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  • Home > Blog > Mesothelioma > Get Educated About Mesothelioma Before Determining Your Treatment Plan
Posted on Friday, Jan 15, 2010

Get Educated About Mesothelioma Before Determining Your Treatment Plan

Mesothelioma is a rare, serious and aggressive cancer that normally occurs in the lungs and is conclusively linked to exposure to asbestos fibers. This exposure to asbestos fibers typically occurs in the workplace and is sometimes brought home on a worker’s clothes. Mesothelioma has an extended latency period – symptoms can sometimes take between 20-40 years to appear. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.

Determining your treatment plan is critical to your survival, and communicating with your medical team and your mesothelioma specialist is key to ensuring that you understand and are comfortable with the selected plan of action. Prior to meeting with your physician to determine your treatment plan, research mesothelioma and cancer treatments to find as much information as you can to be best prepared to plan your future.

Learn about clinical trials, handling the side effects of chemotherapy treatments, surgical options, nutrition and cancer, and many other topics that can impact your recovery during your struggle with mesothelioma. See CancerCare Connect Education Workshops for a series of podcasts on the above topics, and many more.

When discussing your treatment options, be engaged with your doctor and use the following suggested questions to better understand his/her approach to your treatment.

  • What type of mesothelioma do I have?
  • What treatment options are available to me, and which would you recommend?
  • Why do you recommend this treatment?
  • What are the side effects and risks with which I should be concerned?
  • Are there any mesothelioma clinical trials available?
  • How many specialized mesothelioma treatment cases have you handled in the course of your career?

If you have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you undoubtedly feel overwhelmed with questions. Learning about the medical diagnosis and prognosis, your treatment options, and available support resources can help you feel better about your fight against mesothelioma. Get educated to help you make critical decisions about your treatment.