Hospice Care Goes Beyond The Mesothelioma Patient

I have written several times about the benefits of hospice for mesothelioma patients and their families. However, it wasn’t until December that I found out first hand just how vital a hospice organization can be when the end of life draws near. My mother-in-law reached out to hospice as my father-in-law became debilitated with pancreatic cancer, and we found that hospice care extends beyond the patient.

Just as with my father-in-law, when a mesothelioma patient no longer responds to a prescribed treatment plan, and the primary caregiver needs support caring for their loved one, turning to a hospice program is one option to explore. One critical point to note is that hospice is not just for the patient – the support is for the entire family.

Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer that may not develop for decades after initial exposure to asbestos. However, once symptoms become apparent, mesothelioma may rapidly progress to cause life-threatening complications. Once a hospice nurse is with the patient, he will be carefully monitored and kept as comfortable as possible while managing the symptoms the mesothelioma patient is experiencing. The caregiver will also feel comforted knowing a care team is by the phone for them 24/7.

Hospice is not a “place” rather it is a concept of care. According to the Hospice Foundation of America, hospice is designed to improve the quality of a patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity. In addition, hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death. However, it does allow for patients to remain in their own home surrounded by their loved ones.

As soon as hospice is in place, a personalized plan is established and a team of professionals including nurses, chaplains, nursing assistants, social workers and bereavement counselors will be assigned. And they do not waste any time becoming part of your family and ensuring everyone’s needs are addressed. Of course, the patient is first and foremost and the care team will provide care for symptoms such as pain, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and restlessness; medication management; and personal care including bathing and light housekeeping. They may also provide a hospital bed and any other items needed for comfort and medical support.

The team offers a partnership in caring for your loved one. Not only do they provide the medical support needed, but they also help the caregiver by providing a thorough explanation of what is going on and what to expect, a friendly person to talk to, and they will sit with the patient so the caregiver can go out for groceries, lunch or to run other errands that get ignored while providing 24-hour care. The hospice also offers chaplain services and spiritual care.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization estimates that there are over 5,500 hospice programs in the United States caring for nearly 1.5 million patients each year. Sixty-six percent of the hospice care is provided in the patient’s home, family member’s home or in nursing homes. The median length of time for hospice care is less than 19 days.

Hospice care doesn’t end when the patient passes away. The hospice team will help with contacting appropriate parties, arranging funeral services, and conducting the service if requested. Although no one wants to think of the end of life, the multi-disciplinary hospice team can help ease the burden and help you in the difficult transition.

Biomarker Drug for MesotheliomaTreatment

Mesothelin Combined with a MiRNA May Be Effective Diagnostic Biomarker for Mesothelioma

German researchers have shown that a combination of protein and nucleic acid biomarkers improves the diagnostic performance of a blood-based screening test for mesothelioma compared to the use of an individual biomarker from a single molecular class.

Malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive asbestos-caused cancer with a long latency period of 40 or more years, has a low median survival rate of 9-13 months from diagnosis due to the fact that symptoms typically only occur during late stages of the disease. Diagnosis at early stages has the potential to improve therapy and survival, but the development of a reliable blood test has been hindered by the low diagnostic performance of most prominent biomarker to date for mesothelioma—mesothelin.

The biomarker mesothelin, according to the authors of a new study published online by PLUS ONE, is characterized by high specificity (89%) but low sensitivity (58%). That is, in patients with mesothelioma, blood tests that use mesothelin as a biomarker generate false positives 11% of the time and false negatives 42% of the time. The AUC (a measure of diagnostic accuracy) of mesothelin is 0.85.

By combining the protein biomarker mesothelin with the microRNA (miRNA) biomarker miR-103a-3p, the researchers improved the overall diagnostic performance of a blood-based biomarker for mesothelioma to an AUC of 0.93.

“In conclusion,” writer the authors, “we showed that the combination of mesothelin and miR-103a-3p improved the diagnostic performance of a blood-based screening test, resulting in higher sensitivity and specificity to detect malignant mesothelioma.”

Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs, abdomen and heart. Asbestos exposure in the only proven cause of mesothelioma.

Up to 3,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the United States each year, with 85,000 U.S. cases expected until 2054.

Anyone who was exposed to asbestos in the past—or who worked in occupations at risk for exposure—should be aware of mesothelioma symptoms, which include chest or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and unusual lumps in affected areas.

Because early diagnosis is the key to a favorable prognosis, schedule a doctor visit immediately if you have symptoms that might indicate mesothelioma.

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

Sources :

biomarker
http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary?cdrid=45618
(new study published online by) PLUS ONE
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0114483

What are Some of the Preoperative Tests for Mesothelioma Patients?

Many mesothelioma patients have surgery to remove tumors, parts of tumors, or parts of organs that have been affected by the disease. Before any surgery, however, there are necessary tests to determine if the disease has spread, whether it has advanced to another stage, and the size of the tumor being targeted.

Accurate staging is important for deciding on mesothelioma treatment.

Advanced Diagnostic Tools Let Physicians See Organ Damage from Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma, which invades the linings around the lungs, is the most common form of mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma, which is rarer, invades the linings around the heart.

Surgeons will often perform mediastinoscopy on patients with these kinds of mesothelioma. This is a minimally invasive procedure where a small incision is made in the chest so that a scope can be inserted to look in the area around the lungs or heart. A needle can be used to remove tissue and fluids for testing to help determine the disease stage.

Pericardioscopy is another minimally invasive surgery used to determine the extent that the heart linings have been damaged. A surgeon makes a small cut in the skin over the heart and places a small tube with a camera inside. Cell samples are often removed during pericardioscopy.

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a newer treatment that doesn’t require an incision. Instead, a physician places a bronchoscope, with a special endoscope attached to it that is outfitted with an ultrasound processor and fine-gauge aspiration needle, down the patient’s throat and through the trachea. EBUS lets physicians see more of the airways, lungs, and smaller lymph nodes than they would through mediastinoscopy. Views are clearer and illuminate areas missed in the mediastinoscopy.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) might be used on patients with peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the linings of abdominal organs. During EUS, a tube with an endoscope is placed down the throat or through the rectum to view the digestive tract. A transducer on the tip of the endoscope provides higher-quality images than those obtained through traditional ultrasound. It can also get closer to the affected organs and provide more detail on lymph node activity.

What Do These Tests Show?

Physicians order these tests to get closer views and details about organ damage and changes in lymph nodes.

Lymph nodes are small glands found throughout the body that are a key part of the immune system. The largest lymph nodes are located in the neck, around the groin, and in the armpits. Smaller ones are found throughout the body.They send lymph fluids around the body to trap bacteria, viruses, and other threats and send lymphocytes—special white blood cells—to destroy them. They also carry nutrients to different parts of the body and help remove waste.

When lymph nodes are overwhelmed by disease, infection, or an injury, they become swollen in the affected area. This swelling is an important sign that a disease may have taken hold or spread.

Mesothelioma attacks the linings that protect organs, specifically, mesothelial cells on the inside of these linings. These cells provide lubricating fluids that let these organs move and function smoothly. Asbestos fibers that are inhaled or swallowed attach to these linings and damage the mesothelial cells.

Nurse Explains Cancer Staging | Mesothelioma Help

Learn About Mesothelioma During Lung Cancer Awareness Month

For many people, November means apple cider, pumpkin pie, and Thanksgiving. In the health and medical fields, November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which emphasizes education and awareness of all things about lung cancer and other cancers affecting the respiratory system – such as mesothelioma.

The Ebola crisis that made headlines this October shows how easy it is to misunderstand or, worse, twist information about disease and health. Teaching the facts about mesothelioma, its symptoms, and its causes can help patients, family members, and friends better understand the disease and help advocate for the community.

Let’s Get the Facts Straight About Mesothelioma

In the spirit of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, here are some basic facts about mesothelioma that patients, family members, and friends can share with others.

Mesothelioma is not contagious. No one can “catch” it.
Some people that have mesothelioma blog about it and are okay if you ask them questions.
The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a mineral with long, thin fibers that were inhaled or swallowed by people who worked around it. Other people who lived with those who worked with asbestos and carried fibers home on their clothing also breathed them in and can develop the cancer.
More than one-third of U.S. mesothelioma patients were exposed to asbestos during military service.
There are treatments for mesothelioma and others are being tested in medical trials in the U.S. and around the world, but there is no cure.
Although there are many bans on using asbestos, it is still allowed in some industries and products such as car brakes. It is still found in many older homes and buildings. Asbestos is not banned in the U.S.
Asbestos is not dangerous until it breaks, flakes, or is somehow disturbed. For that reason, people who renovate old homes or replace old pipes, wiring, insulation, etc., should contact certified asbestos contractors if asbestos is present.
Mesothelioma often takes years, even decades, to develop in a person.

Know the Symptoms for Mesothelioma

Everyone has some of these symptoms once in a while, but when they don’t go away, they should be reviewed by a doctor. The sooner mesothelioma is diagnosed, the more tools patients and doctors have to fight it. Common symptoms for mesothelioma include:

Pain in the lower back or sides of the chest
Shortness of breath
Constant coughing
Unexplained weight loss
Loss of appetite
Night sweats

Before the 1980s, people who worked in these jobs may have been routinely exposed to asbestos:

Navy and Merchant Marine shipbuilders
Construction workers: plumbers, lathers, pipefitters, welders, electricians, and drywall installers
Paper mill workers
Airplane and auto mechanics
Firefighters

On-Line Voting Is Open for the Mesothelioma Help Scholarship Contest

The judges have selected the top five essays in this year’s “Jan Egerton and Don Smitley Mesothelioma Scholarship,” and now the public can help select the order of the finalists. The public voting period runs through Nov.17.

College students from across the United States submitted essays about the history of asbestos, treatments for mesothelioma, and personal stories of mesothelioma patients. With 128 essays submitted, the judges spent countless hours reading and re-reading them.

The essays were judged by Jennifer Gelsick, whose father Don Smitley, one of the scholarship’s namesakes, lost his battle to mesothelioma last year, and Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a thoracic surgery nurse. Both of them write for “Faces of Mesothelioma,” offering differing insights into life with mesothelioma.

“Being a judge for the scholarship contest was an honor for me,” said Jennifer. “It was humbling to see how hard each contestant worked on their essay. I learned a lot about the history of mesothelioma and I enjoyed reading the personal stories that were shared.”

The top five finalists are:

Erienne Overli – University of Nevada, Reno
Fernando Salazar – University of New Mexico
Jennifer Schnalzer – Rockland Community College
Justin Hellier – Irvine Valley College
Samantha Robeson – University of Delaware

This year’s top five finalists will use social media to garner votes to help them win a share of the scholarship money. In addition to helping with the cost of education, the scholarship organizers hope to spread the word of the dangers of asbestos and to educate college students and their families about mesothelioma.

“I do think the contest helps to spread awareness of the toll mesothelioma takes on families,” said Lisa. “The contest assures that the next generation has a base of informed students to continue to bring awareness to the disease.”

The scholarship prizes are:

$5,000 – First Prize
$2,500 – Second Prize
$1,250 – Third Prize
$500 – Fourth Prize
$250 – Fifth Prize
$100 – Honorable Mention (there are five Honorable Mention awards)

The finalists and honorable mention winners will be notified of their prizes at the end of the public voting period.

“I hope that you all realize how important it is to educate others on the dangers of asbestos and how mesothelioma impacts the lives of so many,” said Jennifer, when asked what message she has for the contestants. “It is an extremely important message that needs to be spread. Thank you on behalf of my family and the entire mesothelioma community.”

Mesothelioma Help is one of the Web’s primary resources for information on malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The website provides in-depth coverage of the disease, as well as detailed information about the available diagnostic procedures and treatment options for mesothelioma sufferers.

See Mesothelioma Help to vote for your favorite essay.

Author: Nancy Meredith