Mesothelioma Treatment Costs

By Marcus Peterson  |   Submitted On July 28, 2006

  

Like all forms of malignant cancers, the overall cost of mesothelioma treatment is very expensive. A mesothelioma patient's care may be thousands of dollars per month. The major factors affecting mesothelioma treatment costs include age, side effect of the treatment, the effects of the treatment on the overall health and the probabilities of survival, as well as the stage and severity of disease and the body parts over which the affliction has spread.

Mesothelioma is a cancerous affliction, primarily of three kinds - pleural, peritoneal and pericardial. A variety of treatment options, including surgery, radiology, and chemotherapy, are needed to cure this malady. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to damage tumors and stop them from further growing and dividing. Surgery completely removes the afflicted organ or its part. Chemotherapy is a treatment used to kill the tumor cells by injecting medicines intravenously into the ailed areas. The cost of these therapies and follow-up treatments are very high. Occasionally, a combination of two or more treatment method becomes essential to handle the disease.

In general, mesothelioma treatment costs include fees for the physician, significant periods of hospitalization, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. In certain occasions, the patient and family members must travel far distances to reach a facility where the best mesothelioma treatment is provided. This will incur them the additional expenses of airfare, lodging, and related travel expenses.

Majority of mesothelioma diseases are directly associated to asbestos exposure. It is usually due to the willful carelessness of an employer, who does not issue the necessary warning before offering employment. Hence the liability of bearing mesothelioma treatment cost lies directly with the employer. The patient should consult an attorney who has a good idea of the cost of treatment. Mesothelioma treatment costs in such cases can be recovered easily from the employer.

Estimate shows that the medical costs associated with this type of treatment exceed $150,000. Mesothelioma treatment costs also differ depending on where the treatment is provided.

Many medical insurance plans available in the market cover mesothelioma treatment costs. Check your health insurance policy to see what sort of coverage you have.

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Mesothelioma Treatment Options - Basic Facts

By Kenn Taitano  |   Submitted On November 24, 2009

  

Before we can start discussing about mesothelioma treatment options it is vital for us to have a clear understanding of what mesothelioma really is. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the linings of lungs and abdominal area caused mainly by exposure to asbestos fibers over an extended period. It would normally take a long time, anywhere between 30-40 years for mesothelioma to rear up from the time of exposure to asbestos. It is critical to catch this disease early and to treat it in the early stages otherwise it will mostly likely prove to be fatal. There are various mesothelioma treatment options available such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Surgery

There are basically two types of surgeries available for the treatment of mesothelioma, one being aggressive surgery and the other, palliative procedures. Beforethe surgeons start performing any surgery, it is important to check if the heart and lungs are have been affected by the disease or if they functioning properly. Of the two types of surgery, aggressive surgery, which is also known as Pneumonectomy, is a very complex and invasive surgery performed mainly on younger patients, who are good in health and can better bear the strains of the surgery. Pneumonectomy involves the removal of the excess cancerous pleural membrane. The main purpose of this is to remove as much tumor as possible surgically.

The less aggressive surgery, palliative procedures is also known as Pleurectomy. This procedure is done in the early stages of the mesothelioma cancer. The process of this mesothelioma treatment involves the surgical removal of the pleura. This procedure is used more to lessen and control the symptoms rather than to cure the disease itself. This surgical procedure reduces the pain caused by the cancerous tumor and helps in preventing the recurrence of pleural effusion. The complete removal of tumor is not possible with this procedure.

Chemotherapy

Another mesothelioma treatment option is chemotherapy that combines the use of a variety of drugs for controlling and shrinking the tumor. The success rate is uncertain as some patients show only partial success to this method with the cancer going into remission. However, some combinations of chemotherapy drugs have proven to be successful. With extensive research into this disease, scientists are in the process of developing new chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma treatments.

Radiation Therapy

Radiatio therapy is another option in the treatment of mesothelioma. It makes use of nuclear radiations that are targeted at the malignant cells to kill them and thus, shrink the tumor. Radiation therapy is however, an extremely difficult procedure to carry out as it can and will damage the healthy cells of the patient's heart, lungs, and other vital organs within the vicinity of the radiation dosage.

Treatment is not just confined to either or of these available treatment options. Combination therapies are also available whereby chemotherapy and radiation therapy are combined along with surgery. This combination helps in killing any remaining tumor cells left after surgery and in relieving symptoms such as pain.

Mesothelioma treatments are very expensive due to the sophisticated equipment, specialist skills required and the length of period required. However the patients suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases sustained while working can file lawsuits against their employers for recovery of damages, medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity and pain and sufferings. The victims of this disease can seek help of expert asbestos attorneys in locating the defendants- persons/companies responsible for causing asbestos exposure.

The Mesothelioma Treatment Options [http://mesotheliomatreatmentoptions.org] site aims to provide relevant information and resources on mesothelioma or Asbestos Cancers [http://mesotheliomatreatmentoptions.org] to victims in order to help them know the disease better and their righst to compensation through specialist Asbestos Lawyers

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What Are The Four Stages of Mesothelioma Cancer?

By David Arnold Livingston  |   Submitted On September 06, 2005

  

One rare form of cancer is called Mesothelioma, a malignant tumor in the mesothelial tissues of the lungs and the abdomen, arising from the inhalation of asbestos. Its rarity is one of the reasons why a lot of people are not aware of this kind of fatal disease. In fact, many people die of Mesothelioma undiagnosed. Although there is now a growing awareness of the hazards of asbestos to health, still many have not heard of Mesothelioma and thus, have not understood its nature, cause, signs and treatment. Even some physicians find it hard to detect Mesothelioma because its symptoms are akin to other diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. Furthermore, it takes decades for a patient who was exposed to asbestos to develop Mesothelioma -- fifty years, at most.

Being unaware of Mesothelioma poses higher risks since it deters diagnosis and treatment. A person undergoing treatment must know the different stages of the cancer or the extent of the disease. Chances of recovering from Mesothelioma and the kind of treatment depend on the stage of the illness. There are basically two staging systems used for Pleural Mesothelioma (lungs): TNM system and Brighan system. These staging systems are also used in other kinds of cancers; however, the first is commonly used. There is no established method in determining the stage of the Peritoneal Mesothelioma cancer (abdominal) so the TNM system is used.

There are three variables in the TNM system: tumor, lymph nodes and metastasis. In the earliest stage of Mesothelioma, stage I, the malignant Mesothelioma cells start to grow and multiply only one layer of the pleura. The pleura is the membrane that encloses the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. However, there are some instances wherein the pericardium (membrane that covers the heart) and diaphragm cover are already affected. In this case, the cancer patient is still in stage I Mesothelioma.

In the second stage, the two layers of the pleura are already affected by Mesothelioma. Take note, however, that in this stage, only one side of the body is affected. Normally, the pleura produces only small amount of lubricating fluid that allows easy expanding and contracting of the lungs. The excess fluid is absorbed by the blood and the lymph vessels so there's a balance between the amount of fluid produced and removed. During the second stage Mesothelioma, fluid starts to build up between the membrane of the lungs and the membrane of the chest wall, resulting to pleural effusion. The increase in the volume of fluid produced causes shortness of breath and chest pain. Other Mesothelioma cancer patients experience dry and persistent cough. Diagnosis of the pleural effusion is achieved through a chest x-ray.

Stage III Mesothelioma means that the malignant cells have already spread to the chest wall, esophagus and the lymph nodes on one part of the chest. The patient may suffer severe pain near the parts affected. When not treated immediately or when the Mesothelioma patient doesn't respond well to medication, the cancer may advance to the fourth stage. The fourth stage Mesothelioma is formidable since at this stage the Mesothelioma cells have penetrated into the bloodstream and other organs in the body like the liver, the bones and the brain. The lymph nodes on the other side of the chest may also be affected by Mesothelioma in stage IV.

Brighan staging system, on the other hand, determines whether the Mesothelioma can be surgically removed or not and whether the lymph nodes are affected or not. In stage I Mesothelioma, the lymph nodes are not yet affected and the patient can still recover through surgery. In stage II, surgery can still be executed but some lymph nodes have already been infiltrated by the cancer cells. In stage III, the heart and chest wall are already affected; thus, surgery is no longer advisable. The lymph nodes in this stage, however, may or may not be affected. In the final stage, stage IV Mesothelioma, cancer cells have already gone to the bloodstream and other parts of the body like the heart, brain, bone and liver. In most cases, a patient who has reached stage IV Mesothelioma only has four to twenty-four months to live.

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