Best 3 Mesothelioma Treatments Explained

Best 3 Mesothelioma Treatments Explained

Mesothelioma is one of the most uncommon types of cancer and is almost always caused by past exposure to asbestos. It is believed to affect around 2000 people in the UK each year. There are two different forms of mesothelioma; pleural mesothelioma (which makes the lining of the lungs become thicker) and peritoneal mesothelioma (which makes the lining of the abdomen become thicker). Being diagnosed with this type of cancer is not a pleasant experience. However, there are treatment options available. In this article I will be explaining three of the top mesothelioma treatments.

1) SURGERY:

 If you have pleural mesothelioma and it is in the early stages, surgery may be a viable treatment option. However, it cannot usually be used to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. When surgery is possible it will usually involve a pleurectomy (removing part or all of the pleura and the surrounding lung tissue) but sometimes an extra-pleural pneumonectomy (removing the pleura, the diaphragm, the tumour and the whole lung) is required for more advanced cancers.

2) CHEMOTHERAPY:

 This mesothelioma treatment involves using anti-cancer medications to slow the growth of the tumour. It can also help reduce any undesirable symptoms. Unfortunately, in most cases chemotherapy alone is not enough to cure mesothelioma and instead helps provide sufferers with a better quality of life. However, it can be effective after surgery for killing off any remaining cancer cells and reducing the risk of recurrence.

Chemotherapy treatment does come with some undesirable side effects. The main side effect is that the drugs used often kill some non-cancerous cells too which makes you more susceptible to infections and can make you tire more easily. There are other associated side effects which include hair loss, nausea and diarrhoea. However, these depend upon the type of chemotherapy drug being used.

3) RADIOTHERAPY:

 This involves using high energy radiation beams to destroy the cancerous cells. Radiotherapy is often used to relieve any undesirable symptoms but can sometimes prove an effective treatment for mesothelioma. It can also be used to shrink the tumour before surgery and to reduce the risk of the cancer returning after surgery.

Radiotherapy treatment also has comes with some unwanted side effects. These include nausea, vomiting and tiredness. However, these side effects and their severity varies depending upon the strength of the radiation used and the length of the radiotherapy treatment.

Mesothelioma is very rare but like any other cancer it can prove fatal if ignored. No one wants to be diagnosed with a condition like this but it can be treated. This article has discussed three of the options that are available but to get the full picture you need to go see your doctor. They are the professionals and they will be able to choose the best type of treatment for you and your circumstances.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative, it is intended for general information only. Mesothelioma is a very serious, life threatening condition and you should discuss any concerns, treatments or lifestyle changes fully with your doctor.


Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. You can learn more about mesothelioma and how improving your fitness can help prevent cancer by visiting Free Fitness Tips.

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Top 10 mesothelioma research topics identified and prioritised

Top 10 mesothelioma research topics identified and prioritised

Posted: 10th Dec 14 11:27 AM

The results of the mesothelioma Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) have been announced and 10 future research topics have been identified with the help of patients, carers and clinicians.

The mesothelioma PSP was set up through the James Lind Alliance (JLA) and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). A survey was launched earlier this year asking patients, carers and health professionals for their questions around the diagnosis, treatment and care of mesothelioma.

From a list of 52 questions, 30 were taken to a priority setting workshop in November. It was agreed that the following ‘top 10’ priority research questions need answers:

1. Does boosting the immune system (using new agents such as PD-1 or PD-L1) improve response and survival rates for mesothelioma patients?

2. Can individualised chemotherapy be given to mesothelioma patients based on predictive factors (e.g. the subtype of mesothelioma (epithelioid, sarcomatoid, or mixed), or thymidine synthase inhibitor status (the protein that drugs like pemetrexed act against), etc.)?

3. What is the best way to monitor patients with diffuse pleural thickening and a negative biopsy who are considered to have a high risk of developing mesothelioma (e.g. repeat biopsies, imaging, etc.)?

4. In mesothelioma patients, what is the best second line treatment (i.e. what chemotherapy drugs should be used if a cancer has recurred following first line chemotherapy, usually with cisplatin and pemetrexed)?

5. Which is the most effective current treatment for ascites (excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity) (e.g. denver shunt, pleurex catheter, etc.) in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma?

6. What are the relative benefits of immediate standard chemotherapy compared to a watch and wait policy for mesothelioma patients?

7. For mesothelioma patients, what is the best follow-up strategy post-treatment, to identify and treat emerging side effects and other problems?

8. In mesothelioma, is there a role for intrapleural immunostimmulants (a drug designed to stimulate an anti-cancer immune response, such as corynebacterium parvum extract) in addition to any other treatment?

9. Does an annual chest x-ray and/or CT scan and medical examination in high-risk occupations (e.g. carpenters, plumbers, electricians, shipyard workers) lead to earlier diagnosis of mesothelioma?

10. What, if any, are the benefits of pleurectomy (pleurectomy/decortication) compared to no surgery, and which mesothelioma patients might benefit?

As many of you will know, research into mesothelioma, its prevention, treatment, diagnosis and care is limited and underfunded. So, it was welcome and overdue news that research into mesothelioma had been highlighted as a priority by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2,535 people died from mesothelioma in 2012 and that figure will only increase. The HSE also recently revised when the number of deaths from the deadly lung cancer will peak in the UK, from the year 2015 to 2020.

In September, the NIHR asked for proposals across its research programmes and invited researchers to address the research uncertainties identified through the PSP. It is now hoped that the research community will react to the results of the PIP with new research proposals to provide evidence that will help people with mesothelioma.

From the reaction of the patients, carers and health professionals involved in the PIP, the significance of NIHR’s focus on mesothelioma research was not lost on them.

Naomi Horne, a Macmillan Lung Cancer/Mesothelioma UK Nurse from Cardiff, said: “Just reflecting on working in one guise or another with patients with a mesothelioma diagnosis since the early 90’s, it would have been almost inconceivable back then to dare imagine a room full of patients, carers, and clinicians sharing the stage and having an equal say about such important issues.”

Ian Jarrold, Head of Research at the British Lung Foundation, said: “Identifying mesothelioma treatment uncertainties is crucial to developing strategic priorities for research. This in turn will lead to improvements in the treatment and care of this devastating disease.”

Patient Graham Sherlock-Brown said: “The opportunity to discuss the whole subject of mesothelioma in one meeting, with such a pre-eminent cross section of UK experts and on an equal footing, was exhilarating.”

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. Less commonly it can affect the lining of the abdomen and heart. When the cancer develops in the chest it occurs in the pleura. This is a thin lining that covers the inside of the rib cage and the outside of the lungs.

Nearly all mesotheliomas are caused by exposure to asbestos dust. The disease and symptoms present many years after the asbestos exposure. Symptoms can include: feeling breathless, chest pain, coughing, weight loss, tiredness, heavy sweating and loss of appetite.

(Image courtesy of ponsulak at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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Top 7 Best mesothelioma lawyers in the U.S

Top 7 Best mesothelioma lawyers in the U.S

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer develops in the lining of the lungs or abdomen, caused by asbestos, a heat resistant material that can be used in fire resistant and insulating materials.

Making a selection of a reliable mesothelioma lawyer is important, however it is not an easy task; just in the same way as the difficulty of these cases; it is hard to detect, follow the traces of asbestos exposure in the environment, evaluate the damage that has been caused by the responsible company, gather reliable proofs, and ultimately get their clients fair compensations. For this purpose, the most prestigious attorneys for mesothelioma present their services. There are renowned mesothelioma lawyers who have been known to fight for their clients. An overview of the best 10 mesothelioma lawyers is as follows.

7. Weitz & Luxenberg

Attroneys Weitz and Luxenberg has been working together in this field since a long time. They have developed a strong working bond that they both form a really good lot of mesothelioma trial attorneys. Their first ever success was to win the verdict for 36 men who worked for the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Since this immense success the firm has been expanding and has now got more than 85 attorneys in its realm. Weitz & Luxenberg has evolved into the richest law firm in the country and has provided its clients world-class services.





6. Cooney & Conway

Cooney & Conway was founded in Chicago 58 years ago. Currently, it comprises more than 20 lawyers who have many years experience in the mesothelioma lawsuit field thereby proving their best in litigation procedures of various cases. The firm’s lawyers have won a lot of cases which enabled them to recover enormous amount of compensations for their clients who were diagnosed with mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos.




5. Brayton Purcell

For the past 30 years, Al Brayton and Gil Purcell has been working in the field. Their law firm has excelled in handling the cases of mesothelioma, and asbestos exposure, the injuries or harms caused by it. They have taken many such cases and recovered millions of dollars for their clients. The firm has also been significant in helping its clients to get over the financial, physical and emotional side effects of their state.
















4. Karst & von Oiste

This national law firm is dedicated to help the victims of asbestos exposure who have fallen prey to dangerous diseases like mesothelioma. This firm has got a long history of achievements in this field and has got settlements and high compensations for huge number of their clients.






3. Motley Rice



The law firm developed by Motley Rice was founded in 2003. Although it is no old firm, it has achieved remarkable mesothelioma lawsuits settlements. Motley Rice has got experienced lawyers in the complex litigation procedures. The law firm holds significant records of successful settlements and satisfying compensations for their clients, especially those who were diagnosed with mesothelioma due to prolonged asbestos exposure. Besides asbestos exposure cases the company also took insurance cases of the 9/11 incident and won insurance claims for more the 6,600 families.






2. Bergman Draper Ladenburg

Although not so big, yet Bergman Draper Ladenburg achieved many successes which made it find its way to this list. The lawyers of this firm are known on national level for fighting against asbestos exposure.






1. Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood

This firm was founded in 1974, and right now it has got 25 highly skilled and experienced lawyers. Kazan Law has taken cases for thousands of people and won high compensations that helped their clients to persu medical treatment for mesothelioma.





Having a look through the asbestos exposure cases and the harms it causes, we can notice the increasing rates of mesothelioma, and the wide range of cases have been monitored. The lawyers all over the United States have been fighting for the victims of asbestos exposure and have achieved massive success rates for them.

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