Mesothelioma and Asbestos - Are you in Danger? This site is designed to give you as much access to information as possible that is related to mesothelioma and asbestos related cancer. Asbestos-related deaths have increased fourfold in the past three decades. We want to help those that have been at risk. Although asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, the latency period after exposure could last 15 to 50 years. This means if you worked in a job with asbestos 40 years ago you could be developing mesothelioma now. If you were exposed to loose asbestos fibers, you should be tested regularly for mesothelioma. More MesotheliomaRelated Information Virtually all cases of mesothelioma are related to inhaling of asbestos fibers. There are about 3,000 cases per year (mostly men over the age of 40) and there will be about 300,000 cases before 2030. Mesothelioma usually spreads rapidly through the mesothelial cells to the heart and abdominal organs. The life span is typically 24 months after diagnosis, but it depends on what stage the cancer is detected, the health of the patient and other factors. The onset of mesothelioma symptoms usually takes a long time. The first symptom is often a constant chest pain. This pain is later accompanies by difficulty breathing due to an accumulation of fluid in the chest. Other symptoms include coughing, fever and weight loss. Mesothelioma can be diagnosed by your doctor with a chest CT-scan. The FDA recently approved a new drug used to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer usually associated with asbestos exposure. The drug is called Alimta, or pemetrexed disodium, and it's distributed by Eli Lilly and Company. Alimta is intended to be used along with cisplatin. If you have mesothelioma, you should ask your doctor about this drug to see if it is right for you. The content was not prepared by medical professionals and should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice. Nor was the content prepared by legal professionals and should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice. MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT OPTIONS The treatment program for mesothelioma depends on many factors, including: the stage of the cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how the cancer cells look under the microscope and the patient¡¯s age and desires. TIME MATTERS People diagnosed with this disease are often told the expected survival rate is only eight to twelve months. However, specialists in treating malignant mesothelioma at the leading cancer centers often have better statistics. For instance, the five-year survival rate has approached 40% for selected patients of Dr. David Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women¡¯s Center in Boston. To qualify for Dr. Sugarbaker¡¯s treatment you must meet certain criteria. One of them is being in the early stages of the disease, so time is of the essence. To find out more about Dr. Sugarbaker and other physicians and cancer centers specializing in mesothelioma click on Finding Specialists. Click here for an article by Dr. David J. Sugarbaker that appeared in the The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, January 1999 (12 pages in Adobe PDF format).