mesothelioma

Franklin, Tennessee - June 7, 2009

For cancer survivors and their families and friends, June 7th is an important day. National Cancer Survivors Day, which celebrates survivors worldwide. National Cancer Survivors Day was instituted by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, or NCSDF, a group based out of Tennessee. The NCSDF provides support for cancer organizations and cancer treatment centers that host "Survivors Day" celebrations and events by providing informational materials and planning assistance.

According to the NCSDF, their goal is to "educate the public on the issues of cancer survivorship" in an effort to improve the lives of survivors. Approximately 12 million people in the US are cancer survivors. This rate of survival for individuals who have suffered from any form of cancer would not have been possible several years ago, but due to the success of newly-developed treatments, patients are more likely to recover from their cancer and enter remission.

For mesothelioma cancer patients, who are typically given six months to two years to live, survival is an incredible achievement. There is no cure for mesothelioma, but certain treatment methods, including chemotherapy following surgery, have contributed to an increase in survival rates. Mesothelioma, which can manifest in the pericardium, peritoneum, or pleura, is particularly aggressive and difficult to treat. Due to an extended latency period of between twenty and fifty years, mesothelioma is generally diagnosed in older adults between the ages of fifty and seventy, many of which were World War II veterans.

For mesothelioma patients and all other cancer patients, the goal is to survive. With the guidance of oncologists like Dr. David Rice of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, long-term survival is not out of the question.

For more information about the NCSDF, please visit their website, www.ncsdf.org, or send an email to info@ncsdf.org. If you are looking for information about National Cancer Survivors Day festivities in your area, contact your local American Cancer Society office or cancer treatment center