Diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma six years ago at the age of 29, Karen Grant is currently cancer-free thanks to multimodality therapy with Dr. David Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. The cancer is well-known for its aggressive nature and is notably difficult to treat. Although no cure exists, a number of mesothelioma patients who are diagnosed early enough may qualify for a combination of aggressive therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The combination of therapies, known as multimodality therapy, currently has the best chance of extending a patient’s mesothelioma life expectancy.
Grant’s first symptoms arose in 2003 when she woke with a bad cough on Christmas Eve. When Grant’s mesothelioma was discovered she had tumors lining both lungs (she was the youngest person documented to have mesothelioma on both lungs) and was told she only had months to live. But when Grant saw Dr. Sugarbaker she was offered a chance at an aggressive treatment plan and decided to endure the difficulties of undertaking such a treatment plan.
Grant commented, “I’m proud of that because he took a chance. He could have said, ‘No. I can’t treat you.’ But he did. He did and I owe my life to him.”
Grant underwent two major surgeries to remove the cancer from both lungs – the first taking place in February 2004 and the second in May 2004, according to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also underwent a form of laser therapy to kill cancerous cells too small to be seen or surgically removed. Dr. Sugarbaker also performed heated chemotherapy on her lungs and Grant went through months of chemotherapy and rehabilitation.
Dr. Sugarbaker explains, “A lot of other people have benefited because of what we saw in her because a lot of people would have given up. We offered her a very aggressive approach that a lot of patients could have said no thank you to, but not Karen.”
After her arduous struggle, Grant now serves as a source of inspiration for other mesothelioma patients. Grant shared, “I can give hope to other people and say, ‘Look, you know, it is a grim diagnosis but there is hope out there.’” In her video interview on the Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Web site Grant advises mesothelioma patients to “Be strong, be positive take it one moment at a time. Just be in the moment and that’ll get you through. Be strong, that’s what I did and I’m here today.”
Additional information on mesothelioma and mesothelioma survivors may be found through the mesothelioma Center.