Asbestos.com is committed to providing the latest, up-to-date information to our visitors in the hopes of spreading awareness about the dangers of asbestos cancer (mesothelioma). Our goal is to offer a one-stop resource on all asbestos and mesothelioma-related issues ranging from occupational exposure to treatment options.

With more than 3,500 pages of content, our mission is to do whatever we can to help promote asbestos and mesothelioma awareness.

Mesothelioma & Suggested Steps Following Diagnosis

Exposure to asbestos has proven to result in a wide range of health conditions, including mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen. This rare form of cancer is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.

A range of tests are used to diagnose mesothelioma, such as imaging scans & biopsies.

Mesothelioma Topics

Mesothelioma Overview

Mesothelioma Types

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Pleural Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Life Expectancy

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Due to a long latency period, mesothelioma symptoms (shortness of breath, severe cough, chest pain) may not appear for 20 or more years. For this reason, mesothelioma is often diagnosed in later stages of development, which severely complicates treatment and chances of survival.

To learn more about this elusive and often puzzling disease, please review our extensive resources, featuring information on mesothelioma causes, symptoms, diagnosis and more.

Mesothelioma Treatments

We've compiled the most comprehensive and updated information on mesothelioma treatments, including traditional and unconventional treatments, other therapies, and the latest in clinical trials and mesothelioma research.

Radiation & chemotherapy are common mesothelioma treatment options.

Treatment-Related Topics

Highlighting topics such as top doctors, associated tests, and cancer centers, our treatment section offers the most helpful information available to mesothelioma victims.

Recent clinical studies have found positive results with immunotherapy and photodynmamic therapy that may prove to be beneficial in mesothelioma treatment. Other clinical trials have investigated various combinations of chemotherapy drugs along with other medications or dietary supplements that may improve the effectiveness of mesothelioma chemotherapy.

Additionally, some studies are examining the prognostic factors involved in mesothelioma that help doctors decide what treatments are most beneficial for each individual patient. Research into diagnostic factors is also progressively improving mesothelioma diagnosis and leading to enhanced mesothelioma testing. Make sure to check back frequently for current research and advancements in mesothelioma treatments.

Mesothelioma Cancer and Asbestos Exposure Among Veterans

From the 1930s through the 1970s, the U.S. Navy used hundreds of asbestos-contaminated products in all of its vessels, which led to hazardous asbestos exposure among thousands of veterans.

Millions of veterans have been exposed to asbestos while serving the country.

Veterans & Mesothelioma Topics

Many veterans who worked in shipyards and aboard warships and submarines were heavily exposed to asbestos through standard operations.

As a result, more than 30 percent of mesothelioma victims are veterans. In addition to mesothelioma, Navy veterans account for 16 percent of asbestos-related lung cancer. To learn more about when, where, and how veterans were exposed, visit our informative veterans and mesothelioma section.

To enhance our resources for veterans, we have recently added a comprehensive index of Navy ships that have a history of asbestos contamination. In addition, the Mesothelioma Center now offers free assistance to veterans with VA claims, which can often be a complicated and exhausting process.

Asbestos-Related Cancer Resources

For many decades asbestos exposure has been known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma cancer. However, a battery of scientific studies linking asbestos to an assortment of other cancers and illnesses has failed to be addressed within the community of asbestos awareness.

A number of various cancers have been linked to asbestos, including gastrointestinal and colon cancer.

Cancer-Related Topics

Through extensive research efforts, the Mesothelioma Center has gathered comprehensive information from a multitude of clinical studies that have observed a link between asbestos exposure and a range of serious diseases.

Please take a moment to visit our new asbestos cancer section, featuring scientific and clinically based information on a variety of cancers and diseases that may share a causal relationship with asbestos exposure.

Hazardous Jobsites: Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

Despite growing numbers of asbestos-related illness among those who have never worked with asbestos, the majority of people diagnosed with an asbestos-induced disease received exposure in an occupational setting. This is largely due to the likelihood of repeated exposures, as well as elevated levels of exposure, that occur throughout a range of occupations, industries, and jobsites.

Numerous occupations, ranging from electricians to firefighters, share a history of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos Exposure Topics

Some jobsites are widely known to be occupational sources of asbestos exposure, such as asbestos mines, processing plants, and manufacturing plants where asbestos products are produced. But a variety of other jobsites, ranging from shipyards to chemical and power plants to oil refineries, also bear a history of asbestos exposure.

If you think you've been exposed to asbestos and have developed mesothelioma you can visit our mesothelioma lawyer section for more information on how you can receive compensation.

Two must read books for anyone who has or who is caring for someone with mesothelioma.

Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me or 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma.

Asbestos.com has experienced navy veterans on staff to assist veterans in answering questions about applying for asbestos-related VA Claims and other benefits.

*Asbestos.com is not affiliated with the
U.S. Department. of Veterans Affairs.

Naval Ships Index
Search through our extensive list of ships that used asbestos-containing products.
(e.g. USS Alabama BB 60)

Get matched with the top mesothelioma specialists in your area.

Learn what foods to eat, which to avoid, and the best supplements for the fight against cancer and chemotherapy recovery.

Mesothelioma Therapy: Heated Chemotherapy as a Treatment Option
07/30/2010 - While recent clinical trials and research studies have made great advancements in understanding mesothelioma cancer, very few treatment options have b..
Former Power Plant Workers at Risk for Mesothelioma Cancer
07/29/2010 - The use of asbestos-containing materials within power plants was a common occurrence throughout much of the 20th century. Before the 1980s, the insula..
Mesothelioma Diagnosis Worries Other Family Members
07/28/2010 - An Ireland man fighting mesothelioma cancer has commented on his family's ongoing struggle with asbestos exposure, which initially began with asbestos..
Mesothelioma-Causing Asbestos May be Banned in the United States
07/27/2010 - According to a recent report, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has plans to phase out the use of asbestos within the next decade. Lin Chie..
Researchers Study Cancer Stem Cells as Therapeutic Targets for Mesothelioma
07/26/2010 - In a study published in the International Journal of Oncology, Cortes-Dericks and colleagues tested whether cancer stem cells in malignant pleural mes..