Asbestos-related diseases can be difficult to diagnose and treat. If you feel that you or a loved one is in danger of developing an asbestos-related illness, or if treatment has already begun, it is important to gain an initial understanding of what to expect. As with all medical conditions or treatment, it is best to keep an open line of communication with your doctor through all stages of an asbestos-related illness.

Diagnosis

If your healthcare provider suspects you have an asbestos-related illness, he or she will usually start working on a diagnosis by identifying the possibility of asbestos exposure, by taking a thorough medical history. This would include looking at a person's medical, work, and environmental history. Next, your healthcare provider will perform a physical examination that may include one or more of the following: (1) a chest X-ray; (2) pulmonary function exams; (3) a computer tomography (CT) scan; and/or (4) a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

In the event that one or more of these tests identifies something suspicious, your healthcare provider will likely recommend a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis. A biopsy may be either: (1) a needle biopsy; or, (2) an open biopsy. In a needle biopsy, fluid is removed and examined for cancerous cells. In an open biopsy, a surgeon will make a small incision in the chest wall or abdominal cavity and remove a sample of tissue to be examined for cancerous cells.

Once the fluid or tissue sample has been obtained, your healthcare provider will have a pathologist examine the sample in order to determine whether there is a type of cancer or disease present in the cells. If the pathologist determines the presence of a disease, your healthcare provider will recommend an appropriate course of treatment.

Treatment: Non-cancerous Illnesses

Unfortunately, there are few treatment options for patients diagnosed with non-cancerous lung diseases from asbestos exposure, and no cure exists for asbestosis or other lung diseases caused by chronic exposure to asbestos.

Therefore, treatment involves preventing further complications and treating symptoms.

The most important steps are preventing further exposure and ceasing any tobacco smoking activities. Once such measures are taken, these diseases might either remain stable or progress in severity even in the absence of further exposure. The diseases rarely regress.

Treatment: Cancerous Illnesses

If you are diagnosed with cancer, specifically lung cancer or mesothelioma, your primary healthcare provider will refer you to an oncologist for treatment. An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of cancer. Oncologists often specialize in certain types of cancer, so you should consider looking for those specializing in mesothelioma or lung cancer.

For a patient with mesothelioma, the treatment options an oncologist will recommend are normally based on both the overall health of the patient and the "stage" of the illness. Identifying stages is a system developed by doctors to evaluate the progression of a disease. In the case of mesothelioma, doctors have developed three different staging systems. The first is the Butchart System, which looks at the extent of the primary tumor mass. The second is the TNM System, which looks at the tumor mass, lymph node involvement, and metastasis. The third is the Brigham system, which looks at the ability to remove tumors surgically, and lymph node involvement.

After assessing overall health and the stage of the disease, the treatment options most often available include surgery, chemotherapy or special clinical trials. However, some oncologists may also recommend immunotherapy or gene therapy in certain cases.

Because there are a variety of treatment options available, patients should not hesitate to ask about the pros and cons of each option. Therapeutic methods are constantly changing, so finding the best treatment option for your situation can make all the difference.