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e-Toolkit

Asbestos-related disease

A note from our CEO
Section I: Taking action to eliminate asbestos-related diseases
Actions leading to national bans on asbestos
Towards a global ban on asbestos
International bilateral & multilateral mechanisms
History of Mining, consumption production and use of asbestos
Transitioning to alternative non-asbestos materials
Proactive removal of ageing legacy asbestos materials
Section II: Country summaries, case studies and resources
Country summaries
Case studies
Research on ARDs
Section III: What asbestos is and the risks it poses
What asbestos is and how to identify it
Exposure pathways
Asbestos removal, management and disposal
Asbestos in fibres in drinking water
Public health risks from asbestos cement products
Section IV: Health impacts of exposure to asbestos
What are asbestos-related diseases
How are asbestos-related diseases diagnosed?
Can ARDs be treated?
Patient support, care and information
Reporting, coding and registration of ARDs

Support, Care and Information

This section is targeted at nurses, allied health professionals and health practitioners of any field wishing to advance their knowledge of supporting and caring for patients with asbestos-related diseases (ARD) and in particular pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the deadliest of all ARD’s.

The management of presenting symptoms of mesothelioma in any country varies according to clinician knowledge, clinician skills and access to quality technological services such as radiological imaging and diagnostic essentials (microscopes and immunohistochemical staining). However, without a level of awareness that someone may have been exposed to asbestos and therefore may be displaying symptoms of an asbestos-related disease, a diagnosis of MPM will be missed.

There is a need to exclude common causes of respiratory symptoms such as infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis, other benign respiratory illnesses, as well as viral influenza and COVID-19. There is also the need to exclude other malignancies, such as primary lung cancer and metastatic disease from other cancers like breast, bowel, gastrointestinal tract, and unknown causes.

Mesothelioma is a complex disease. It is preventable, it is incurable, it is difficult to diagnose and there are limited treatment options. Overall survival has remained unchanged over many years and is reported to be around 8-12 months.

In countries that are resource limited, people are more likely to present with multiple symptoms related to advanced disease that has been undiagnosed for long periods and/or have symptoms of an aggressive and rapidly growing tumour. This can be indicative of the cell type of the mesothelioma. Some people may have slow tumour activity and live with disease without symptoms for longer periods, sometimes years with or without treatment.

The priority of care for people with mesothelioma is to minimize symptoms of the disease, treatment, and maximise quality of living. It is important to encourage people to live with normality in their life for as long as possible, seek help when emotions like sadness, hopelessness, depression arise but also acknowledge the need to prepare for a dignified end of life.

In developing countries, where health professional, government, and public knowledge and experience of mesothelioma is limited, the options for management are likely to be minimal, therefore the focus must always be on patient safety, symptom relief and best available care.

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Factsheet - ADDRI - Patient Support Care and Information

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References

Understanding the Experiences of end of Life Care for Patients with Mesothelioma from the Perspective of Bereaved Family Caregivers in the UK: A Qualitative Analysis

Harrison M, Darlison L, Gardiner C

Life Care for Patients with Mesothelioma

Dying of mesothelioma: A qualitative exploration of caregiver experiences

Lee JT, Mittal DL, Warby A, Kao S, Dhillon HM, Vardy JL

Dying of Mesothelioma

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