| By :
Wendy Moyer
Asbestos related diseases usually are diagnosed anywhere from fifteen to fifty years after a person has been exposed to asbestos fibers, dust, or particles. These diseases include asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other types of cancer. Most asbestos related diseases are fatal, although a number of treatment options are available. When a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma their life expectancy is approximately eleven to eighteen months. Mesothelioma can be a very painful disease and treatment for the disease can help to alleviate the pain. When a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma it is a very frightening experience. In order to ensure the best possible care and treatment the patient's oncologist should be updated about any medical changes that have transpired. There are generally three treatment options available: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Surgery might remove the cancer. Radiation therapy generally works by killing cancer cells by using high energy beams. Chemotherapy uses drugs to fight the cancer. Chemotherapy is almost always included as one of the treatments for mesothelioma. The chemotherapy is used to try to destroy or stunt the mesothelioma cells. The type of mesothelioma treatment will be determined by the patient's surgeon. This will often depend on the extent that the cancer has spread, the location of the tumor(s), and the health and age of the patient. Although the life expectancy is limited, the patient's doctors are always looking for ways to slow down the further spread of cancer as well as ways that they could remove the cancer cells. Recently new treatment options have been tested and they seem like they may be able to increase the life expectancy beyond the original expectations. Even when an advanced stage of malignant mesothelioma has been evidenced, a stage that seems to be incurable, small clinical trials involving radical surgery have resulted in approximately 48% of the patients living a minimum of five years beyond their original life expectancy dates. This type of surgery is called "extrapleural pneumonectomy." It involves the removal of internal body parts that mesothelioma cells tend to invade. Both prior to the surgery and after both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used. During the treatment of mesothelioma the oncologist will continue to perform tests in order to make sure that the therapy that is being used is appropriate and that it is working correctly. Mesothelioma was often caused when an employee was exposed to asbestos while at work. Often their employers knew of the dangers involved but did nothing to protect the people that worked for them. Any victim of mesothelioma deserves the best medical treatment available - and the best legal advice - no matter what their financial situation is. Even the best mesothelioma attorneys will often represent victims of mesothelioma on a contingency basis. This means that the victims will not have to pay any money to the attorneys unless they win the case. When that happens a pre-agreed upon percentage of the settlement or award will be apportioned to the attorneys.
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