Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer Resource Center
Click above for a short introduction to Asbestos.net & to learn how we can help you today...Welcome to Asbestos.net, a comprehensive resource on asbestos and its devastating effects, including mesothelioma, asbestos cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
Made up of thousands of well-researched, plain English, and easy-to-understand articles, many of which have been reviewed by a licensed oncologist, we strive to provide the most complete resource available on all aspects of malignant mesothelioma - a cancer uniquely linked to just a brief exposure to asbestos. We also publish video articles, a directory of cancer centers and oncologists, a medical terms glossary, legal glossary, legal resources, and much more.
The content found on Asbestos.net is reviewed by an independent editorial board, which includes an oncologist, a registered nurse, a social worker, a veterans' advocate, and more. This has allowed us to create one of the most up-to-date and reliable information sources found on mesothelioma and asbestos cancer today: Consistently helping to provide patients and families with thorough, accurate information as they begin their search for answers, information, and mesothelioma treatment options. While only a physician can provide specific medical advice and treatment, we can offer information and support along the way.
Individuals whose lives have been touched by mesothelioma have numerous questions and concerns. Their caregivers and family members also need accurate, reliable information. Exposure to asbestos in shipyards, metal works, chemical plants, mills, the navy and other branches of the military, or the heating, construction or automotive industries may have put you and your family at significant risk of developing this disease, but there is help available.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer and need help, we invite you to explore the thousands of pages of oncologist reviewed material on asbestos.net, to call our convenient toll-free number to speak with a mesothelioma consultant, or to use our simple contact form above for a free, no-obligation legal consultation.
Asbestos.net - Information and Help for Patients and Families.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is diagnosed in 2,000 to 3,000 people in the United States each year, and is becoming more common. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lungs, although there are other types of mesothelioma may be also affect the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) or abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma). To learn more, click the links above or here for for information on symptoms, how Mesothelioma is diagnosed, the stages of Mesothelioma, support groups, risk factors, research, clinical trials, and much more.
Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by at least a brief exposure to asbestos. As with most cancers, early diagnosis greatly increases the efficacy of treatment. Unfortunately, due to the way it forms, mesothelioma may not manifest until anywhere between 10 and 50 years after the initial exposure.
Mesothelioma Symptoms are generally non-specific and resemble the signs of more common illness, such as flu, bronchitis, viral pneumonia and heart disease. These symptoms include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, excessive coughing and/or coughing up of blood, chest or abdomen pain caused by excessive fluid, weight loss, husky voice, difficulty swallowing, fever, anemia, bowel obstruction, inability to sleep, and loss of appetite. Since these are general symptoms of common viral diseases, it is always important to inform your doctor of any asbestos exposure history.
Usually it is the most common symptoms – breathing difficulties and shortness of breath – which prompt patients to consult with their doctor. It's crucial to disclose any history of exposure to asbestos, even if it occurred decades before, as this information can aid doctors in their diagnosis. Such disclosure can also prevent uncomfortable and expensive tests as well as making treatment more effective.
Mesothelioma Treatment
There are three main categories for treatment of mesothelioma: established therapies, experimental treatments, and holistic therapies. Often these treatments are not isolated-or used alone-but as a combination treatments.
Conventional Treatments
Established therapies include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Surgery is an option once the tumor is located, which can allow doctors to remove it. Curative surgery is the only surgery that can potentially remove all the located cancer. To be most efficient, the tumor has to be found in the early stages.
Radiation is often used in correlation with surgery. Internal radiation is the non-traditional method where tiny radioactive rods are implanted within a tumor in order to isolate the damage done to the healthy cells. External radiation, the traditional method, beams radiation to kill the cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy is used as an assistant, as well as a stand alone treatment. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy shrinks the tumor prior to surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy helps destroy cancer cells after surgery. Chemotherapy also aids in the efficiency of radiation therapy.
Experimental Treatments
Clinical trials have shown encouraging results with experimental treatments. These treatments include: photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, as well as others.
Holistic Therapies
Holistic therapies, also known as alternative therapies, are treatments that the patients choose to either use alone or to add on to the established techniques. Such treatments include: massages, acupuncture, TENS therapy, aromatherapy, meditation, and yoga. Holistic therapies are a way in which to relieve the side effects associated with established therapies.
These and many other treatments may be available to you at the mesothelioma treatment center where you are being treated, however, it is also important to discuss all of the various options you might have with your doctor (Click here for more Questions For Your Doctor) regarding your treatment.
Mesothelioma And Veterans
According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, there are currently 25 million individuals who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of these living Veterans have been exposed to asbestos or products containing asbestos material during their services.
Due to the chemical, electric, and heat resistant characteristics, asbestos was widely used by every branch. It was so powerful that it was mandated for wide spread usage prior to being phased out in the 1970s. It was used mainly for insulation purposes but was also used in over 300 products.
Navy Veterans were perhaps the most susceptible to mesothelioma, asbestos cancer, or asbestos related lung cancer, especially if they served between the 1930s and 1970s, as every ship and shipyard built by the Navy was fitted with numerous asbestos containing materials.
As early as 1939, the Navy's Surgeon General was fully aware that prolonged exposure to asbestos was causing asbestos-related diseases in its' crews and even publicly reported detailed health conditions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This report revealed that the yard's pipe covers and insulators exposed workers daily to deadly asbestos dust. The Navy chose to hide this from their sailors and continued to utilize the asbestos for almost four more decades, suggesting industrial production, due to cost efficiency, was more important than human protecting human lives.
Mesothelioma Legal Resources
The health hazards of asbestos have been known as far back as the 1930s. For decades, companies have wrongfully used asbestos and exposed workers to the dangers of this carcinogen, with reckless disregard for the consequences. Many of those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer were needlessly exposed by another party, often without knowledge of the deadly risks faced.
With that in mind, one of the most important things that a person who has been diagnosed with one of these diseases can and should do immediately is contact an attorney with experience in mesothelioma litigation to ensure that everything that can be done IS being done to help them on all fronts.
An important aspect of a mesothelioma lawsuit is recovery for medical costs and loss of income: For many, who either have no health insurance or whose insurance refuses to cover treatment of a "pre-existing condition," the only recourse may be to take judicial action and bring a lawsuit against an asbestos manufacturer or company. Equally important, however, is the fact that without some form of punishment, many of these corporations who made a decision to knowingly harm their employees and those that used their products in exchange for a higher profit margin will not change the way that they do business.
Mesothelioma litigation has provisions that help victims receive compensation by the manufacturers and distributors of asbestos and asbestos containing products, as well as by companies or other employers who knowingly exposed their workers to asbestos.
Asbestos.net offers well-documented, solid information on every step of the legal process including what is involved in a mesothelioma lawsuit, how to prepare an asbestos legal case, what documentation and/or evidence is needed, how to get financial support for mesothelioma victims, and many other aspects of the legal process.
Free case consultation
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, contact us using the form below to speak with a mesothelioma consultant, free of charge.
As part of our continuing goal to be the best online resource for all matters related to asbestos cancer, mesothelioma, and other asbestos related diseases, the vast majority of the medical related content on Asbestos.net has been reviewed by a New York state board certified oncologist, Dr. Michael T. Milano, M.D., Ph.D.While only a physician meeting with you face to face can provide you with specific medical information, advice, and treatment, hopefully the pages denoted with this symbol will act as a solid starting point in your research on these deadly diseases, allowing you to learn more about the various conditions and discuss your concerns with your doctor.
are labeled with 'Watch This Article' - To play the video simply click the green button shown to the left on any page where it's found.