What is Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma, also known as mesothelioma cancer is a fatal cancer that affects the lining of the lung (pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum), and the lining of the heart (pericardium). The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma are less frequent, but still account for approximately 30% of cases. The main cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, although other factors such as smoking may result in additional complications. For more detailed information on mesothelioma, browse our website and fill out our form for a free book and detailed packet that you or your loved one can read at home.

Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Mesothelioma treatment should be a patient’s primary concern upon diagnosis. Throughout our site, you’ll find lists of mesothelioma hospitals and mesothelioma treatment centers. You’ll also find information about mesothelioma doctors such as Dr. Sugarbaker, an expert in emerging mesothelioma treatment. New Mesothelioma drugs and mesothelioma treatments, such as Alimta® are being used to fight mesothelioma lung cancer. A mesothelioma biopsy is often used to determine if a loved one is affected. If you or a loved one may be facing the reality that mesothelioma cancer treatment is necessary, fill out our form to receive the latest treatment options and mesothelioma clinical trials information.

Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Asbestos cancer, also known as mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure, typically found in particular asbestos jobsites. Mesothelioma found in those working at particular jobsites such as shipyards can quite often be easily traced to the asbestos products that were present in these locations. For instance, a navy veteran diagnosed with mesothelioma could have worked at Brooklyn Navy Yard outside New York or Todd Shipyards of New York City or California where they came into contact with various products containing asbestos. We have an extensive listing of mesothelioma shipyards and mesothelioma jobsites within our site.

Risk Factors

Posted October 16, 2008  Comments(0) Edit |  Tagged asbestos, cancer

I was exposed to asbestos, what now?

While there’s no magic formula to determine your exact risk, if you know or suspect you’ve been exposed to asbestos, you should let your doctor know. He or she can then be vigilant about performing appropriate tests and observing any symptoms that may be indicative of the beginning stages of an asbestos cancer.

The use of asbestos has fortunately become more and more limited, as restrictions on it have increased over the last few decades (asbestos is still not banned in the US). However, the latency period in asbestos cancers is long, sometimes decades, so workers who dealt extensively with any of the over 5,000 products that contained asbestos–including floor tile, paints, automotive brake shoes, roofing materials, and more–may still be at risk for one or more asbestos-related cancers.

While the continuous, regular exposure of these workers certainly seems to increase the risk of developing an asbestos cancer, no known level of exposure is safe. So it’s not just these workers who are at risk of getting an asbestos cancer. Worker’s family members, who washed the asbestos-laced clothing or hugged an asbestos-dust-covered dad just home from work, are also at risk.

Then there are those who never thought they were working around asbestos: the do-it-yourselfer whose home improvements unknowingly brought them into contact with asbestos-containing products or the studen who attended summer school 30 years ago in that old building they were renovating at the time.

• Diagnosis & symptoms of asbestos cancer.
• Asbestos cancer treatment options.