Understanding Mesothelioma

This practical text highlights the lived experience of mesothelioma. Following the patient journey and underpinned by the evidence, it explores what good care for mesothelioma looks like. Mesothelioma is complex in its aetiology, presentation, symptom burden and patient pathway. The public health context is shifting, as the way people are exposed to asbestos changes and there are new life-lengthening treatments available with many benefits but also challenges. This timely book provides the context for mesothelioma, what it is and why it occurs before profiling a range of experiences across the patient pathway to highlight implications for care delivered by nurses and other health and social care practitioners. The second section of the book follows the patient pathway from diagnosis through to end-of-life care and bereavement, highlighting the lived experience and summarising the implications for practice. The final section of the book discusses aspects of the mesothelioma experience that are unique to the condition, including mental health impacts, and financial and legal implications. Presenting insights that will inform practice in a diverse range of fields, including health, social care and law, this book is an essential reference for all those working with people with mesothelioma and their families. It is also an important reference for those working in cancer care more generally and academics with an interest in the lived experience of health conditions.

Angela Tod is Professor of Older People and Care at the University of Sheffield, UK, and Co-Director of the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre (MURC). Bethany Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre (MURC), University of Sheffield, UK. Clare Gardiner is Professor of Palliative Care at the University of Sheffield, UK, and Co-Director of the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre (MURC). Liz Darlison is the CEO of Mesothelioma UK and a Nurse Consultant in Mesothelioma.

1. Introduction., 2. Mesothelioma., 3. The role of the specialist nurse in multidisciplinary and partnership working., 4. The road to diagnosis, 5. Treatment experiences, 6. Symptoms and their management ,7. The supportive care needs of people with mesothelioma, 8. Clinical trials, 9. Palliative and end of life care in mesothelioma, 10. The legacy of the illness for the family, 11. The role of primary care in mesothelioma, 12. Mental health and mesothelioma, 13. Financial implications, 14. Seeking compensation, 15. Conclusion.