{"id":1099,"date":"2016-02-22T07:55:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T12:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?p=920"},"modified":"2024-09-18T18:00:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T22:00:15","slug":"diagnosed-stage-3-4-mesothelioma-16015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/blog\/diagnosed-stage-3-4-mesothelioma-16015\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do If You’ve Been Diagnosed with Stage 3 or 4 Mesothelioma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Straight Talk About Mesothelioma<\/strong>, a blog series created by Michael T. Milano, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncology specialist, as a resource for mesothelioma patients and their loved ones.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Receiving a diagnosis of late-stage mesothelioma is devastating. Unfortunately, because of the way the cancer grows and spreads, many people don\u2019t get diagnosed until they have an advanced stage (i.e. stage 3 or 4).<\/p>\n

Sometimes a proper diagnosis may take a while. In fact, symptoms may present 10 to 50 years after exposure and can even mimic other illnesses.<\/p>\n

If you, or someone you know and love, has recently been diagnosed with late-stage mesothelioma<\/a>, you aren\u2019t alone. It\u2019s estimated that over 3,200 people are diagnosed every year with this disease, with two-thirds being over the age of 65.<\/p>\n

How Is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?<\/h2>\n

An oncologist will determine whether an individual likely has mesothelioma based on diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and PET scans. A biopsy is needed to confirm the mesothelioma diagnosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to relay all information about present and previous symptoms to your oncologist, as well as providing a comprehensive medical history so that they can determine which tests need to be ordered.<\/p>\n

From these tests, your doctor can come to a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

What Are the Treatment Options?<\/h2>\n

Depending on the stage of mesothelioma, there are different treatment options<\/a> doctors may suggest. For early-stage cancer, multimodal therapy \u2014 consisting of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation \u2014 may be recommended.<\/p>\n

Stage 3 Treatment Options<\/h3>\n

With stage 3 mesothelioma, curative surgery may or may not be an option. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, will certainly be discussed on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

Of course, it is ultimately up to you and your doctor as to whether or not surgery and chemotherapy are the best options.<\/p>\n

Stage 4 Treatment Options<\/h3>\n

With stage 4 mesothelioma, treatment is considered palliative<\/a> in nature, meaning that the treatments may prolong life, and improve quality of life, but will not cure the cancer.<\/p>\n

Your doctors will focus on reducing pain and improving other symptoms from the cancer.<\/p>\n

What Comes after Diagnosis and Treatment Planning?<\/h2>\n

Step 1: Acceptance<\/h3>\n

Because mesothelioma is a long-latency disease with a short mortality rate, a diagnosis may come as a shock \u2014 especially for those who didn\u2019t work in an asbestos-related field.<\/p>\n

However, those who have been diagnosed could have spent their entire career with on-the-job exposure to asbestos<\/a> in their workplace.<\/p>\n

Part of accepting a mesothelioma diagnosis is fully understanding what it means.<\/p>\n

If you were alone when your doctor shared the news, ask for a follow-up appointment where you can ask additional questions, and bring someone you trust with you to take notes.<\/p>\n

The better informed you are, the better you\u2019ll be able to make decisions about treatment and plans for your future.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Prepare for the Future<\/h3>\n

The next step in staring down a mesothelioma diagnosis is taking necessary actions to prepare for your future. Communicate your end-of-life wishes with your family and close friends.<\/p>\n

While this may be a tough conversation to have with your loved ones, you<\/em> will be the person in control of your life, not anyone else.<\/p>\n

Topics to discuss include whether you\u2019d like home-care, hospice, or hospital treatment. Funeral, financial, and estate planning should also be done as soon as possible after a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Preparing for the future doesn\u2019t have to be all \u201ctough conversations\u201d and \u201cdoom and gloom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there anything you\u2019ve been interested in trying? Do you want to learn something, visit a new location, or eat a delicacy you\u2019ve been nervous to try in the past? Do it!<\/p>\n

If you have a bucket list, get started crossing off the fun and exciting items. If you don\u2019t, grab a pen and paper and jot down some ideas of things you\u2019d like to accomplish.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Support Helps<\/h3>\n

Remember, after receiving a late-stage mesothelioma<\/a> diagnosis, you don\u2019t need to process the news alone.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll likely be assigned a case manager or social worker to help you through this difficult time and begin planning for your future. If not, ask your doctor for recommendations for a mental health counselor or a newly-diagnosed cancer patient support group.<\/p>\n

If the idea of attending a support group<\/a> makes you feel uncomfortable, reach out to your friends, family, and colleagues. The people in your life may feel unsure of how to help you.<\/p>\n

Be vocal \u2014 if you need support or encouragement or anything else, ask for it!<\/p>\n

Reading mesothelioma survival stories is another way to boost your spirits. There are many great news stories online you can digest while waiting for appointments or browsing the Internet.<\/p>\n

Ask your practitioner if they can put you in touch with other survivors<\/a>. A one-on-one conversation may make you feel more comfortable than a group setting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Straight Talk About Mesothelioma, a blog series created by Michael T. Milano, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncology specialist, as a resource for mesothelioma patients and their loved ones. Receiving a diagnosis of late-stage mesothelioma is devastating. Unfortunately, because of the way the cancer grows and spreads, many people don\u2019t get diagnosed until they have an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":1189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mesothelioma-treatment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}