Mesothelioma is a complex disease which requires many
different types of treatment. Although your initial
diagnosis is likely to stem from your doctor, you will
probably come across a range of other doctors and
specialists during your treatment and care program.
Each type of doctor or team member specialises is a
different field, and this helps to ensure that each
patient receives the best possible care from the best
suited professional. Below you will find a run down of a
typical cancer care team:
General Practitioner: Your doctor may not be a
specialist in the field of cancer, but is normally your
first point of contact. He or she is also the person
that can provide much of your medical history and
details to any specialists or consultants who are
dealing with you. Your doctor is the person that will
refer you to a cancer care team or specialist following
your initial visit and diagnosis.
Pulmonologist: This is a physician who has received
specialist training, and has acquired specialist skills
and knowledge in the field of lung disorders. A
pulmonologist is trained to diagnose and treat
conditions and diseases relating to the lungs, such as
lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, asthma, bronchitis,
emphysema, and COPD.
Thoracic Surgeon: This is a surgeon that has been
trained and specialises in performing surgery of the
heart, lungs, chest and oesophagus. These surgeons can
deal with conditions such as coronary disease, lung and
abdominal cancers, heart and lung surgery.
Medical Oncologist: This is a physician who is a trained
specialist in the field of treatment for cancer through
chemotherapy. There are a variety of different types of
oncologists, all of whom specialise in the treatment of
cancer.
Radiation Oncologist: This is another type of
oncologist, who is also an expert in the field of
treating cancer, but this time through radiation
therapy.
Radiologist: This is a physician who is an expert in the
field of using imagines equipment (such as x-rays, scans
and ultrasound) in order to diagnose diseases and
problems.
Pathologist: This is a physician who is trained to
monitor and evaluate cell changes which can indicate the
presence of disease. Pathologists do this through
examination of bodily fluids and excretions, such as
urine, blood, stools, sputum, etc. These doctors
identify changes in cells and also perform post mortems;
however, they do not directly treat patients.
Social Worker: Although not a medical member of the
team, a social worker is there to provide invaluable
support and resources to patients at a time when they
need as much assistance and advice as possible.
Respiratory Therapist: This is a trained medical worker
who specialises in evaluating, treating and monitoring
patients who have had or are still having breathing
problems.
As you can see, you may become involved with a wide
variety of professionals whilst being cared for by the
cancer care team, and with such an experienced pool of
professionals at hand you should receive excellent care
from trained specialists.
Because the various types of mesothelioma affect
different parts of the body, you may find that you are
dealt with by a handful of the cancer care team or, at
some point, by every member. This largely depends on the
type of cancer and the location and extent of the cancer
