The diagnosis of Mesothelioma is such a stunner that many patients are emotionally swamped by it. This raises the question of how you should support them as the deal with the diagnosis.

Mesothelioma is a brutal form of cancer. Fortunately, it is very rare. The cancer is mostly associated with the inhalation of asbestos. This leads to the eventual growth of mutant cells, better known as cancer, in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a organic two layer sheet like substance that lines the abdomen and chest while also surrounding and supporting organs like the heart and lungs.

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Promoting awareness about mesothelioma and the links to asbestos exposure is very important.  Especially considering the fact that there are many people out there trying to misinform the public.  Some measurements put the number of people who have died because of asbestos poisoning or exposure at over a quarter million.  That is a truly staggering number.  The good news is many doctors and researchers are working feverishly to try to find a cure and learn more.  Every day new research and clinic trial are being done to combat this deadly disease.  We should all do out part in trying to get the word out.

One interesting study is called, "Asbestos Fibres in Beverages and Drinking Water" - Nature 232, 332 - 333 (30 July 1971); by H. M. CUNNINGHAM & R. PONTEFRACT Food and Drug Directorate, Department of Health and Welfare, Ottawa.

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Continued research regarding mesothelioma and the link to asbestos exposure is necessary if we ever hope to find a cure.  Imagine someone you love returning home from the second world war.  They find a job as an auto mechanic, raise a family, and play by the rules.  Decades later, they tragically die from mesothelioma cancer because someone failed to warn them of the dangers of asbestos fibers.   Does any reasonable person believe this is fair or just?   Of course not.  Unfortunately, we cannot go back in time and prevent the asbestos exposure.  But what we can do is try to promote public awareness about this deadly disease and highlight some of the great research being done.

One interesting study is called, "Malignant mesothelioma: attributable risk of asbestos exposure." By R Spirtas, E F Heineman, L Bernstein, G W Beebe, R J Keehn, A Stark, B L Harlow, and J Benichou - Occup Environ Med 1994;51:804-811 doi:10.1136/oem.51.12.804.  Here is an excerpt:

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