Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with this incurable disease, it’s important to familiarize yourself with key mesothelioma information. Here are some useful links to help you learn more about mesothelioma:
- Mesothelioma cancer
- Causes of mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma latency period
- Early symptoms of mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma symptoms
- How mesothelioma is diagnosed
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Peritoneal mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma prognosis
- Mesothelioma life expectancy
- Mesothelioma FAQs
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer Treatment Centers
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, there are many factors that play into choosing a cancer treatment center. Finding a treatment center within a reasonable distance of your home will cut down on travel time. It may also be comforting to know that your doctors are close by. Use this tool to find the cancer treatment centers closest to you.
Mesothelioma Doctors
Working with an experienced mesothelioma doctor—or team of doctors—is critical for anyone coping with this rare and deadly disease. Use this tool to find doctors in your area who have experience treating mesothelioma patients.
Mesothelioma Staging
While mesothelioma is incurable, patient treatments vary based on the stage of the disease. Doctors use different mesothelioma staging systems to determine their patients’ condition and outlook.
The Butchart Staging System is the oldest staging system and is based on the size of the primary tumor mass. There are four stages that comprise this system.
The Brigham Staging System, named for Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, bases its stages on whether surgical or non-surgical methods can be used to treat mesothelioma patients. Learn more about each stage of the Brigham Staging System:
Mesothelioma Treatment Options
The three primary treatment options used to alleviate symptoms and slow the progression of mesothelioma include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Immunotherapy and alternative therapies are also used by physicians looking for additional ways to help their mesothelioma patients.
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials
Mesothelioma clinical trials offer mesothelioma patients an opportunity to test the newest mesothelioma treatments. The clinical trial process has three phases: Phase 1 tests the safety or tolerability of a drug or treatment; Phase 2 tests the effectiveness of a treatment or utility of a diagnostic test; Phase 3 studies are randomized and compare a standard treatment against a new treatment to gauge the results. To consider whether this option makes sense for you or a loved one, explore the advantages and disadvantages of mesothelioma clinical trials.