsanto when several different companies could have supplied the glyphosate the plaintiff used?

scholarly journals Secondary Leukemia in a non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patient Presenting as Myeloid Sarcoma of the Breast

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Pitini ◽  
Carmela Arrigo ◽  
Maria Grazia Sauta ◽  
Giuseppe Altavilla
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Myeloid Sarcoma ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
Secondary Leukemia ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
Immature Myeloid Cells ◽  
Classification Of Tumors ◽  
Health Organization

As defined by the World Health Organization classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue, myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a tumor mass of myeloblasts or immature myeloid cells that can arise before, concurrent with, or following acute myeloid leukaemia. We describe a case of secondary leukemia presenting itself as MS of the breast in a patient previously treated for a non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

scholarly journals Primary B-Cell Lymphoma of Caecum Presenting as an Ulcerative Lesion in a Young Male

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
Arvind Bamanikar ◽  
Swapnil Patil ◽  
Shivam Sharma
Keyword(s):  
B Cell ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Young Male ◽  
B Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractExtra nodal site of non–Hodgkin’s lymphoma is mostly in the gastrointestinal tract. Large intestine is rarely affected compared with stomach or small bowel. The colon is affected in 0.4% of cases approximately. High index of suspicion is required to establish the diagnosis, since there may be no specific signs. Here we report a case of a 28-year-old male, who presented with diarrhea , abdominal pain and weight loss of 2-month duration and diagnosed as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) of the cecum as B-cell lymphoma, unclassified (BCLU) according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the CNS treated with BVAM or CHOD/BVAM chemotherapy before radiotherapy.

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 945-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
E M Bessell ◽  
F Graus ◽  
J A Punt ◽  
J L Firth ◽  
D T Hope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽  
Whole Brain Radiotherapy ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
Poor Performance Status ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma

PURPOSE To assess whether chemotherapy that includes drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier improves survival in primary CNS non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PCNSL) when combined with radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-four patients, with no evidence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, were treated with the related chemotherapy regimens of carmustine (BCNU), vincristine, cytarabine, and methotrexate (BVAM; 12 patients), cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone (CHOD)/BVAM (17 patients) and intensified CHOD/BVAM (five patients) between 1986 and 1994. The median age was 60 years (range, 16 to 73) and 47% had a performance status of 3 or 4 (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG]/World Health Organization [WHO]). Ten patients were treated with BVAM chemotherapy between 1986 and 1989, and subsequently 17 patients were treated with CHOD/BVAM (cytarabine 3 g/m2). Twenty of these 27 patients received whole-brain radiotherapy (craniospinal in four). RESULTS The complete response (CR) rate at the completion of chemotherapy was 63% for BVAM and 67% for CHOD/BVAM; more neutropenia occurred with CHOD/BVAM. The 5-year actuarial probability of survival of all 34 patients was 33% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14% to 52%), with so far only one recurrence after 2 years. Using multivariate analysis, age (P = .0005) and number of tumors at diagnosis (P = .0358) were prognostic factors. All five patients aged > or = 70 years died during or shortly after chemotherapy. Performance status was not an independent variable. CONCLUSION The BVAM or CHOD/BVAM regimens can be delivered despite neutropenia without significant treatment delay or dose reduction in patients less than 70 years of age. Further intensification of this type of chemotherapy is probably not possible with patients of this age, many of whom have a poor performance status.

scholarly journals Diagnostic and Prognostic Importance of Chromosomal Aberrations Identified in 61 Dogs with Lymphosarcoma

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 528-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Hahn ◽  
R. C. Richardson ◽  
E. A. Hahn ◽  
C. L. Chrisman
Keyword(s):  
Survival Time ◽  
Chromosomal Aberrations ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
First Remission ◽  
Prognostic Importance

To determine the diagnostic and/or prognostic importance of chromosomal aberrations identified in dogs with malignant (non-Hodgkin's) lymphoma, clinical stages for 61 dogs with lymphosarcoma were determined, the lymph node(s) were histopathologically graded, and the malignant tissue lymphocytes were karyotyped. The results from life table survival curve analysis demonstrated that first remission length and survival time were significantly longer in 15 of 61 (25%) dogs that had a trisomy of chromosome 13 as the primary chromosomal aberration than in those dogs (46/61, 75%) with other primary chromosomal aberrations ( P < 0.05). Sex, age, weight, histopathologic subtype and grade, World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage, WHO and modified Karnofsky performance status, chromosomal modal number, and treatment protocol were of no prognostic importance in predicting first remission length or survival time ( P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis did not identify a significant correlation between the prognostic groups or within the various prognostic subsets ( P > 0.05). The pathogenesis of canine and human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as observed cytogenetically, differs.

scholarly journals Critical Review of the Effects of Glyphosate Exposure to the Environment and Humans through the Food Supply Chain

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Torretta ◽  
Ioannis Katsoyiannis ◽  
Paolo Viotti ◽  
Elena Rada
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Global Market ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Agency ◽  
Synthesis Product ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Glyphosate is a synthesis product and chemical substance that entered in the global market during the 70s. In the beginning, the molecule was used as an active principle in a wide range of herbicides, with great success. This was mainly due to its systemic and non-selective action against vegetable organisms and also to the spread of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops, which over the years were specifically created with a resistance to glyphosate. To date, the product is, for these reasons, the most sprayed and most used herbicide in the world. Because of its widespread diffusion into the environment, it was not long before glyphosate found itself at the center of an important scientific debate about its adverse effects on health and environment. In fact, in 2015 the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France), an organization referred to as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland), classified the substance as “likely carcinogenic” to humans. This triggered an immediate and negative reaction from the producer, who accused the Agency and claimed that they had failed to carry out their studies properly and that these conclusions were largely contradictory to published research. Additionally, in 2015, just a few months after the IARC monography published on glyphosate, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy), another WHO related organization, declared that it was “unlikely” that the molecule could be carcinogenic to humans or that it could cause any type of risk to human health. The conflict between the two organizations of the World Health Organization triggered many doubts, and for this reason, a series of independent studies were launched to better understand what glyphosate’s danger to humans and the environment really was. The results have brought to light how massive use of the herbicide has created over time a real global contamination that has not only affected the soil, surface and groundwater as well as the atmosphere, but even food and commonly used objects, such as diapers, medical gauze, and absorbent for female intimate hygiene. How human health is compromised as a result of glyphosate exposure is a topic that is still very debatable and still unclear and unambiguous. This paper is a review of the results of the main independent recent scientific studies.

scholarly journals AIDS-Related Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current Status and Realities of Therapeutic Approach

Lymphoma ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Mwamba ◽  
Walter O. Mwanda ◽  
Naftali W. Busakhala ◽  
R. Matthew Strother ◽  
Patrick J. Loehrer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Approach ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Today AIDS-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (AR-NHL) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected patients the world over, and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. While the overall incidence of AR-NHL since the emergence of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era has declined, the occurrence of this disease appears to have stabilized. In regions where access to cART is challenging, the impact on disease incidence is less clear. In the resource-rich environment it is clinically recognized that it is no longer appropriate to consider AR-NHL as a single disease entity and rather treatment of AIDS lymphoma needs to be tailored to lymphoma subtype. While intensive therapeutic strategies in the resource-rich world are clearly improving outcome, in AIDS epicenters of the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa there is a paucity of data on treatment and outcomes. In fact, only one prospective study of dose-modified oral chemotherapy and limited retrospective studies with sufficient details provide a window into the natural history and clinical management of this disease. The scarcities and challenges of treatment in this setting provide a backdrop to review the current status and realities of the therapeutic approach to AR-NHL in sub-Saharan Africa. More pragmatic and risk-adapted therapeutic approaches are needed.

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