Cancer mesothelioma affects the protective lining of our internal organs called mesothelium and is a fatal disease. It is usually acquired as a result of prolonged contact with asbestos. Many workers have lost their lives and their families are shattered because of this disease. Asbestos has been banned at workplaces, though it has not produced many results. The reason behind this is that mesothelioma cancer develops only many years after the person is exposed to asbestos.
All the three forms of mesothelioma, that is, the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial are highly potent threats to human life. In many cases, the cancer is detected only after thirty years, making it difficult to either claim for damages from the offending employer or taking effective treatment.
The fight against this cancer has been a multi-pronged one. While many governments have banned the use of asbestos, the law stipulates stringent compensation measures, which enable the affected persons or their family members to claim some money as a solace. Medical researches are on to find better and more effective treatment strategies to counter the menace of cancer mesothelioma.
The early symptoms of the disease are fatigue, fever, wheezing etc. The patient is made to go through a long series of medications including chemotherapy once diagnosed with the disease. Chemotherapy is extremely painful with many side effects like nausea, fever, rashes, sores, fatigue, diarrhea or constipation etc. This can make the life of the patients extremely miserable. Surgery and radiotherapy are also employed as part of the treatment.
Angiogenesis, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy etc are some of the modern treatment measures providing a new hope to the patients. New devices are invented for the early detection of the dreadful disease. Palliative care is also becoming popular these days, which focuses on reducing the pain the patient has to suffer.
Cancer mesothelioma, being a peculiar disease, requires long term clinical care where the combined effects of medical professionals, oncology social workers, psychologists and nutritionists are required. They provide solace and hope to the otherwise crestfallen patient and family members and give them a new urge to live. Without this urge, any treatment effort would prove futile.
Author Resource:
If you enjoyed this article about mesothelioma survival , then definitely check out this other website based on relationship between mesothelioma and asbestos .