Tragically, exposure to asbestos had led to future cancer diagnoses in countless patients across generations. Not only does asbestos exposure often lead to cancer – sometimes decades later – but the cancers that it produces tend to be particularly harmful and difficult to treat. Given that reality, any possible treatment option that can address asbestos-related cancers and potentially improve outcomes for patients needs to be carefully explored.

In this article, we’d like to highlight the role that immunotherapy can play in treated cancers that are caused by asbestos. Whether you are facing a cancer diagnosis personally, or a diagnosis has been given to someone in your family, learning as much as you can about the situation and what treatments are available will only improve the possibilities for a brighter future.

What Kinds of Cancer Does Asbestos Cause?

The destruction to human health that can be caused by asbestos exposure seems to know no bounds. Although nothing is noticed by the exposed individual at the time of exposure, the fibers that make their way into the body begin doing minor damage as soon as they are inhaled. Incredibly, that damage continues to occur for a period of years – often decades – until symptoms begin to be experienced.

A cancer diagnosis stemming from asbestos exposure is one of the more serious outcomes in this kind of case. It’s a reality of the situation that not just one type of cancer is caused by asbestos exposure, but ultimately a range of cancers can stem from having asbestos fibers in the body. So, even if an individual is fortunate enough to avoid one of the types of cancers that can be caused by asbestos, one of the other possibilities may wind up causing serious problems. It’s this potential for many different cancers that has allowed asbestos to do harm to so many people over the generations.

Some of the cancers that have been shown to be caused by asbestos include the following:

· Mesothelioma. This is perhaps the type of asbestos-related cancer that gets the most attention. This is because it is almost always caused by asbestos exposure, and is, sadly, usually fatal. Mesothelioma comes with particularly painful symptoms in the chest and lungs once it sets in, and it’s hard to diagnose until very late, making treatment options especially limited.

· Lung cancer. It’s not just smoking that can lead to lung cancer. Asbestos exposure also comes along with a notable risk of developing the disease, and again, if it isn’t caught early, treatment can be difficult. Those who both smoke and are exposed to asbestos significantly increase their chances of developing lung cancer.

· Throat cancer. As asbestos makes its way into the body, some of the fibers can become lodged in the lining of the throat, with the potential for throat cancer developing much later in life. The way throat cancer is treated will depend entirely on the specifics of each case.

· Stomach cancer. The lining of the stomach is another place where cancer can develop, and this type of cancer is sometimes connected to asbestos exposure. Because of the location within the body, stomach cancer can be hard to treat, but options are available that may be able to improve patient outcomes.

· Colorectal cancer. Although not as closely associated with asbestos, it’s also possible to deal with colorectal cancer as a result of exposure that happened many years ago. As with nearly all types of cancer, early detection is a huge part of managing to achieve a better outcome with this disease.

· Ovarian cancer. For women, there is an increased risk of ovarian cancer in the aftermath of asbestos exposure. It’s often hard to spot the signs of this illness until it is too late for most treatments to be effective.

Understanding the Basics of Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy aims to use the immune system that everyone already has built into their body to fight off destructive cancer cells. This type of treatment is not as established or proven as other approaches to fighting cancer, but it has shown exciting potential in various trials and studies.

One approach with immunotherapy is to help boost the immune system so that it works harder – and more strategically – to kill off malignant cells. If the power of the immune system can be pointed in the direction of cancer cells, it might be possible to curtail the growth of that cancer effectively. Since one’s immune system already exists to fight off unwanted things like infections and diseases, it only makes sense that it could work against cancer. Normally, however, the immune system doesn’t see cancer as an invader, as the cells start out healthy before they mutate and grow wildly where they aren’t supposed to.

In addition to boosting the natural immune system, immunotherapy can also be used by producing synthetic substances in a lab that can help to improve the way the immune system fights cancer.

Some patients will use this approach alone, as their primary treatment, but it’s much more likely that a combination of treatments will be used to aim for the best possible outcome.

Immunotherapy may be applied in a variety of ways depending on the type of cancer in question, the stage, and more. One common type of immunotherapy, for example, comes in the form of checkpoint inhibitors. This basically gives the immune system the ability to work in overdrive without holding anything back. Other possibilities include the use of cytokines to help tell the immune system to go after the cancer cells, or the use of immunomodulators to boost the immune system’s overall response.

Looking at the Potential Results

Immunotherapy as a general treatment has been used for many years against cancer, but its use has grown significantly over time and different techniques for its application have been developed along the way. As a result of the ongoing focus on the use of this approach, there have been some positive signs that immunotherapy can deliver impressive results.

Asbestos causes more lung cancer than it does mesothelioma.

For example, when used on people who are dealing with lung cancer, immunotherapy has been shown to help improve symptoms and results, and as such, more immunotherapy treatments for lung cancer patients have been created and approved. Now, in some cases, immunotherapy will actually be used as the first line treatment for lung cancer, which is not something that would have typically been done previously.

There have also been signs that immunotherapy can be effective with regards to fighting off mesothelioma. The battle against mesothelioma is notoriously difficult, but using immune checkpoint inhibitors may help shrink tumors and add survival time. There are ongoing studies underway monitoring how this treatment performs and how beneficial is has proven to be specifically with mesothelioma patients.

A Combination of Treatments

Again, it’s often the case that more than one form of treatment will be needed to fight a cancer diagnosis. One of the more popular options is chemotherapy, and in some cases, both immunotherapy and chemotherapy will be used in tandem in an effort to battle certain types of cancer. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, or infusion, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

The good news is that using both has started to show positive results, and it just may be a potentially powerful solution for people in certain situations. Specifically, lung cancer is one type of cancer that has shown some response to chemoimmunotherapy.

Hope and Cautious Optimism

As one might imagine, however, this type of treatment does not perform well in all situations, as is the case with virtually all types of cancer treatment. Also, since it is a relatively new form of treatment, there are many questions still lingering about how to get the best results. For instance, it needs to be determined how exactly the treatments should be dosed and timed, and what order of treatment seems to work best. Thanks to the hard work of many researchers, there is hope for the future that treatments will gradually become more effective.

Chemotherapy, by itself, is also particularly taxing on the body and can lead to fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, nausea, infection, and even decrease cognitive functioning. Thus, opting to introduce a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy into a patient’s treatment regimen is not one to be taken lightly. A doctor is likely to weigh the pros and cons of chemoimmunotherapy with a patient carefully before collaboratively deciding to move forward.

Seeking Treatment as Soon as Possible

It’s never ideal to be facing any type of cancer, but it’s always best to catch it as soon as possible. When cancer is spotted relatively early on, the treatment options tend to be more varied and effective, and one’s prognosis is often better. This is the major issue with cancers that are caused by asbestos exposure – they are almost always caught very late due to how long it takes for the cancer to develop after exposure, and because of the minimal symptoms that are experienced when one is first exposed.

When it is found, the cancer is usually quite advanced, and treatment options become limited.

Given this reality, it’s important for people to be aware of the risks related to asbestos exposure and determine as soon as possible whether they may have been exposed at some point in the past. This way, they can seek medical attention right away to assess for any signs of asbestos fibers in the body and potential health consequences as a result. Even if an asbestos-related disease isn’t yet present, if it’s determined the exposure is likely, a medical professional can monitor a patient on an ongoing basis, staying on top of any developing symptoms.

If you think you or a loved one may have been exposed at some point in the past, use that information to your advantage and talk to your healthcare professional about what kinds of screenings and tests should be performed. Don’t delay seeking treatment. Time is of the essence when it comes to asbestos-related illnesses and catching these early can drastically improve outcomes.

In addition to seeking prompt medical attention if asbestos exposure is expected, soliciting the help of an experienced asbestos attorney could be necessary if an illness is detected.

Experienced asbestos attorneys help their clients secure compensation to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other financial deficits that result from being diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses as a result of exposure. Oftentimes, there is a negligent party, such as a former employer, who is to blame for exposing an individual to these fibers.

The fastest and easiest route to compensation for an asbestos cancer claim

In fact, many companies have already set up asbestos trusts to address ongoing litigation related to this issue, and these trusts contain billions of dollars just waiting to be collected. Filing a trust claim is a relatively quick and easy process, meaning patients with asbestos-related cancers can get their compensation right away to manage mounting bills.

Financial support with asbestos cancer treatment

Understanding that such a diagnosis can be quite costly, the AsbestosClaims.law team works on a contingency fee basis, meaning they don’t get paid until their clients do. Moreover, they have proven successful time and again in filing trust claims, having the knowledge and expertise needed to ensure all of the proper steps are taken along the way. The team utilizes its W.A.R.D. database to reference potential exposure culprits and they work tirelessly to obtain supporting documentation, building a solid case guaranteed to get results.

Being diagnosed with cancer as a result of asbestos exposure can be a particularly emotional experience that is only made worse by difficult physical symptoms. Working with the team at AsbestosClaims.law can help ease some of this burden. Time is of the essence when it comes to battling asbestos-related cancers. So, don’t delay. Call AsbestosClaims.law and get the compensation you deserve today.