| Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. It afflicts | | | | community and the public, lawsuits began to be |
| persons who have worked in asbestos- related | | | | initiated in the courts for compensation, and the |
| industries like asbestos mines, shipyards, insulation | | | | government began to act stringently against the |
| factories and construction sites. Initially, the | | | | asbestos-based industries. The total number of |
| workers in these establishments were unaware | | | | Mesothelioma-afflicted patients in the whole of the |
| that the exposure to the asbestos dust could | | | | United States is not more than 2,000 annually, |
| result in such grave consequences. They became | | | | and, fortunately, even this number is likely to |
| conscious of the potential hazards of this disease | | | | decrease over the coming years. Quite a majority |
| after three or four decades, since the disease lies | | | | of doctors are still unaware of the symptoms, |
| dormant for such long periods. The result of | | | | diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. Since |
| dormancy was that the medical field also | | | | the incidence of the disease is not very common, |
| recognized the existence of this disease a bit late; | | | | the number of doctors specializing in this area is |
| when the patients came for treatment, doctors | | | | also small. |
| were finally able to relate the symptoms to the | | | | The National Institute of Cancer, Washington |
| causes. Initially the symptoms like chest pain, | | | | Cancer Institute, Columbia University College of |
| cough, fever and breathlessness were associated | | | | Physicians and Surgeon, New York Presbyterian |
| with common occurring diseases like pneumonia, | | | | Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, |
| but when the patients failed to respond to the | | | | University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, etc. are |
| treatment. the medical world started research. | | | | some of the major institutions and research |
| Again, when the awareness of the hazardous | | | | organizations that are the best sources to find |
| effects of asbestos dust dawned on the medical | | | | out the right doctors for Mesothelioma treatment. |