Mesothelioma Latency Period
The latency period for any disease is the period between the exposure to the disease-causing agent and the time when the symptoms of the disease first become apparent. Mesothelioma, like other diseases, also has a latency period. Unlike the flu or chicken pox, however, mesothelioma’s latency period lasts for decades.
The latency period of mesothelioma, according to the best estimates available, lasts anywhere from 15 to 50 years after the initial exposure occurred. There have, of course, been instances when the time period required for the disease to become apparent has been significantly shorter or significantly longer.
The time it takes for mesothelioma to become apparent is dependent in part on which of the following groups a given patient belongs to. The first group comprises those individuals who were exposed to asbestos in high quantities over a long period. Next, there are those who experienced high levels of asbestos in a short period, and finally, others who experienced low level exposure over a long duration.
Anyone who has been exposed should not sit and fret about the potential hazards of exposure and whether they will or will not develop mesothelioma. There is now a mesothelioma blood test that has been approved by the FDA. This test measures a particular cancer biomarker that can catch mesothelioma in the early stages of development, before the symptoms become obvious.
Because the latency period for mesothelioma is so long, workers who were exposed in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are just beginning to be diagnosed with mesothelioma.
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For more information on the mesothelioma latency period as well as what can be done during this time, contact us today at 800-781-3955.
