Chemotherapy improves survival time for mesothelioma patients

Treatment options exist in Kentucky that have the potential to increase survival times for people with mesothelioma. Chemotherapy centered around the drug Alimta has become the standard course of treatment for mesothelioma patients, but a study of 910 people with the disease showed that older patients received this treatment less often than younger people with the diagnosis.

The study separated people in the groups of below age 70, age 70 to 80 and over 80. Within the under 70 age group, 66% of the patients underwent chemotherapy according to the study. Survival rates within this group reached a median time frame of 13.5 months. Among patients between age 70 and 80, only 35% of them received chemotherapy. As a result, their survival times only hit a median of 9.5 months.

For those who did not have chemotherapy, their survival rates diminished to 7 months within the under 70 group. In the 70 to 80 group, survival time fell to only 5.8 months among patients who did not have chemotherapy.

Accessing effective treatment represents an important priority for people suffering from asbestos-related illnesses, like mesothelioma. Toxic exposures that cause disease sometimes occur at work, and a sickened worker might have a right to pursue compensation for medical expenses through personal injury law. The representation of an attorney might aid someone who needs to hold a company responsible for contamination that caused cancer. An attorney may organize medical records and other evidence to support the recovery of damages. A settlement might improve someone’s ability to pay for care that potentially extends life.