Mesothelioma: Beware the Dangers of Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the thin tissue layer coating many of your organs. The estimates that approximately 2,000-3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.

There are three types of mesothelioma cancer. Each is classified based on where it occurs in your body:

· Pleural malignant mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your lungs. It is the most common form of the disease.

· Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the tissue around your abdomen.

· Pericardial mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your heart.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary based on the region of your body affected by the cancer. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

· Shortness of breath

· Painful breathing

· Painful coughing

· Chest pain near the rib cage

· Lumps of tissue under your chest skin

· Weight loss

· Dry cough

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are:

· Abdominal pain

· Abdominal swelling

· Change in bowel habits (frequent diarrhea or constipation)

· Lumps of tissue in abdomen

· Weight loss

· Nausea

· Vomiting

The primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a harmful fiber used as insulation. People who have a high exposure to asbestos are at greatest risk of developing mesothelioma. This exposure most commonly occurs in the workplace. Frequently, blue collar jobs in mines, ship yards, manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and railway facilities place people at greatest risk of asbestos exposure.

If asbestos dust is breathed or swallowed, the fibers can settle in your lungs or stomach, resulting in an irritation that ultimately causes mesothelioma. People with very high levels of exposure to asbestos are at greater risk of contracting mesothelioma than people with lower levels of exposure. It can take as long as 30 to 40 years for the disease to develop.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Over the years, many lawsuits have been filed and won on behalf of people exposed to asbestos at work. If you have been diagnosed with this rare cancer, you should consult an experienced mesothelioma attorney at once to see if you have a valid claim.

It is important to choose who specializes in mesothelioma claims. This is a highly complex area of the law, and you should not trust your case to someone lacking the proper experience. Several factors complicate many of these claims, including:

· The long delay between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma

· The widespread use of asbestos in many common products

· The ability to develop mesothelioma from second-hand exposure to asbestos

These factors can often make it difficult to prove precisely where you were exposed to this dangerous fiber. You will need a lawyer who can skillfully work with these factors and still help you receive the compensation you deserve.

If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, you are most likely looking at a lifetime of pain, medical expenses, and lost earning capacity. You should be compensated for your injuries. Why trust your mesothelioma claim to someone who is not an expert?

Mesothelioma: Beware the Dangers of Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the thin tissue layer coating many of your organs. The estimates that approximately 2,000-3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.

There are three types of mesothelioma cancer. Each is classified based on where it occurs in your body:

· Pleural malignant mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your lungs. It is the most common form of the disease.

· Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the tissue around your abdomen.

· Pericardial mesothelioma occurs in the tissue around your heart.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary based on the region of your body affected by the cancer. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

· Shortness of breath

· Painful breathing

· Painful coughing

· Chest pain near the rib cage

· Lumps of tissue under your chest skin

· Weight loss

· Dry cough

The symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are:

· Abdominal pain

· Abdominal swelling

· Change in bowel habits (frequent diarrhea or constipation)

· Lumps of tissue in abdomen

· Weight loss

· Nausea

· Vomiting

The primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a harmful fiber used as insulation. People who have a high exposure to asbestos are at greatest risk of developing mesothelioma. This exposure most commonly occurs in the workplace. Frequently, blue collar jobs in mines, ship yards, manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and railway facilities place people at greatest risk of asbestos exposure.

If asbestos dust is breathed or swallowed, the fibers can settle in your lungs or stomach, resulting in an irritation that ultimately causes mesothelioma. People with very high levels of exposure to asbestos are at greater risk of contracting mesothelioma than people with lower levels of exposure. It can take as long as 30 to 40 years for the disease to develop.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Over the years, many lawsuits have been filed and won on behalf of people exposed to asbestos at work. If you have been diagnosed with this rare cancer, you should consult an experienced mesothelioma attorney at once to see if you have a valid claim.

It is important to choose who specializes in mesothelioma claims. This is a highly complex area of the law, and you should not trust your case to someone lacking the proper experience. Several factors complicate many of these claims, including:

· The long delay between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma

· The widespread use of asbestos in many common products

· The ability to develop mesothelioma from second-hand exposure to asbestos

These factors can often make it difficult to prove precisely where you were exposed to this dangerous fiber. You will need a lawyer who can skillfully work with these factors and still help you receive the compensation you deserve.

If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, you are most likely looking at a lifetime of pain, medical expenses, and lost earning capacity. You should be compensated for your injuries. Why trust your mesothelioma claim to someone who is not an expert?

Mesothelioma Clinical Trialss

Clinical trials, phases I through III, are experimental treatments that have not yet been proven to be effective enough to be accepted as standard treatment. In fact, they are done for the purpose of determining whether they are or are not effective, and of determining to what degree they are effective. Results from clinical trials are compared with other forms of treatment to determine the most effective treatments under varying conditions. Clinical trials types include:


• Prevention trials

• Screening trials

• Diagnostic trials

• Treatment trials

• Quality-of-life, or Supportive care trials

• Genetics studies


What Kinds of Clinical Trials are Available for Mesothelioma Patients?


Clinical trials for treatment of mesothelioma might be designed to find a new treatment, or to improve a standard one. They test new drugs, radiation therapy, vaccines, new methods of surgery, or new treatment combinations.


Quality-of-life, also called supportive care trials work to improve cancer patients’ and survivors’ quality of life, comfort, or reduce the side effects of treatment or the cancer, itself.


How to Enroll in a Clinical Trial.


If your physician is unable to offer you a treatment or surgical option that he believes will cure, or improve, your condition, you may be eligible to enroll in a clinical trial. Your physician will be able to tell you which clinical trials are appropriate for you, and how to enroll.


Who Pays for Clinical Trials?


Clinical trials are not free. As with any medical treatment, you are responsible to pay for payment. If you have health insurance, you will need to find out whether or not they cover the particular clinical trial you intend to undergo. If your policy states that it considers clinical trials to be experimental or investigative, it may not cover any or your expenses for this treatment.


Increasingly, states are passing laws that require coverage for at least the routine care you would get during a clinical trial. These include doctor
visits, hospital stays, lab work and x-rays and other costs common to any covered treatment that you might receive. In most cases the group sponsoring the trial will cover some of the costs of the clinical trials. These would include the costs that are related to tests that are done solely for research purposes.


The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is one of those research groups. NCI is working with major health insurance companies and managed care groups, and Medicare covers patient care clinical trial costs. NCI offers links to articles about clinical trials that may answer many of your questions. Other links to valuable information are at NCI Publications.


What Happens During a Clinical Trial?


There are four phases of treatment clinical trials:


Phase I: First step in testing a new treatment in humans

• Evaluates effective dose, route of delivery, and frequency of treatment

• Evaluates harmful side effects

• Involves only a small number of human subjects


Phase II:

• Studies safety and effectiveness of this treatment

• Evaluates effect on human body

• Limits to a specific type of cancer

• Involves fewer than 100 patients


Phase III: Compares this treatment to the current standard treatment

• Patients are randomly assigned to either the standard treatment or the one under study

• Treatments at phase III have shown promise based upon results from phases I and II

• Involves large numbers of people from many different places in the country


Phase IV:

• Evaluate the long-term safety and outcomes of this treatment

• Usually done after treatment is approved as a standard treatment

• Involves hundreds to thousands of people to ensure consistency in results


A 2002 study at phase III showed that a new chemotherapy drug regimen was effective in extending the lives of mesothelioma patients while reducing pain and discomfort.

Mesothelioma Clinical Trialss

Clinical trials, phases I through III, are experimental treatments that have not yet been proven to be effective enough to be accepted as standard treatment. In fact, they are done for the purpose of determining whether they are or are not effective, and of determining to what degree they are effective. Results from clinical trials are compared with other forms of treatment to determine the most effective treatments under varying conditions. Clinical trials types include:


• Prevention trials

• Screening trials

• Diagnostic trials

• Treatment trials

• Quality-of-life, or Supportive care trials

• Genetics studies


What Kinds of Clinical Trials are Available for Mesothelioma Patients?


Clinical trials for treatment of mesothelioma might be designed to find a new treatment, or to improve a standard one. They test new drugs, radiation therapy, vaccines, new methods of surgery, or new treatment combinations.


Quality-of-life, also called supportive care trials work to improve cancer patients’ and survivors’ quality of life, comfort, or reduce the side effects of treatment or the cancer, itself.


How to Enroll in a Clinical Trial.


If your physician is unable to offer you a treatment or surgical option that he believes will cure, or improve, your condition, you may be eligible to enroll in a clinical trial. Your physician will be able to tell you which clinical trials are appropriate for you, and how to enroll.


Who Pays for Clinical Trials?


Clinical trials are not free. As with any medical treatment, you are responsible to pay for payment. If you have health insurance, you will need to find out whether or not they cover the particular clinical trial you intend to undergo. If your policy states that it considers clinical trials to be experimental or investigative, it may not cover any or your expenses for this treatment.


Increasingly, states are passing laws that require coverage for at least the routine care you would get during a clinical trial. These include doctor
visits, hospital stays, lab work and x-rays and other costs common to any covered treatment that you might receive. In most cases the group sponsoring the trial will cover some of the costs of the clinical trials. These would include the costs that are related to tests that are done solely for research purposes.


The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is one of those research groups. NCI is working with major health insurance companies and managed care groups, and Medicare covers patient care clinical trial costs. NCI offers links to articles about clinical trials that may answer many of your questions. Other links to valuable information are at NCI Publications.


What Happens During a Clinical Trial?


There are four phases of treatment clinical trials:


Phase I: First step in testing a new treatment in humans

• Evaluates effective dose, route of delivery, and frequency of treatment

• Evaluates harmful side effects

• Involves only a small number of human subjects


Phase II:

• Studies safety and effectiveness of this treatment

• Evaluates effect on human body

• Limits to a specific type of cancer

• Involves fewer than 100 patients


Phase III: Compares this treatment to the current standard treatment

• Patients are randomly assigned to either the standard treatment or the one under study

• Treatments at phase III have shown promise based upon results from phases I and II

• Involves large numbers of people from many different places in the country


Phase IV:

• Evaluate the long-term safety and outcomes of this treatment

• Usually done after treatment is approved as a standard treatment

• Involves hundreds to thousands of people to ensure consistency in results


A 2002 study at phase III showed that a new chemotherapy drug regimen was effective in extending the lives of mesothelioma patients while reducing pain and discomfort.

What Is Bone Cancer And Can It Be Prevented

Cancer of the bone or bone cancer is a general term used when cancer cells are seen in the bone. Cancer that begins in the bone is called primary bone cancer. It is found most often in the arms and legs but it can occur in any bone in the body. Children and young people are more likely than adults to have bone cancers.

Primary bone cancers are called sarcomas. There are several different types of sarcoma and each type begins in a different kind of bone tissue. The most common sarcomas are osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma.

In young people, the most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, usually occurring between the ages of ten and twenty-five. More often, males are affected than females. Osteosarcoma frequently starts in the ends of the bones; where new bone tissue forms as a young person grows, usually affecting the long bones of the arms and legs. Ewing's sarcoma usually affects teenagers, and is mostly found in people between ten and twenty-five years old.

This cancer forms in the middle part (shaft) of large bones and most often affects the hip bones and long bones in the thigh and upper arm, but can also occur in the ribs. Chondrosarcoma is a type of tumor that forms in the cartilage (rubbery tissue around the joints) and are found mainly in adults. Other types of bone cancer include fibrosarcoma (malignant giant cell tumor) and chordoma. These are rare cancers and most often affects people over thirty.

The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. However, symptoms may vary depending on the location and size of the cancer. Sometimes firm, slightly tender lump on the bone can be felt through the skin. Sometimes bone cancer interferes with normal movements and can also weaken or cause bones to break. Tumors that occur in or near joints may cause swelling and tenderness in the affected area. Other symptoms may include fatigue, fever, weight loss, and anemia. It is important to check with a doctor when you experience these symptoms, but these symptoms can also be caused by other less serious conditions.

Conventional treatment for some bone tumors may involve surgery, such as limb amputation. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be effective in some tumors (such as Ewing's sarcoma) but less so in others (such as chondrosarcoma). After treatment has been done for bone cancer, it is very important that regular follow-up or check-ups are done with your doctor, to be sure that cancer has not come back and treat it promptly if it does. Check-ups may be physical exam, x-rays, scans, blood tests, and other laboratory tests.

People who have been diagnosed of bone cancer may have many physical, emotional, practical worries. They may worry that removal of a limb or other surgery will affect not only how they look but how other people would feel about them. Patients can be helped to overcome all these through special support groups for youngsters with cancer and their families. The American Cancer Society, for example, is a nonprofit organization that has many services for patients and their families.

All types of cancer are traumatic for everyone involved. The keyword is prevention. There are natural supplements that work. Unfortunately we don't hear much about these supplements unless we investigate and search them out. Most of them fall under the conflicted interest of quack watchers because if it isn't manufactured by the drug companies, it can't possibly work. Sure there is some good being done in mainstream medicine, but when doors continually stay closed to alternative preventions and treatments, it's more than mere coincidence.

Take care of your health and realize you can live cancer free.

What Is Bone Cancer And Can It Be Prevented

Cancer of the bone or bone cancer is a general term used when cancer cells are seen in the bone. Cancer that begins in the bone is called primary bone cancer. It is found most often in the arms and legs but it can occur in any bone in the body. Children and young people are more likely than adults to have bone cancers.

Primary bone cancers are called sarcomas. There are several different types of sarcoma and each type begins in a different kind of bone tissue. The most common sarcomas are osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma.

In young people, the most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, usually occurring between the ages of ten and twenty-five. More often, males are affected than females. Osteosarcoma frequently starts in the ends of the bones; where new bone tissue forms as a young person grows, usually affecting the long bones of the arms and legs. Ewing's sarcoma usually affects teenagers, and is mostly found in people between ten and twenty-five years old.

This cancer forms in the middle part (shaft) of large bones and most often affects the hip bones and long bones in the thigh and upper arm, but can also occur in the ribs. Chondrosarcoma is a type of tumor that forms in the cartilage (rubbery tissue around the joints) and are found mainly in adults. Other types of bone cancer include fibrosarcoma (malignant giant cell tumor) and chordoma. These are rare cancers and most often affects people over thirty.

The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. However, symptoms may vary depending on the location and size of the cancer. Sometimes firm, slightly tender lump on the bone can be felt through the skin. Sometimes bone cancer interferes with normal movements and can also weaken or cause bones to break. Tumors that occur in or near joints may cause swelling and tenderness in the affected area. Other symptoms may include fatigue, fever, weight loss, and anemia. It is important to check with a doctor when you experience these symptoms, but these symptoms can also be caused by other less serious conditions.

Conventional treatment for some bone tumors may involve surgery, such as limb amputation. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be effective in some tumors (such as Ewing's sarcoma) but less so in others (such as chondrosarcoma). After treatment has been done for bone cancer, it is very important that regular follow-up or check-ups are done with your doctor, to be sure that cancer has not come back and treat it promptly if it does. Check-ups may be physical exam, x-rays, scans, blood tests, and other laboratory tests.

People who have been diagnosed of bone cancer may have many physical, emotional, practical worries. They may worry that removal of a limb or other surgery will affect not only how they look but how other people would feel about them. Patients can be helped to overcome all these through special support groups for youngsters with cancer and their families. The American Cancer Society, for example, is a nonprofit organization that has many services for patients and their families.

All types of cancer are traumatic for everyone involved. The keyword is prevention. There are natural supplements that work. Unfortunately we don't hear much about these supplements unless we investigate and search them out. Most of them fall under the conflicted interest of quack watchers because if it isn't manufactured by the drug companies, it can't possibly work. Sure there is some good being done in mainstream medicine, but when doors continually stay closed to alternative preventions and treatments, it's more than mere coincidence.

Take care of your health and realize you can live cancer free.

Alternative Treatments For Breast Cancer

A wide variety of alternative breast cancer treatments exist today. While “alternative” treatments are defined as practices that replace traditional treatments, most breast cancer patients use them in combination with conventional medicine. Generally, alternative treatments are not acknowledged by the medical community as standard medical practices and therefore, many patients do not inform their doctors when using these therapies. Examples of alternative treatments include acupuncture, massage, megavitamins, herbal supplements, nutrition, and magnetic therapy, to name a few.
Practiced for thousands of years, acupuncture involves the stimulation of specific points on the body using a hair-thin needle, or other method, to restore the body’s internal balance and energy flow. Acupuncture may be used for pain relief and to control side effects from chemotherapy.
Massage involves manual manipulation of muscles and soft tissue. It is believed that massage enhances the function of those muscles and tissues involved, while promoting relaxation. It is often used together with other therapies. Available scientific evidence does not support claims that massage slows or reverses the growth or spread of cancer.
Megavitamin treatments usually involve very high doses of vitamins A, C and E. While the body requires these and other vitamins for optimal health, too much of a single vitamin may be harmful and even interfere with other treatments. A healthy diet, one that offers lots of fruits and vegetables, eliminates the need for vitamin supplements. More is not always better.
Good nutrition is always important, but for anyone fighting breast cancer, or any cancer, it’s crucial. Though there are many, one alternative nutrition treatment is the macrobiotic diet. This diet is strictly vegetarian and includes whole grains, vegetables, beans, seaweed and soups. This diet is promoted for both cancer prevention and treatment, though there is no proof that is has any affect on either. In general, a healthy diet—one that includes fruits, vegetables and protein—provides the reserves of nutrients needed to maintain a strong immune system and cope with the adverse side of effects of treatments.
Herbal supplements are plant extracts and have long been used for a variety of health purposes. While they may be labeled as “natural,” it doesn’t mean that they are safe or even good for the body. The fact is that herbal supplements can act like a drug and may be harmful when taken in large amounts. There are few regulations in place to control the quality and safety of these products. In 2007, the FDA did initiate new regulations to help improve this, but many are not effective until 2010. Cancer experts often recommend that patients avoid dietary supplements altogether.
These are just a few of the many alternative breast cancer treatments available. When facing a life threatening illness, such as breast cancer, a feeling of desperation may be experienced while searching for treatments. As a result, the patient may develop an “I’ll try anything” mentality. While it’s important to keep an open mind about new treatment options, it’s more important to approach alternative treatments with caution. Be upfront and honest with everyone involved in treating your disease before starting any alternative therapies. Many of these may be safe, but there may also be risks involved when combining alternative and traditional medicine. Ultimately, the decision for any treatment is up to the patient. Choosing one treatment over another should be based on knowledge, not fear. Remember, knowledge is power.