Marian’s story: the impact of mesothelioma on my mental health

Marian, a former social worker who lives in Birmingham, shares her thoughts and feelings about being diagnosed with mesothelioma. In October last year my life changed. A brief telephone call, from one of the medical registrars from the Hospital where I had undergone investigation, told me that I had a rare form of cancer and there was…

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Quality of life is all important

Researchers in Australia have confirmed what we probably already knew. Quality of life is all important. When patients have an illness like mesothelioma it can also help them to live for longer. Previous studies had already shown that people survive for longer, on average, when they receive good palliative care or symptom control. This new…

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The role of our genes in mesothelioma

People often wonder they have got mesothelioma. Sometimes this happens after a very small exposure to asbestos. Our genes are one of the things which play a part. For instance, one gene, BAP1 or BRCA1 associated protein-1, mutates in some people. This seems to make them more vulnerable to mesothelioma. Chemoresistance The same gene also…

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Why palliative care can help

It can be a shock, and very disappointing, when the oncologist says that – in their opinion – the best available treatment is palliative care. Deciding the best treatment for a patient is always a balance. The patient and their doctor have to weigh the likely benefits and the likely side effects. These might make…

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How your gender affects your experience of mesothelioma

Working with Sheffield Univeristy and HASAG Asbestos Disease Support, the asbestos support group for London and the South-east, the charity Mesothelioma UK has published a new study of the ways your gender can affect your experience of mesothelioma. Differences in the work people have done Mesothelioma is often  diagnosed after a person has retired, and…

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Immunotherapy treatment for mesothelioma has been made more widely available until March 2021 because of Covid-19

The type of treatment for someone suffering from mesothelioma will depend on the type of mesothelioma, on the stage of the mesothelioma, their general health and fitness and their personal preferences. There is more than one type of treatment. Immunotherapy is a form of treatment that helps the immune system to fight the mesothelioma and…

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