If your doctor diagnoses you with mesothelioma, you might be hoping for a miracle cure. If your doctor tells you there is none, you might assume they are mistaken and that with all the advances made in medicine, surely there must be an answer.
Unfortunately, there is not. What’s worse is that by the stage the illness makes itself known, you probably do not have long left.
Statistics from the American Cancer Society (ACA) suggest the chance you get five more years of life is somewhere between 10 and 20%, depending on how far the cancer has spread.
Doctors may still be able to treat you
Many mesothelioma victims undergo treatment to ease their suffering and help them make the most of their remaining years or eke out a bit more time. Options include:
- Chemotherapy: Designed to kill damaged cells or minimize how much they allow the disease to spread
- Immunotherapy: This stimulates your immune system to help it fight the development of new cancerous cells.
- Radiation therapy: Using radiation to kill the cancerous cells
- Surgery: Doctors cut out the affected parts
- Palliative measures: To reduce the pain you suffer
All of these procedures can cost significant money. What’s more, as the mesothelioma progresses, it may limit your ability to work, reducing your ability to pay for your treatments further. Besides, if you only have a short time left, wouldn’t you rather spend it with your family than with your work colleagues?
The dangers of asbestos were covered up for years. As a result, the government put rules in place that certain employers who exposed their workers to asbestos must create compensation funds. Discover how you could claim compensation for your mesothelioma.