Lung cancer symptoms are rarely felt until the disease has developed into an advanced stage. Even when symptoms are felt, people often tolerate them for some time before they seek medical assistance. For instance, it's easy to shrug off shortness of breath as being out of shape, or a chronic cough as a bad cold or allergies. More obvious symptoms, such as coughing up blood or dyspnea (difficulty breathing), may occur before medical advice is asked for.

Asbestosis ("asbestoses" is the pleural form) is a non-cancerous scarring of the delicate tissues of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure. Although it is not cancerous, asbestos exposure may also cause lung cancer or mesothelioma, and asbestosis is an indicator that you are at a higher risk of contracting these asbestos-related diseases.

Drug treatments for asbestosis include pain medication, bronchodilators, and antibiotics.

Bronchodilators are prescribed to help asbestosis patients breathe more easily. These medications are typically provided in the form of a "puffer" inhaler that releases a measured dose of medication with each squeeze. Bronchodilators work by relaxing the muscles of the airways, which enables the lungs to inhale as much air as possible.

Some patients also find relief through alternative medical treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy, and homeopathic medicine. While none of these treatments offer a cure for asbestosis, many of them do offer relief from pain, reduction of inflammation, and an increase in pulmonary function. The most commonly used alternative therapies are listed below.

While there is currently no cure available for malignant mesothelioma, there are treatments available. The types of treatments may include:

If you believe that you may have mesothelioma, a qualified medical professional will use a variety of diagnostic tests and methods to confirm the presence of the disease.

There are two kinds of pleural mesothelioma: diffuse and malignant (cancerous), and localized and benign (non-cancerous).

Benign mesothelioma can often be removed surgically and is generally not life threatening. It is usually not related to asbestos exposure. Malignant mesothelioma, however, is very serious and about two thousand people are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in the U.S. each year.