Mesothelioma Treatment
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Gene therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Photodynamic therapy
- Alternative medicine approaches
Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that develops in the tissue lining the lungs, heart or abdomen, and most people diagnosed with mesothelioma worked on jobs where they were exposed to asbestos nearly every day, back when asbestos was in regular use. Today, mesothelioma patients and their loved ones are filing lawsuits against the company or companies responsible for their asbestos exposure, in order to seek compensation for their significant losses. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you believe the disease was caused by exposure to asbestos, contact an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to review your case and explore your possible compensation options.
Construction workers, shipyard workers, power plant workers and other blue-collar workers, as well as military veterans who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, are the groups most commonly diagnosed with mesothelioma, due to the fact that they were regularly exposed to asbestos on the job. Even the loved ones of those directly exposed to asbestos at work have developed mesothelioma from secondhand exposure to asbestos dust or fibers brought home on workers’ clothing and in their hair, which gives you an idea of just how toxic the mineral really is.
The sad truth is that mesothelioma is an almost entirely preventable cancer, and many of the companies that used, manufactured, produced or distributed asbestos products and knew of its dangers, could have singlehandedly curbed the mesothelioma epidemic occurring today if they had simply warned their employees or provided them with the proper equipment to keep them safe on the job. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you or your spouse served in the military or regularly handled or were exposed to asbestos at work, you deserved to be compensated for your losses and suffering. By filing a mesothelioma lawsuit against the company responsible for yours or your loved one’s exposure to asbestos, you can pursue financial compensation for costly medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, funeral costs and other expenses.
“Construction workers, shipyard workers, power plant workers and other blue-collar workers, as well as military veterans who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, are the groups most commonly diagnosed with mesothelioma, due to the fact that they were regularly exposed to asbestos on the job. “
The most common cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a group of six fibrous minerals that occur naturally in the earth and are made up of long, thin crystals. Because it was durable, relatively inexpensive and resistant to fire, heat, electricity and corrosion, asbestos was a valuable mineral for use in the automotive, construction and railroad industries throughout much of the 20th century, and also had a number of other commercial, industrial and household applications. Before too long, the United States became the world leader in asbestos usage, and people all over the country were exposed to the mineral as a result. Back then, information about the long-term risks of asbestos exposure was not made public, but we now know that the mineral can cause mesothelioma and other potentially life-threatening illnesses when airborne asbestos dust or fibers are inhaled or ingested. Mesothelioma is caused by years of damage from asbestos fibers becoming lodged in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart, and it can take years or even decades for the disease to be diagnosed.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the tissue that lines the lungs, abdomen or heart. Pleural mesothelioma is mesothelioma that affects the lungs, while peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the heart. There are four stages of mesothelioma, which are based on the location and size of the tumor. In Stage 1, the cancer is localized, whereas in Stage 2, the tumors have begun to spread to other areas, in Stage 3, the cancer has progressed and spread into the regional lymph nodes, and in Stage 4, the cancer has spread extensively in the area where it originally developed (the lungs, the heart or the abdomen). Because malignant mesothelioma has a latency period of 10 to 50 years, the condition typically isn’t diagnosed until decades after the initial asbestos exposure, and the life expectancy for most individuals with mesothelioma is only 12 months after diagnosis.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)