Pleural Mesothelioma is easier to diagnose then Peritoneal Mesothelioma.
There are three (3) useful tests when beginning to diagnose your condition:
With the use of X-rays a photographic image is obtained from low doses of high energy radiation. High doses of X-rays can be used to treat some cancers and is called radiation therapy.
Continue reading What kinds of tests for Mesothelioma can the doctor request?
The doctor who began your evaluation for cancer will generally be the one responsible to provide the diagnosis. This could be your primary care provider. Those persons who were referred to an oncologist will probably receive their diagnosis from that specialist. The doctor that delivers the diagnosis message should inform you about the certainty of the pathologist regarding your biopsy. Ask for all the information that is available. The best doctors will share any doubts.
Just be frank with your doctor and ask her. Many doctors may never see Mesothelioma because only 3000 – 4000 new cases of the disease occur each year. Of course the doctors that service an area in which the industry exposes the public to asbestos will see more mesothelioma cases and therefore have greater familiarity with the cancer. Sometimes the larger medical care centers will also have doctors who have seen more cases of mesothelioma.
You simply have to ask. Reputable doctors will not take offense and instead empathize with your concern. Find a new doctor if she does become defensive.
Ask our Dr. Gill at the research foundation. He will gladly give impartial, professional advice and make a referral.
There is a latent period between when a person comes in contact with asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma cancer. After a latency period of 15 to 40 or more years after initial exposure to asbestos, a patient will typically demonstrates symptoms mesothelioma. So mesothelioma can take decades to develop with the symptoms not arising until after the cancer has set in. Because mesothelioma has symptoms that resemble many less serious illnesses a lot of patients go unaware to how sever the disease is in their body.
National Allied Health Professionals Week starts November 7th with the purpose of raising public awareness and appreciation for the health care professions in the industry who are not doctors and nurses. These dedicated individuals assist physicians and other members of your health care team in the professional delivery of your patient care services. Allied health professionals also provide support in the prevention, identification and treatment of diseases such as mesothelioma. There has been a multitude of people exposed to asbestos which is the primary cause of mesothelioma, a complex and rare disease. And now there is an immediate need for a many more allied health professionals to provide appropriate levels of support to a rising population of mesothelioma patients.
Asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals that occur naturally in metamorphic deposits located around the world. Asbestos fibers are durable, strong, flexible, resistant to wear, they don’t burn, it is abundant and inexpensive to work with.
Of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety, the six types include tremolite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, chrysotile asbestos, amosite asbestos and crocidolite asbestos. Asbestos is a chemically inert mineral that is fire resistanct and does not conduct heat or electricity (making it a commonly used insulator), is insoluble and is without odor. Asbestos’ combination of properties made it a valuable resource, regularly used in buildings, automobiles, shipyards and a variety of household products.
One gets mesothelioma from being exposed to asbestos. So prevention for getting the disease is choosing to avoid exposure to asbestos and eliminating sources of asbestos to be exposed to. Asbestos is not gone from the environment or workplace even after the many limitations that have been placed on its use. Asbestos has not been banned in the United States even though there has been a growing body of medical research, cancer cases, and well documented dangers at it.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) issued a ruling on July 12, 1989 to ban nearly all products containing asbestos.
But in 1991 this rule was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and consequently only the following six specific asbestos-containing product categories remain banned; many other products containing asbestos continue to be sold and manufactured today in the U.S.:
Asbestos exposure is almost always the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma might also be caused by a few other factors, but this opinion is a continuing area of research.
While today, the average asbestos levels in buildings seem to be very low, an estimated three (3) million employees in construction and general manufacturing industries still face significant asbestos exposure on the job. These people will become victims of asbestos exposure. The greatest exposures to asbestos are still in the construction trades. The primary exposure to the dangers of asbestos are during the removal of products made with asbestos during renovation or demolition of buildings. And of course, everyone exposed to breathing the dust particles created by the terrorist attack on the Twin Tower Trade buildings on September 11, 2001 are at high risk of developing Mesothelioma. The risk of developing Mesothelioma increases over time, from 15 to 30 years, after the exposure to asbestos has stopped.
Everybody who has been exposed to asbestos may develop mesothelioma. An estimated 3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job, even though the average asbestos levels in buildings today seem to be very low.
The more exposure one has one has to asbestos, the greater the risk of having mesothelioma cancer. Work environments are the primary source where people get exposed to asbestos and later in life develop the disease.
The greatest exposures to workers are in construction trades. Asbestos was used in building insulation, cement, automobile brakes, roofing shingles, flooring, piping and this is a small sample. So many workers were exposed during the manufacturing of asbestos products. Asbestos-related illness is also occurring in shipyard workers, school custodians, miners, railroad workers and even movie set workers.
Pleura is the general name given to the mesothelium that lines the chest cavity. Mesothelium surrounds the lungs and other organs. The mesothelium layer that surrounds the lungs is called the visceral pleura. The mesothelium layer inside the chest wall is called the parietal pleura. And the space found between these layers is called the pleural space.
