October 29th, 2004

Incredibly, if you asked ten people off the street this question the chances are that one or two may know the answer. In both Britain and the US, a surprising number of the public have no idea what mesothelioma is, highlighting the desperate need into the funding of additional education to highlight the dangers of asbestos.

Both support groups and medical professionals on both sides of the Atlantic have expressed their concerns over the lack of funding into mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that results from asbestos exposure. Even the patients themselves have the same concerns.

Funding into mesothelioma is dramatically lower than funding into other types of cancer, which means that there are fewer resources for education as well as research into this illness. Yet, the cases of mesothelioma are rising continually as many of those that worked with asbestos several decades ago are now being diagnosed with this cancer. In fact, Britain and the United States are expected to be in the midst of an epidemic over the next ten to fifteen years.

Although clinical trials are being conducted, and some success into shorter term treatments has been found, the lack of funding makes it more difficult for researchers and medical experts, which in turn reduces the chances of finding a long-term treatment or cure for this deadly disease. The number of support establishments and educational resources also needs improvement, which is again affected by the lack of funding.