Surviving Mesothelioma

Paul Kraus is a mesothelioma survivor and the author of Surviving Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer, usually associated with previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant (cancerous) cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products.

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Characterized by a shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, this is often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever.

If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face. Be aware, however, that these symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions. Obtaining a diagnosis of mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other, less serious conditions.

In June 1997, Mr. Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma (a "terminal" cancer) and given only a few months to live. More than eight years later, he is alive with a good quality of life having rejected surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. He took an alternative approach to healing his cancer that encompassed mind, body, and spirit.

Mesothelioma Death

Mesothelioma death rates seem to be increasing currently, and might reach a maximum in 2016 according to some sources.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, usually caused by exposure to asbestos. While treatment can extend the life of patients, the prognosis is usually poor for the disease.

Recovery from the disease is rare with median survival times typically being about nine months from presentation and the five-year survival rate typically being about 10%. A few people do survive for more than two decades after having the disease. Some patients have survived more than five years after having radical surgery plus radiation and chemo therapy but it has been shown that radiation therapy on its own is not very effective.

Death from mesothelioma is usual within a year and a half of knowing that one has the disease. This is not because the disease progresses rapidly but because it is so difficult to diagnose the disease accurately until the late stages, because all the obvious symptoms can be caused by other less dangerous conditions.

More than 18,000 people died in the US from the disease in the years between 1999 and 2005. The majority of the people who died were aged between 50 and 75, and were mostly male although the incidence of the disease in females is increasing more rapidly than in males.

There are various methods of screening for the disease, but no generally agreed screening standards yet. The screening methods used can improve the chances of survival.

Mesothelioma death is usually due to exposure to asbestos at the workplace, although can be from secondary exposure such as when washing the clothes of someone who works with asbestos. Jobs which bring people into contact with asbestos including boiler making, lagging, carpentry, joinery, pipe-fitting, plumbing, shipbuilding, joinery, electrical work, brake and clutch work, and even management, teaching and other professions.