Mesothelioma Treatment

When you think about your mesothelioma care team, you probably think about mesothelioma specialists, radiologists, pathologists, and other medical specialists with a background in mesothelioma care and oncology. Even though nurses are an integral member of your mesothelioma care team, they might not even make the list. Nurses are expected to step in and quietly be the glue that keeps a patient’s care together, without getting the credit they are due. A new study from the UK demonstrates the importance of lung cancer specialist nurses to improved patient outcomes. If the medical establishment … [Read more...]

It’s important to pay attention to your mesothelioma pain. Acute mesothelioma pain can be debilitating. Chronic pain, even if it is not severe, is exhausting. Mesothelioma pain can keep you from activities, such as exercise, which help your body heal from surgery or chemotherapy. Depression can go hand in hand with mesothelioma pain, and that can reduce your resilience, as you fight mesothelioma. Not all mesothelioma patients experience pain, but statistics show that about a third of cancer patients experience pain due to their cancer or cancer treatment. When you understand your … [Read more...]

When you get a cold or the flu, you probably want to get in bed and stay there until you feel better. Rest and sleep are important when we are battling illnesses, including mesothelioma. But movement is also important. There are many benefits of exercise for mesothelioma patients. You don’t have to run a marathon (but you can if you feel like it). Gentle exercise for mesothelioma patients is a vital part of your treatment plan. Best of all, your workout can be one of your most positive experiences during mesothelioma treatment. The Upsides of Exercise for Mesothelioma Patients It’s hard … [Read more...]

One of the complicating factors for many mesothelioma patients is that this rare and life-threatening form of cancer is difficult to diagnose. This can leave mesothelioma undetected until it has progressed to a later stage, when it is harder to treat. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma overlap with other, more common illnesses, including lung cancer and pneumonia. To combat this problem, researchers in Italy are studying samples from pleural mesothelioma patients to develop a set of mesothelioma biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis. The study on mesothelioma biomarkers is only … [Read more...]

When you think of mesothelioma research, you might picture scientists in white lab coats peering into microscopes or drawing samples from patients. But, just as mesothelioma has many aspects, so does mesothelioma research. The emotional wellbeing of mesothelioma patients can have a big impact on their physical health. A new study on improving the patient experience when receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma sheds light on the needs of patients and their families at this crucial time. Kazan Law, the sponsor of the Mesothelioma Circle website, is also a sponsor of the Young Investigator … [Read more...]

The composition of your mesothelioma healthcare team will depend on your mesothelioma type and the stage at which you are diagnosed. The medical professionals who will provide support to you and your family may change over time, as your needs change. When you understand what mesothelioma healthcare providers you need and want to work with, you are able to be a better advocate for your own care. Here are some of the medical professionals you may want on your mesothelioma healthcare team. Primary Care for Mesothelioma The first point of contact when you start to notice mesothelioma symptoms … [Read more...]

Stanford University scientists recently published some exciting cancer research. Using new technologies to study the genetic makeup of cancer cells, the Stanford scientists were able to complete their study in a fraction of the time it would have taken using older techniques. At the same time, the new processes increased the accuracy of the results. The Stanford cancer research was conducted on lab mice with lung cancer tumors. The result of this study could have a big impact on mesothelioma immunotherapy and other mesothelioma treatments. While this research is still in the lab and far … [Read more...]

Mesothelioma biopsies are crucial to mesothelioma diagnosis. Biopsies are procedures that remove cancerous cells from your tumor or fluid from the surrounding area. A pathologist then examines these cells under a microscope to determine if you have cancer, and if so, what type. Mesothelioma biopsies can determine which of the three mesothelioma cell types (epithelioid, sarcomatoid, and biphasic) are present in your tumor. This information could help your doctor determine the best course of treatment for your mesothelioma cancer. Epithelioid cells are the most common; sarcomatoid are more … [Read more...]

Cancer researchers at the Vanderbilt Center for Molecular Probes, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, have come up with a molecule that has promise as a potential treatment for patients with a variety of types of cancer. While mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, the mechanisms that mesothelioma cells use to grow and divide are the same ones that other cancers use. The Vanderbilt study, while it didn’t focus on mesothelioma, points at potentially productive directions for future mesothelioma research. Cancer Metabolism as a Focus for Mesothelioma Research One of the things that … [Read more...]