Month: February 2014

The Serenity Prayer Offers Comfort to Family of Patients

• Joseph Belluck
• Faces of Mesothelioma

Prayer has gotten me through a lot. This prayer, in particular, has helped me throughout my entire journey. It’s commonly known as The Serenity Prayer. Take a second to pray it and really let the words sink in. It’s truly beautiful.

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change… Courage to change the things I can and Widsom to know the difference.

Prayer and a Listening Ear are Priceless Ways to Support Those Battling Mesothelioma

When someone you care for is diagnosed with mesothelioma, you might wonder what you can do to help. The first answer is, of course, PRAY and ask others to pray as well. Never, ever underestimate the power of prayer. Our family and our story is proof of that. You might feel as though there is nothing else you can do, but the truth is that you can.

The family that is going through a mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment is scared, tired, and exhausted in every capacity. Any help that you can offer is important. If you know that the person with the diagnosis usually does a certain task, ask if you could take that job over for a while. For example, Dad always spends a lot of time cutting grass, so family members took care of that for him. If you always see someone at the grocery store, ask if they will give you their list and pick up the items for them.

One thing that was extremely helpful was people helping to take care of my two grandmothers who my parents looked after. In this case, if you are a family member, or are close to the family, offer to help take on some, or more of, the responsibility in that regard.

Take a healthy meal over to the family. Trust me, they are too tired to cook and might forget to eat all together. Nutrition is so important for any cancer patient, and helping them eat, and eat right, is a great help.

Lastly, a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear are priceless. Spending time with the people impacted by a mesothelioma diagnosis is so meaningful and kind. Let them know that you are praying for them, that you support them, and that you are there for them whatever they may need at any time. The visits we received throughout our journey were so precious to us. Knowing that you are not going through it alone is a priceless thing.

Keep in mind that any kind of help you can give or offer is appreciated whether those involved are able to express it or not. Remember that they are going through a very difficult time. When offering your help, try hard not to overwhelm them, as they are already feeling devastated, so be sensitive to their situation. Friends and family members are an important factor in helping someone recovering from mesothelioma, so you are a cherished member of the team!

Mesothelioma Patients Are Not Statistics

• Lisa Hyde-Barrett
• Nurse's Corner

Mesothelioma. Most people have heard the word, either from ads on the television or on billboards. Fortunately most of the U.S. population are not touched by the disease. Just 3,000 patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. each year. It is approximately one percent of all cancer diagnoses. Most of the victims of this asbestos-caused cancer are male.

Those are some of the facts. The people and their families affected by a mesothelioma diagnosis are not statistics. They are people living their lives until this time bomb of a disease explodes, and takes them and their families and friends with it.

Over the years, it seems the patients are being diagnosed at a younger age. Two women were diagnosed within three months of giving birth.  Another young mother, an avid runner, was diagnosed after she noticed when she ran she got short of breath.  Yet another young woman was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma after her surgeon had removed her ovary for another condition.

A firefighter, one year from retirement, was diagnosed with sarcomatoid mesothelioma.  A man in his 60’s in excellent health fell off his bike and fractured his ribs, and six months later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

The numbers do not tell the story of patients living with the disease.  Living less than a year, longer than a year, or even longer than five years with the disease, the lives of the patients and of their families are still forever altered.

Most know the word- but not the disease.  Those families and patients that know the disease also know it does not define them any more than the numbers or the name mesothelioma does.

Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

SMART Protocol Shows “Encouraging Results” for Mesothelioma Patients

• Nancy Meredith
• Featured News

Researchers report that treating late-stage mesothelioma patients with a high dose of radiation prior to performing radical extra pleural pneumonectomy surgery results in “encouraging results” and should be further studied.

According to an article in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, a study conducted by researchers from the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto with 25 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, who were deemed candidates for EPP, underwent SMART treatment [Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy.]  The patients had a three-year survival (72%) that was more than double the survival (32%) of patients who underwent other treatment protocols.

Mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers, often has a complex growth pattern making complete surgical removal a very difficult task. The goal of surgery is to achieve a macroscopically-complete resection, which refers to the removal of all visible tumor cells. There has been an ongoing debate among mesothelioma physicians as to the best surgical approach for improving the survival of mesothelioma patients.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a radical and complex surgery that features the removal of the affected lung and parietal pleura, as well as the possible removal of the diaphragm, the pericardium and other extra pleural tissue. The alternative surgical option, pleurectomy/decortications (P/D) strips away the diseased membrane lining the lung and visible mesothelioma tumors, but spares the lung.

The research, led by Marc de Perrot, MD, Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, included giving the previously untreated mesothelioma patients five doses of Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy. IMRT enables the radiation oncologist to conform the radiation beams to tumors that are actually wrapped around other structures. Within one week of receiving IMRT, the patients underwent EPP.

According to an article in MedPage Today, de Perrot reports an additional 20 mesothelioma patients have undergone SMART treatment and their three-year overall survival is approaching 90%.

The researchers concluded that the results support “future studies looking at long-term outcome in patients with epithelial subtypes [of mesothelioma].”

Mesothelioma is diagnosed in approximately 3,000 Americans each year. The average survival time varies from 4 – 18 months after diagnosis.

Sources:
MedPage Today