The challenge in diagnosing mesothelioma is the symptoms are very common to other, less severe illnesses. Primary symptoms of mesothelioma are the same as a common cold or flu, and include:
- Coughing
- Fever
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
Unfortunately, the commonality of the symptoms means that mesothelioma is often diagnosed in its late stages, making treatment difficult. The key to a quick and early diagnosis is for your doctor to know that you were exposed to asbestos, the primary cause of mesothelioma.
Fortunately, even after receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma, you have choices and can determine the best mesothelioma treatment options for your cancer type and stage. Initially, your doctor will run tests such as CT scans and MRI’s to learn more about your condition.
After learning the results of your tests, you and your doctor will need to make decisions regarding your treatment. Do you want to stay with the conventional therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy drugs and radiation, or do you want to try a more experimental approach, such as gene therapy, or photodynamic therapy (combining certain drugs and light to kill cancer cells)?
If you qualify, there are clinical trials that give you access to treatment programs not available to the general public. Whatever direction you may wish to go, you should consult your medical team and your family to weigh all the options and determine the best course of mesothelioma treatment for you.
Tags: mesothelioma, mesothelioma research, mesothelioma treatment
