Mesothelioma Information

In 1963, a native Guatemalan immigrated to the United States in search of a better quality of life. He found steady employment as an automobile mechanic in the city of Los Angeles. His proudest moment was a swearing-in ceremony during which he became a United States citizen. His life was better, until the summer of 2002, when a biopsy revealed malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer believed to be responsible for more than 200,000 deaths worldwide. The only known cause of malignant mesothelioma is exposure to a fibrous metamorphic mineral called asbestos. After the asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can remain and accumulate in the lungs. The development of malignant mesothelioma can occur up to 50 years after exposure.

The auto industry used asbestos as an insulator and all-purpose fire retardant throughout the 1970s. Asbestos was the perfect material for brake pads and shoes due to its heat-resistant properties. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the use of asbestos waned as federal safety officials warned that the inhalation of asbestos could lead to serious respiratory diseases in employees and consumers.

In the summer of his diagnosis, he could not shake a dry, hacking cough, and he felt unusually fatigued. He repeatedly sought medical assistance to cure his prolonged illness. Continuously, doctors were misdiagnosing or missing his mesothelioma of the pleura. Asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis... the ex-automobile mechanic was misdiagnosed with them all.

By August, a tuberculosis test was scheduled, as his condition had not improved. A chest X-ray was ordered after a positive reading on the test. Extensive pleural thickening as well as a pleural effusion in the left cavity was revealed in the X-ray. His doctors admitted him to the hospital for a tissue biopsy procedure.

After his diagnosis of mesothelioma, radiation therapy and chemotherapy were offered as treatment options. His oncologists did not recommend surgery, as the tumor inside the lung was too large to remove. The surgeons offered chemotherapy as a solution; their treatment plan was to reduce the tumor so that it could be surgically removed. His survival time would be extended to 18 months if he elected this course of treatment.

He selected to shrink the tumor, to afford him extended time with his family. Alimta was the drug chosen to attack the malignant mesothelioma tumor during chemotherapy. His treatments consisted of an intravenous injection of Alimta through a vein for a 10-minute period, once every three weeks. The patient's dosage was based on his condition, body size and reaction to the medication.

His reaction to chemotherapy was not unusual, as he lost weight and his appetite. In January of 2003, he received encouraging news from a chest X-ray. Doctors noted a small shrinkage to the tumor; upon hearing the X-ray result, he renewed his fight to eat more and regain strength.