Waiting for Medicare Coverage Could Impact Mesothelioma Survival
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Waiting for Medicare Coverage Could Impact Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

People who suspect they may have cancer but wait to get a diagnosis until they are eligible for Medicare coverage could negatively impact their ability to survive mesothelioma.  That is the message from a new Stanford study. The study suggests that many people wait until they are 65 to seek cancer care.  For people with a fast-growing cancer like mesothelioma, delaying diagnosis by waiting for Medicare coverage could have devastating consequences.  Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis Key to Survival Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It is one of the most deadly types of cancer. Like most cancers, the chances of surviving mesothelioma are higher the earlier it is diagnosed.  But mesothelioma is not…

Financial Stress Could Impact Mesothelioma Quality of Life
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Financial Stress Could Impact Mesothelioma Quality of Life

ByAlex Strauss

Financial stress during treatment is likely to have an impact on both quality of life and outcomes for pleural mesothelioma patients.  That finding comes from a recent Johns Hopkins study of patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer.  The study found that cancer patients who were under financial strain had decreased quality of life. The report appears in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. It includes a list of guidelines to help identify patients at risk for “financial toxicity”.  The Financial Burden of Mesothelioma Treatment Cancer treatment is rarely inexpensive. Thanks to advances in mesothelioma therapies, patient outcomes are improving. But the costs of these cutting-edge mesothelioma treatments can be even higher than standard therapies.  John Hopkins researchers wanted to see if…

Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight
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Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight

ByAlex Strauss

The case of an Australian man is highlighting the mesothelioma risk from home renovation when asbestos is present.  Forty-two year old Matthew Werfel recently won a lawsuit against Amaca, the asbestos producer previously known as James Hardie. The company manufactured the asbestos-containing cement sheets that led to Werfel’s pleural mesothelioma. The record $3 million payout is an expensive warning to other DIY homeowners about the potential mesothelioma risk from home renovation. Asbestos in Construction Products Asbestos is a mineral that has to be mined from the ground. As early as the 1930’s, companies like James Hardie recognized its potential value as a construction material. Asbestos is strong, plentiful and resistant to heat and corrosion. It was used for decades to…