There are many factors that can lead to asbestos exposure and the eventual contraction of mesothelioma. For example, many professions hold increased risk for asbestos exposure. Mechanics, contractors, and electricians are among the major professions that have been affected by asbestos exposure. Perhaps...

Asbestos was used for many purposes prior to its federal ban in the late 1970’s. In fact, asbestos use was incredibly widespread up until the time its relationship with cancer and respiratory illness became evident. Still, its use was so common that it remained in many of the fixtures for which...

Alternative mesothelioma treatment options include any treatments which the medical community deems as outside the acceptable or “traditional” treatments for the disease. Even though such treatments are not endorsed by most doctors, many mesothelioma patients have found them to be effective...

Because mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in its later stages, any type of curative surgery for the disease is usually not an option. However, as scientists invent methods that may help detect the disease during its earlier stages, such curative surgeries may become an option sometime in the near...

Radiation therapy is one of the oldest and most frequently prescribed treatments for a variety of cancers, including mesothelioma. The American Cancer Society reports that about 60% of all cancer patients receive some form of radiation therapy. Somewhat less frightening than chemotherapy and surgery,...

While the recommended mesothelioma treatment will no doubt vary from patient to patient and doctor to doctor, the form of cancer treatment most widely suggested is chemotherapy. Dealing with the idea of chemotherapy can be equally as frightening as the initial diagnosis of mesothelioma. Chemo conjures...

A diagnosis of mesothelioma is always difficult, whether it is pleural mesothelioma or another variety. Because this is such an aggressive and stubborn form of cancer, patients and their families may have a difficult time addressing the issue of treatment, but because options for mesothelioma patients...

How is mesothelioma staged? Staging is the process of finding out how far the cancer has spread. Staging of mesothelioma is based on imaging studies such as x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans. The treatment and outlook for patients with mesothelioma largely depends on the stage (extent of spread) of their...

Diagnosing mesothelioma can indeed by a tricky process. Because the symptoms are similar to those of so many other common diseases, this aggressive form of cancer can often be mistaken for something else. An accurate diagnosis largely depends on the patient providing a complete history – both medical...

Mesothelioma is a unique disease in that symptoms do not usually manifest themselves until anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. For patients and doctors, this is the most frustrating aspect of the disease. The latency period of mesothelioma is lengthy, making the disease undiagnosable...