Treatment Options for Malignant Mesothelioma
Patients who suffer from malignant mesothelioma cancer often develop the condition after years of exposure to asbestos — a deadly carcinogen frequently found in insulation products. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that has affected thousands of victims each year.
In the early 1900s, many patients worked in asbestos mining facilities to use the mineral for a variety of purposes, including pipe and duct insulation, building insulation, wall and ceiling panels, roofing materials, patching and spackling compound, brake pads and lining, cements, toasters, floor tiles, and furnaces and furnace doors. This left thousands working in deadly asbestos environments.
In recent years, lawmakers have created several regulations regarding the use of asbestos, striving to provide safer working and living environments; however, the number of asbestos-related deaths continues to rise as the symptoms of mesothelioma present themselves twenty to fifty years after initial asbestos exposure.
There are three main types of mesothelioma:
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Peritoneal mesothelioma
- Pericardial mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type out of all reported cases. Pleural mesothelioma affects approximately 70 percent of all mesothelioma patients, and is a cancer of the lining of the lungs. Many patients develop pleural mesothelioma after inhaling asbestos fibers, which become lodged in the lining of the lungs and create cancerous growths.
The second most common type of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma, a type of cancer that affects the lining of the stomach. Many health care professionals believe peritoneal mesothelioma develops after patients eat foods that have been contaminated with asbestos, causing asbestos fibers to settle in the stomach's lining.
Pericardial mesothelioma affects the lining of the heart and is the least common type of mesothelioma, affecting less than ten percent of all mesothelioma victims. The cause of pericardial mesothelioma is uncertain, although physicians believe it is caused when inhaled asbestos fibers become absorbed in the blood stream.
There are three main types of traditional mesothelioma treatment:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy (radiotherapy)
- Chemotherapy
Most oncologists and health care professionals recommend a combination of the three to achieve the best results after mesothelioma diagnosis. As medical technologies become more sophisticated, many are incorporating new chemotherapy agents, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), immunotherapy and gene therapy into their mesothelioma treatment plans.
Patients who experience financial burdens as a result of mesothelioma should meet with a personal injury lawyer about filing a lawsuit against those responsible for their asbestos exposure. Personal injury attorneys hold vast experiencing filing claims against those who have negligently exposed their workers to known mesothelioma causes, and can help victims recover mesothelioma compensation to offset the costs of their medical bills, lost income, missed opportunities, and pain and suffering. Because the prognosis of mesothelioma has a survivor rate of less than a year after the initial diagnosis, many victims die before their lawsuit has been settled. In this event, the family members or heirs of the victim can meet with wrongful death lawyers to receive compensation for funeral expenses.