Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Articles - How Is Mesothelioma Treated? Mesothelioma is a rare type of lung cancer predominantly caused by exposure to asbestos. The link between asbestos inhalation particles and mesothelioma was recognized in 1960, in addition to other illnesses like asbestosis and lung cancer.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency later banned the use of asbestos because of its carcinogenic properties, but the use of asbestos containing products had become so widespread that tens of thousands of workers had been exposed to dangerous levels of the toxin.
Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma in the U.S. The discovery that workers and communities had been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos for decades turned into massive litigation that continues to be the topic of debate and controversy. The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act would resolve all pending and future asbestos lawsuits.
Because of the latency period that exists between asbestos exposure and disease onset, mesothelioma patients and other asbestos related illnesses continue to take the lives of an increasing number of Americans. Before mesothelioma treatment can occur, signs and symptoms must be observed and then tested. The majority of patients with mesothelioma will experience shortness of breath and a third of patients experience chest pain. Some patients will also experience weight loss, cough, weakness, fever and loss of appetite.
Determining both the presence and type of mesothelioma that is present will often begin with an x-ray. Accurately determining the stage of mesothelioma in order to begin treatment planning will yield the best results. Every year, 4,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma, and according to Dr. Harvey I. Pass, the Head of Thoracic Oncology at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, one of the 37 National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, “it is no longer acceptable to dismiss mesothelioma as untreatable, for ‘untreatable’ implies an acceptance of failure.”
While research of treatment options for other types of cancers has been allocated in high amounts, mesothelioma has never been the recipient of substantial medical research programs. The National Cancer Institute allocated about two million per year towards mesothelioma research in recent years, but the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation says a large amount of it has been consumed by grants dealing primarily with causation instead of treatment, early detection or prevention.
Chances of mesothelioma recovery depend on the size of the cancer, where the cancer is located, how far the cancer has spread and other individual characteristics. Some mesothelioma patients will respond to aggressive mesothelioma treatment and have long-term survival, but the National Cancer Institute said it remains unclear if overall survival has been significantly altered by various mesothelioma treatments or by combinations of treatment plans.
According to Pass, “if we can be as aggressive with out investigations of novel therapies for mesothelioma as we are with breast and prostate cancer, we may avoid the perpetuation of this tragedy into the new millennium.” Mesothelioma treatment options include drug management, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation or other methods. The way that mesothelioma spreads along nearby surfaces, nerves and blood vessels often makes it nearly impossible to get rid of with surgery, radiation or both.
Mesothelioma is still considered a rare cancer with very few large clinical trials to allow different treatment methods to be compared. New mesothelioma treatment clinical trials are now under way, and researchers hope to find a way to stop mesothelioma from spreading, as well as finding a cure.
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