Mesothelioma is deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos or asbestos made products. Many of those who worked with asbestos found themselves sick years later. This cancer is almost always deadly, but there are options available. To learn more about your options, you will need to find the right hospital and the right doctor.
How to Find the Right Doctor
A doctor that specializes in cancer is called an oncologist. Not every oncologist specializes in every type of cancer. You will need to find one that understands mesothelioma.
Ask Your Other Doctors for Referrals
Your primary care or other specialists might know an oncologist that specializes in mesothelioma. They can usually recommend someone who can help you.
Meet With Multiple Doctors
Finding the right doctor is like finding anything else. You might have to see a few to find the right one. You will need to interview a few doctors before making the decision.
Inquire Through Care Networks
Mesothelioma has a broad range of care networks set up. Since it is a deadly disease caused by a specific substance, there are networks of people who help those suffering from it.
Ask for Credentials
Ensure that the doctor you choose has experience in dealing with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers. Ask questions like how many patients with mesothelioma have they treated and what kind of success rate they have. You will also what to know how aggressively they will treat your cancer.
Choosing the Right Hospital
There are many cancer care centers across the globe. Do not worry too much about how far away a treatment center is or how far you may have to travel. Just like with doctors, you will need to look at what treatments they offer. You also want to know what levels of care are available to you.
Make sure that the hospital specializes and treats all asbestos-related illnesses, particularly mesothelioma. You don’t want to go to a center that is not well educated in your specific type of cancer. Sometimes you will need to find a bigger hospital or a small one that only offers highly specialized treatment.
When you are looking for the hospital, ask your oncologist to give you a few referrals. This will help you find a hospital that your oncologist works with.
It does not matter if you choose the hospital and then choose an oncologist or choose the oncologist and then choose a hospital. What matters is that you choose the doctor and hospital combination that you are most comfortable in, and that treats mesothelioma.
