A national charity is raising awareness about mesothelioma – a cancer caused by breathing in asbestos fibres.
The illness is such a problem in Medway that Macmillan Cancer Relief provides funding for a specialist nurse to support patients and their carers.
Next Wednesday, the British Lung Foundation’s Action Mesothelioma Day aims to raise the profile of the killer condition, a cancer of the lining of the lung, which can also be found more rarely in the stomach.
Medway NHS Trust said the cancer, which is an incurable illness and virtually always fatal, remains undetected for years and often shows up 40 to 50 years after exposure.
In the Medway towns, asbestos was used widely in all areas of industry. Men and women travelling to work long hours in factories would handle raw asbestos before heading home bringing particles of the insulator with them.
Dr Alastair Steward, consultant chest physician at Medway Maritime Hospital, said: “Medway is a hot-spot for this disease. We have around 35 cases against 1,800 reported nationally.
“This statistic is significantly about the national average and is therefore a clear cause for concern in the area and this figure is set to peak over the next decade.”
Doctors have previously warned that the number of people being diagnosed with mesothelioma across all of Kent is set to double in the next 10 years.
Frances McKay, a mesothelioma nurse specialist, is based at Medway Maritime Hospital and runs a monthly support and information group for patients and their loved ones.
Although the dangers of asbestos have been known for more than a century it was not until the 1980s that the substance was banned in the UK – meaning thousands of workers have been unknowingly exposed to its lethal properties.
For more information about the mesothelioma team at Medway call 01634 830 000 ext 5212.
POSTED: 22/02/2008 10:04:34
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