Friday, August 20th, 2010
Three years after an invasive surgery to remove her cancerous lung, mesothelioma survivor Janelle Bedel remains cancer-free and now helps to raise public awareness of the asbestos-caused cancer.
Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. The disease is known for its aggressive nature and is particularly difficult to treat. Although no cure currently exists, a number of mesothelioma patients who are diagnosed early enough may qualify for a combination of aggressive therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. This combination of therapies, known as multimodality therapy, presently has the best chance of extending a patient’s mesothelioma life expectancy.
Before her mesothelioma diagnosis, Bedel thought she was struggling with a chronic sinus infection. But when her doctors couldn’t explain the cause of her back pain and the swelling in her lungs, Bedel began researching her symptoms online. Her research led her question if she was facing mesothelioma, a rare cancer that primarily affects older men with a history of occupational asbestos exposure.
Bedel’s research led her in the right direction and at the age of 31 she was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. After imaging scans, tests to confirm diagnosis and some chemotherapy, Bedel went to New York for an invasive surgery to remove her affected lung.
Bedel said her surgeon, mesothelioma expert Dr. Valerie Rusch,
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