Jan 20, 2006

Smokers Sue Philip Morris

A group of longtime Marlboro cigarette smokers sued Philip Morris on Thursday, but not for cash. Instead, they want the tobacco giant to pay for annual high-tech screenings they say would catch lung cancer in its early stages.

Like other tobacco lawsuits, the complaint filed by four plaintiffs in federal court in Brooklyn alleges they were victims of deceptive marketing of a deadly product. It seeks class action status for anyone over the age of 50 who has smoked the equivalent of one pack a day for at least 20 years.

The plaintiffs have demanded yearly spiral Computerized axial tomography scans at the company's expense. The suit claims the procedure _ which can cost up to $500 and is not normally covered by health insurance could save thousands of lives by detecting lung cancer before it becomes deadly.

"Philip Morris is obligated morally, not just legally, to make a health investment to help prevent death and suffering caused by the Marlboro smoke," said the smokers' attorney Jerome H. Block.

Philip Morris USA Inc., the nation's largest cigarette company, had no immediate comment.

Tobacco companies have won two other so-called medical monitoring suits that went to trial. In a 2001 case brought against Philip Morris, a West Virginia jury found that the manufacturer had no obligation to provide cancer screening for the state's healthy and former smokers; a Louisiana jury made a similar finding in 2003.

The new suit describes a Computerized axial tomography scan as a simple procedure that can detect small tumors on the lungs far more effectively than conventional chest X-rays.

Scott      

Do You Read All Of Our Cancer Blogs?

Do you read all of the blogs published by medicineworld.org? Many of our bloggers are busy keeping you updated on the various health related topics. We publish the following blogs at this time.

Cancer blog: I manage the cancer blog with lots of help and support form other bloggers. Through this cancer blog my friends and I try to bring stories of hope for patients with cancer. The cancer blog often republishes important blog posts from other cancer related blogs at Medicineworld.org. If you are searching for a blog that covers wide variety of cancer topics, this may be the one for you.

Breast cancer blog: Breast cancer blog is run by Emily and other bloggers and they bring you the latest stories, news and events that are related to breast cancer. Increasing awareness about breast cancer among women and in the general population is the main goal of this breast cancer blog.

Lung cancer blog: Lung cancer blog is managed by Scott with the help of other bloggers. Through this blog Scott and his friends constantly remind the readers about the dangers of smoking. It's a never-ending struggle against this miserable disease with which a social stigma of smoking is associated.

Colon cancer blog: Colon cancer blog is run by Sue and other bloggers. Sue brings a personal touch to the colon cancer blog since her mother died of colon cancer few years ago. She writes about stories, research news and advances in treatment related to colon cancer.

Prostate cancer blog: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men. American Cancer Society estimates that over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer occur in the United state every year. This important blog about prostate cancer is run by Mark and other bloggers. This blog brings news, stories, and other personal observations related to prostate cancer.

Medicineworld.org publishes a diabetes watch blog and this blog is run by JoAnn other bloggers. This diabetes watch blog brings you the latest in the field of diabetes. This includes personal stories, advances in diagnosis and treatment, and other observations about diabetes. Improving awareness about diabetes is an important mission of this group.

Janet      

Lung cancer
We engage a never-ending daily struggle to understand and defeat the hidden mysteries of cancer. This is a long and laborious fight, but some moments stand out as grim reminders of the severity of the problem and ruthlessness of the enemy. We recently heard about the sad demise of Peter Jennings, who was the news anchor of ABC News for a long time.