Pennsylvania workers may be all-too-familiar with the disease mesothelioma, which is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer most often caused by exposure to asbestos. Statistics show that the disease usually shows up between 10 and 50 years after exposure, and once the cancer starts, victims typically survive for only another nine to 12 months. But there may be good news for those who are suffering from or know someone who is suffering from mesothelioma.

A new treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT) has surprised University of Pennsylvania researchers, who say the treatment has been remarkably effective in combination with lung-sparing surgery. The study has shown that PDT combined with lung-sparing surgery can bring about better survival rates than conventional treatments for individuals who suffer from mesothelioma. Reportedly, patients who underwent PDT treatment survived considerably longer than other patients who endured surgery that completely sacrificed a lung. According to a lead surgeon, most patients were still living two years after the new treatment.

PDT is not like radiation treatments, which pass completely through the body. PDT enters only a short distance into the body, allowing the lung to be preserved. In effect, the treatment helps destroy microscopic parts of the disease and improves the body's immune responses. Researchers attribute the improved survival rates to the ability of patients to keep both of their lungs.

But as Pennsylvanians know, such treatments don't come cheaply, and not everyone who suffers from mesothelioma will benefit from these new research findings. Regardless of their type of treatment, too many individuals die too soon as a result of asbestos exposure, and anyone who has faced the loss of a loved one because of another party's negligence has the right to seek compensation for the high medical bills that come with mesothelioma. Indeed, the pain and suffering of a wrongful death should not have to be compounded by the crippling medical expense of any treatment, new or old.

Source: kingofhowto.com, "Study: Mesothelioma Treatment Option Leads to "Long Survival Rates," Paul A. Achoa, Nov. 2, 2011