Many Pennsylvania families have been devastated to learn that a member of their household has contracted a deadly disease in the workplace, school or elsewhere. Mesothelioma is a terminal affliction. If you are familiar with the term, you might be among the tens of thousands of people in Pittsburgh or other parts of the country who are trying to cope with this illness.
There is currently no cure for Mesothelioma, which you can contract if you’re exposed to asbestos. Many Pennsylvania factories, shipyards, schools, churches and older homes were built long ago with materials that are laden with asbestos. There’s no safe amount of exposure to the microscopic fibers that enter airspace in various ways. If you or your loved one are ill, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about what treatments are available and also what type of support is available to families in your situation.
Three main types of treatment
After your initial diagnosis, doctors may employ a combination of three basic types of treatment, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. If your condition has progressed to an advanced stage that wouldn’t respond to conventional treatment, any treatment your medical team provides regarding mesothelioma will be palliative in nature, meaning it is designed to help alleviate pain and discomfort and achieve as high quality a life as possible considering the circumstances.
Drugs they use for chemo
If you undergo chemotherapy as a treatment for mesothelioma, your doctor may use Alimta or cisplatin. In fact, these are the only drugs the Federal Drug Administration has approved for treatment of your illness. This treatment has been known to slow the growth of mesothelioma cancer cells.
Before you can have surgery
There may come a point when your doctor advises against surgery. Before you can have this type of treatment, you will have to have a full medical examination so your medical team can assess your current condition to determine if surgery is a viable option. Whether you can have surgery also depends on the cell type of the cancer and which stage of the disease your doctor has diagnosed.
There are numerous types of surgery that may help alleviate mesothelioma symptoms. Some are definitely more invasive than others, and it’s critical that you speak with a doctor you trust to help you choose an appropriate course of action according to your unique circumstances.
Many Pennsylvania asbestos-injured residents also consult with attorneys who have experience in asbestos injury litigation to help them learn whether grounds exist for filing personal injury claims against employers or others whose negligence caused their injuries.