Virtual Support Group Can Help Mesothelioma Patients Weather Pandemic
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Virtual Support Group Can Help Mesothelioma Patients Weather Pandemic

ByAlex Strauss

A virtual support group may help mesothelioma patients and families cope with the stress of fighting cancer during the pandemic.  Virtual groups give patients and their families a place to find emotional support and information when it may not be safe to meet in person.  Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston is just one of the many hospitals turning to online meetings for mesothelioma patients. The International Mesothelioma Program began holding monthly meetings via Zoom in September. Multiple studies show support groups can help patients and families enjoy a better quality of life with mesothelioma during and after cancer treatment. Many hope that a virtual support group can help mesothelioma patients connect, even if they cannot get together in person. …

Virtual Community Can Ease Mesothelioma Stress
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Virtual Community Can Ease Mesothelioma Stress

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients and their families can reduce their stress and feel more supported by getting involved in an online community. That is the conclusion reached by researchers at in the Psychology Department at Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia. Writing in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, lecturer Desiree Kozlowski and her colleagues reported on the first 30 days of a peer-to-peer virtual community of people with asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma. In the introduction to their report, the team observes that people with mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive lung-related cancer, often feel socially isolated and highly stressed by their life-limiting symptoms. In addition to coping with the challenges of mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment, patients who were negligently exposed to…