Early diagnosis promotes effective treatment

Early diagnosis prevails as the most recognized factor contributing to increased survival in mesothelioma patients. While the same can be said of many diseases, and specifically many cancers, it’s particularly true in the case mesothelioma owing to a variety of variables.
Mesothelioma, a cancer which affects primarily the area around the lungs, abdomen or heart, is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. The disease takes varying amounts of time to develop from patient to patient, and has been known to occur in cases with widely differing levels of exposure to the dangerous mineral. One of the defining characteristics of the disease is its long latency period, or the unusual amount of time that it takes for malignant tumors to develop after exposure to asbestos fibers occurs. In some patients, it can take as long as fifty years for the disease to present from the time of initial exposure.
An early diagnosis occurs most often in patients who are younger, healthier, and more fit to recover from the harsh mesothelioma treatments prescribed by doctors who intend to attack the disease. The vast majority of mesothelioma patients are beyond retirement age and already experiencing failing health; as such their suggested treatments are often confined to palliative measures aimed at decreasing pain and discomfort rather than attacking the cancer itself. In the rare cases when the disease is diagnosed early, doctors may prescribe radical treatment regimens such as curative surgery combined with intra-pleural chemotherapy and radiotherapy – a harsh treatment which is difficult to recover from, but one intended to eradicate malignant tissues.
Limited spreading of the cancer is also a benefit of early diagnosis, in addition to relative youth and ability to recover. Mesothelioma which can be contained and treated in one, localized site is more likely to be effectively destroyed without causing irreparable collateral damage to the surrounding tissues.
Unfortunately, effecting an early diagnosis continues to be difficult. Last year the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine contributed a study on improved diagnosis methods to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The study involved 167 volunteers and investigated the efficacy of measuring mesothelin in pleural fluids as a new method for mesothelioma diagnosis.
The study, like others of its kind, was promising but not practically applicable. The best method of early diagnosis still lies in patients discussing any history they have in the asbestos industry with their doctors, and completing a biopsy as soon as possible.

Loss of loved one inspires mesothelioma awareness

Recent Blue Cross Broad Street run in Philadelphia included members of one family on a singular mission: to carry out last wishes of their late father, James “Chalk” Thompson.  Following their run, family and friends of Thompson’s gathered for a benefit to raise funds for Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.
Thompson died after battling mesothelioma cancer, a rare and aggressive disease affecting about three thousand Americans each year. Thompson wanted desperately to spread the word about his disease in hopes of raising awareness about mesothelioma and its cause, asbestos. Sadly, due to his condition, he was unable to undertake such a task. His family and friends, though, are stepping up in his memory. Thompson’s daughter-in-law, Leslie Gabor, said, “He said, ‘Promise me that you will get awareness out there and . . . tell people the signs so they can get checked.’”
Mesothelioma is a harsh disease, mercilessly attacking healthy tissues protecting lungs, heart and other abdominal cavities. Characterized by a latency period spanning several decades, mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose until its final and most aggressive stage. Following diagnosis, mesothelioma life expectancy is short and grim.
Thompson believed his mesothelioma was a result of his fifty-three years as an insulator in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Like Thompson, many individuals who develop mesothelioma have no idea they were ever exposed to its cause, toxic chemical asbestos, until it is too late to treat with any hope of survival. Common to many workplace environments, employers often do not know, or do not say, that asbestos is a present hazard. Asbestos exposure, both accidental and intentional, has cost thousands of lives.
In recent years regulations have been put in place to protect employees and the general public from the threat of asbestos, but violations continue to happen.  Prized for its fire resistance, durability and stabilizing qualities, and with a high cost on asbestos abatement training and licensure, many companies ignore the regulations and proceed without protecting their employees or clients. Asbestos has been used so heavily for the past hundred years in America and around the world, opportunities for exposure are countless and widespread. A peak in mesothelioma cases is expected in future as latency periods beginning after establishment of asbestos regulations, come to an end.
Thompson’s son, Jim, said of his late father, “He wanted to go to the union halls . . . and try to get the word out to other guys about getting checked, but it didn’t work out that way, so now we’re picking up the pieces and trying to run with it. Hopefully, anybody that wants to know will be able to get information.  If we could save one person from going through what my father went through, it would be well worth it.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 at 10:21 AM and is filed under General, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. 

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