100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma

by Harvey I. Pass, Mary Hesdorffer, Joseph W. Belluck, Sarah Lake

Overview

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CARE According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma is diagnosed in the Unit ed States each year. No one with this cancer needs to be alone in their fight against this disease. That's where this book and the information within can help. 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Fourth Edition offers authoritative and practical answers to the most common questions asked by patients and their loved ones. What is malignant mesothelioma? What causes mesothelioma and how is it treated? Updated to include new immunotherapy treatments, 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Fourth Edition is the only book to provide the doctor’s and patient’s views. This patient education resource gives readers authoritative, practical answers to questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, legal options, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781284247794
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	11/18/2022
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.11(w) x 8.99(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Harvey I. Pass, MD is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Surgery, Director of Surgical Research, and Division Chief for Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology for the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Pass received his undergraduate education from Johns Hopkins University and graduated from Duke University Medical School.He trained in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.He was a Senior staff fellow in the Thoracic Oncology Section at the National Cancer Institute/NIH in Bethesda, MD from 1983-1986 and became Head of Thoracic Oncology at NCI from 1986-1996. Before moving to New York, he was Professor of Surgery and Oncology for Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute. He is internationally recognized as an expert in the multidisciplinary management of lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, and the management of pulmonary metastases.He is known for his development of novel clinical trials for the treatment of thoracic malignancies as well as building a strong translational component to his programs with benchwork investigations. Dr. Pass is supported by grants from the National Cancer and has co-authored over 300 original reports. He has edited three editions of Lung Cancer: Principles and Practice.He is the Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and the Surgical Editor for Clinical Lung Cancer. Dr. Pass has received the NIH Directors Award, the Presidents Award for Clinical Research at Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Wagner Medal from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group, and the Pioneer Award from the MesoFoundation.He is presently a Board Member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the International Mesothelioma Interest Group, The Addario Foundation, and the Lung Cancer Alliance. Dr. Pass has been recognized as an America’s Top Doctor and Best Cancer Doctor by Castle Connoly’s Guide for the last seven years.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Part 1 The Basics 1

Questions 1-7 address fundamental questions about mesothelioma, including the following:

1 What is mesothelioma?

2 Are there different types of mesotheliomas?

3 What are the pleura?

4 What are the risk factors, or who gets mesothelioma?

5 What causes mesothelioma?

6 Can mesothelioma be prevented?

7 What is asbestos?

Part 2 Diagnosis 11

Questions 8-19 explain the methods used to detect and identify mesothelioma and the healthcare professionals involved in your diagnosis:

8 What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?

9 How is mesothelioma diagnosed?

10 Are blood tests useful to diagnose mesothelioma?

11 What tests are performed to help diagnose mesothelioma?

12 How are biopsies performed, and which biopsy is best for me?

13 How will I learn about my biopsy results, and how can I be sure the diagnosis is mesothelioma?

14 I have been given a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Since this is a rare disease, how do I know that my physicians have enough experience with the disease to treat me?

15 Should I get a second opinion?

16 How do I go about getting a second opinion?

17 Who treats mesothelioma?

18 How do I find the best doctors to treat my mesothelioma?

19 What can I do to make my doctor visits as productive as possible?

Part 3 Coping 33

Questions 20-23 provide practical advice for dealing with the physical, emotional, and financial issues raised by a diagnosis of mesothelioma:

20 What types of psychosocial support are available to me?

21 What should my family know about mesothelioma in order to assist me?

22 What insurance and financial concerns do I need to address following a mesothelioma diagnosis?

23 What should I know about medical records, and how do I manage them?

Part 4 Legal Matters: Always Leave It to the Experts 41

Questions 24-32 discuss legal dimensions of the disease:

24 Why do people with mesothelioma file legal claims?

25 How do I file a timely claim?

26 How do I choose an attorney?

27 Is financial assistance available, and what are my legal options?

28 What other kinds of assistance are available to me?

29 How does the claims process work?

30 Should I take this to a trial or settle without a trial?

31 What other legal issues do I need to know about?

32 What other important papers should I have available for my loved ones?

Part 5 Treatment 67

Questions 33-65 provide an extensive description of therapy currently employed to treat mesothelioma:

33 I have been successful in being referred to a mesothelioma treatment center. What can I expect now?

34 Who are the members of my healthcare team?

35 What is staging, and why is it important?

36 What are the stages of mesothelioma based on the IASLC/IMIG Staging System?

37 How does mesothelioma spread?

38 What is my prognosis?

39 What are the survival rates for mesothelioma?

40 What do these scary survival rates mean to me as a patient?

41 What is palliative care?

42 What, in general, are the treatment options for mesothelioma?

43 What is performance status, and why is it important?

44 What surgery is performed for mesothelioma?

45 What determines whether I am able to have surgery?

46 What determines which surgical procedure I will have?

47 What can I expect before surgery, and what can I do to prepare for it?

48 What tests will I need before surgery to define what procedure I can tolerate?

49 What should I expect following my surgery? What are the common complications of surgery for mesothelioma?

50 What is immunotherapy? How does it work?

51 What are the common side effects of immunotherapy?

52 What can I expect during immunotherapy? How many treatments will I need?

53 What is chemotherapy? How does it work?

54 What can I expect during chemotherapy? How many treatments will I need?

55 Why are blood tests ordered during my chemotherapy treatment? What are blood counts, and what should I know about them?

56 What are the common side effects of chemotherapy?

57 What is radiation therapy?

58 How does radiation work?

59 What is a dose of radiation, and how many treatments will I need?

60 What equipment is used to deliver radiation?

61 What can I expect during radiation?

62 What is the actual radiation procedure like?

63 How long does each treatment take?

64 What are the common side effects of radiation?

65 What are tumor treatment fields?

Part 6 Decision Making 127

Questions 66-75 try to help guide you toward the best decisions for your circumstance:

66 What are the standard treatment options for mesothelioma?

67 What if I have had first- and second-line therapies? What next?

68 What are clinical trials?

69 How do I learn about clinical trials, and how do I decide whether a trial is right for me?

70 What if I don't qualify for a clinical trial?

71 What are some experimental or investigational treatments for mesothelioma?

72 What are alternative and complementary therapies and what should I know about them?

73 How do I decide on a treatment plan when faced with multiple options?

74 How do I know if my treatment is working?

75 What if my disease has remained stable during treatment?

Part 7 Side Effects of Therapy 147

Questions 76-90 advise what to expect with regard to treatment side effects and what to do about them:

76 Why am I always tired? What can I do for fatigue? Will the fatigue go away after my treatment is over? Could I be depressed?

77 What can I do about my shortness of breath?

78 What can I do to relieve my pain?

79 What can I do to prevent or relieve constipation?

80 Am I at risk for a blood clot? What is a pulmonary embolism?

81 Will I have terrible nausea and vomiting if I receive chemotherapy?

82 Will I lose my hair during chemotherapy or radiation?

83 Is my cough something I should worry about?

84 What can I do if I have lost my appetite?

85 Are there long-term side effects from treatment?

86 How should I change my diet following a mesothelioma diagnosis? Should I take dietary supplements? Can diet affect my survival?

87 What are the benefits of exercise for mesothelioma patients?

88 What about returning to work?

89 What about follow-up care? How often should I be seen?

90 Should I get a flu shot or pneumonia vaccine? What about the COVID-19 vaccine?

Part 8 Recurrence of the Disease 171

Questions 91-93 offer strategies for facing recurrence:

91 What happens if my disease recurs?

92 Where is my disease likely to recur?

93 How is recurrence treated?

Part 9 Sarah's and Sarah Ann's Insights for Care Providers 177

Questions 94-98, written by the wife and daughter of a mesothelioma patient, provide an "insider's" perspective on coping as a caregiver:

94 How do I discuss mesothelioma with children?

95 Where do I turn for support in dealing with my own stress and anxiety and what about those inevitable middle of the night situations when my loved one is in pain or has other medical complications?

96 How do I maintain a normal life when a family member has mesothelioma, and how do I balance all my responsibilities?

97 What else can I do to make my loved one comfortable?

98 How can family and friends help without intruding and what specifically can they do to help?

Part 10 The Unspeakable That Must Be Spoken 189

Questions 99-100 address end-of-life care:

99 How do I decide when it's time to stop treatment?

100 What is hospice?

Appendix 197

Glossary 201

Index 213