Mesothelioma diagnosis prompts advocating for others

About three thousand Americans suffer from mesothelioma each year. A rare cancer, mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and a short life expectancy. It can take decades for mesothelioma to demonstrate symptoms in patients, but following diagnosis average patient life expectancy is eighteen months.

There are mesothelioma treatments available, which directly fight the cancer. These include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Many patients are also turning to palliative care to manage the pain and quality of life for the time they have left.

Following a diagnosis of mesothelioma at age 54, one man is facing the realities of his case with unexpected selflessness. Richard Mosca decided that his time would be spent advocating for others suffering from mesothelioma and similar illnesses. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation nominated Mosca to evaluate potential research projects.

Now, Mosca works with other patients, survivors and family members of those affected by military related illnesses and injuries on the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). The PRMRP is made possible through Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs of the Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD’s vision to “find and fund the best research to eradicate diseases and support the warfighter for the benefit of the American public,” is in accord with Mosca’s personal goals for his time as a reviewer.

Mesothelioma and other respiratory illnesses caused by asbestos have been associated with military service for years. Asbestos was heavily used from the 1940s to 1970s in ship building, munitions manufacturing and as a fire deterrent in military facilities. It is closely tied to naval ships in engine and boiler room components such as valves, pumps and gaskets. About one third of mesothelioma cases are found in naval servicemen and women.

Asbestos is considered non-threatening when contained inside other materials. Dangerous if inhaled, asbestos fibers become a health risk if airborne. The Environmental Protection Agency began regulating the use and removal processes of asbestos in the 1980s, defined in the Clean Air Act. Mesothelioma has such a long latency period though, that many believe the peak of mesothelioma cases has yet to be seen.

The PRMRP is committed to benefiting health and quality of life for military personnel, veterans and their family members. Regarding his experience as a reviewer for the program, Mosca said, “many brilliant people out there wanting to help the mesothelioma community – compassionate and understanding medical professionals dedicated to treating and curing mesothelioma.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 9:32 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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Early diagnosis promotes effective treatment

Early diagnosis prevails as the most recognized factor contributing to increased survival in mesothelioma patients. While the same can be said of many diseases, and specifically many cancers, it’s particularly true in the case mesothelioma owing to a variety of variables.

Mesothelioma, a cancer which affects primarily the area around the lungs, abdomen or heart, is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. The disease takes varying amounts of time to develop from patient to patient, and has been known to occur in cases with widely differing levels of exposure to the dangerous mineral. One of the defining characteristics of the disease is its long latency period, or the unusual amount of time that it takes for malignant tumors to develop after exposure to asbestos fibers occurs. In some patients, it can take as long as fifty years for the disease to present from the time of initial exposure.

An early diagnosis occurs most often in patients who are younger, healthier, and more fit to recover from the harsh mesothelioma treatments prescribed by doctors who intend to attack the disease. The vast majority of mesothelioma patients are beyond retirement age and already experiencing failing health; as such their suggested treatments are often confined to palliative measures aimed at decreasing pain and discomfort rather than attacking the cancer itself. In the rare cases when the disease is diagnosed early, doctors may prescribe radical treatment regimens such as curative surgery combined with intra-pleural chemotherapy and radiotherapy – a harsh treatment which is difficult to recover from, but one intended to eradicate malignant tissues.

Limited spreading of the cancer is also a benefit of early diagnosis, in addition to relative youth and ability to recover. Mesothelioma which can be contained and treated in one, localized site is more likely to be effectively destroyed without causing irreparable collateral damage to the surrounding tissues.

Unfortunately, effecting an early diagnosis continues to be difficult. Last year the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine contributed a study on improved diagnosis methods to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The study involved 167 volunteers and investigated the efficacy of measuring mesothelin in pleural fluids as a new method for mesothelioma diagnosis.

The study, like others of its kind, was promising but not practically applicable. The best method of early diagnosis still lies in patients discussing any history they have in the asbestos industry with their doctors, and completing a biopsy as soon as possible.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 30th, 2010 at 8:09 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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New Mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment protocol published

The European Guidelines for Medical Oncology (ESMO) have published a new guide to mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment, an addition that the journal hopes will increase early diagnoses and improve treatment efficacy. The protocol is particularly important due to the terminal disease’s relative infrequency, its general symptoms, and the profound impact that early diagnosis can have on survival times.

Mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer of a specific tissue which encases the body’s vital organs, is caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. The disease can take from twenty to fifty years to develop from initial exposure to asbestos, and presents with symptoms shared by a variety of general ailments. The long latency period and vague symptoms make it particularly difficult to diagnose, and its aggressive progression makes it an incredibly dangerous disease with a normally grim prognosis. The publication in the European Guidelines for Medical Oncology provide some standard diagnostic and treatment procedures which hope to help doctors diagnose mesothelioma more quickly and treat it more efficiently.

The guidelines state that one of the first symptoms of the disease is often shortness of breath and varying degrees of chest pain. An X-ray can help to discern whether the chest wall has begun to thicken – another symptom of the disease – and a test performed on the fluid accumulating in the chest cavity along with an audit of the patient’s occupational history can help to narrow the possibilities. If all tests at this point indicate a possibility of mesothelioma, the new guidelines suggest a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

In addition to symptomatic diagnosis, the guidelines discuss the possibility of further inferring a positive diagnosis by recognizing two specific protein markers found in the patient’s blood serum. While the role these proteins play is still relatively uncertain their presence has been correlated with a positive mesothelioma diagnosis.

A wide variety of experimental treatments exist for mesothelioma, but the ESMO report continues to support the traditional treatment methods of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Surgery, claims the new guidelines, should only be performed in early stages of the disease and should be followed by chemotherapy and combination radiotherapy where necessary. A variety of combination, or multi-modal, therapies – that is, collections of specific drugs and administration techniques – exist which have shown particular efficacy in different circumstances.

While mesothelioma is still considered a rare disease, its long latency period suggests that diagnoses will continue to rise considerably. Guidelines such as the new ESMO publication could help doctors to deal with rising instances of the disease.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 4:37 PM and is filed under News, Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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