Who Is At Risk Of Developing Mesothelioma?

Being exposed to asbestos, a material used in many industrial and home products, is the leading cause of mesothelioma and it results in tens of thousands of deaths every year.

Commonly documented cases of asbestos exposure include (but by no means are limited to): working in boiler making, shipbuilding, auto manufacturing, pipe fitting, construction, living with a person who works near asbestos, occupying a home with asbestos tiles, shingles, insulation and other common items that contain asbestos, and having lived or worked where there have been asbestos products in use.

It may take decades to develop mesothelioma after asbestos exposure; sometimes as much as 40 years can pass before symptoms appear.

What Are  Mesothelioma Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest wall pain, and weight loss. These occur early in the onset of the disease but other signs may include wheezing, cough, fatigue or anemia, and blood in the sputum (material coughed out of the lungs).

People are considered at higher risk for developing mesothelioma if they have been diagnosed with asbestosis (inflammation of lung tissue due to asbestos exposure), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or lung cancer.

Only a physician can diagnose mesothelioma.

What Tests Are Used To Detect Mesothelioma?

A doctor will usually preform multiple tests to determine if a patient has mesothelioma. A person being evaluated for the disease can expect a series of questions about their medical history, smoking habits (tobacco use does not cause mesothelioma but may cause other diseases that present with similar symptoms), asbestos exposure and family medical history.

Patients will most likely also have chest X-rays, blood draws, physical examinations and similar tests which will be used to determine the presence of mesothelioma.

A brochoscopy is a procedure a physician may use to look inside a lung to view suspected cancer areas. The bronchoscope –a thin, tube-like instrument with a lens for viewing inside the lung– is inserted through the nose or mouth, down the throat and into lungs. It can be done at the doctor’s office.

In some cases, a biopsy (removal of tissue) may be preformed by a surgeon so a more detailed exam of a suspected tumor can be done. This is a minor surgical procedure and many patients will go home the same day.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma, a doctor will determine which treatment options are available to the patient.

What Mesothelioma Treatments Exist?

A cure for mesothelioma does not currently exist however many patients elect to undergo treatment to combat the cancer. There are multiple treatments available for patients with mesothelioma, with some more frequently used than others. The most common treatments are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Depending on the extent and stage (severity) of the mesothelioma, treatments will vary.

Surgical mesothelioma treatment falls into three main categories: diagnostic, curative, and palliative (pain relief). Often, surgeries include more than one type at a time. The removal of the cancerous tissue can be beneficial but may damage the lungs (or cause the removal of one) or other organs. Surgery is rarely performed beyond the early stages (I & II) of the disease, which is why early detection and diagnosis is important for this mesothelioma treatment to be viable.

Chemotherapy, like in many other cancer cases, is used in mesothelioma treatment. Chemotherapy drugs are designed to kill cells that are rapidly dividing (growing) by interfering with processes that occur during their division. The medicines are administered through an IV several times a week and the treatment will last for many months. Because some healthy cells also divide rapidly, chemotherapy has many side effects that can be rather unpleasant, but vary depending on which drugs the physician chooses for mesothelioma treatment.

Chemotherapy is often used in conjunction with radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy is another common mesothelioma treatment. Patients may receive one of two types of radiation therapies, based on a physician’s findings to determine which type is best for their mesothelioma treatment.

The first type is external beam radiation therapy. It is a traditional type of mesothelioma treatment where the cancer is bombarded with beams of radiation to kill cancer cells. The patient will under go multiple visits per week and, like chemotherapy, it may last for many months.

The other type of radiation treatment is brachytherapy. Small radioactive rods are implanted within the cancer to provide a concentrated dose of radiation inside the tumors and causing little damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. This is a newer form of mesothelioma treatment but there are specific criteria necessary to be a candidate for brachytherapy.

Most patients can expect a combination of surgical, chemo and radiation therapies for their mesothelioma treatment. Some patients may be candidates for newer or experimental therapies that can include new medicines, gene therapy or immunotherapy. These mesothelioma treatments are quickly becoming more available for patients, but as most are experimental, the patient should discuss these unproven procedures with their doctors.

Everyday, science creates new mesothelioma treatments and gains knowledge from current ones. Thanks to advances in medicine, people diagnosed with mesothelioma can expect longer lives than those diagnosed just a few years ago.

All mesothelioma treatment options must be discussed with a doctor. This information is provided to help sufferers gain basic knowledge of mesothelioma and its therapies.